R V":2vk3s1dk said:
Knersie,
Agreed! Also would you please give me your take on their eye structure. I am trying to get better at evaluating eye structure, but have a long way to go. I can't tell if there are some concerns or if they are just squinting due to the sunlight.
Thanks!
Ron
Ideally you'd like a much more prominent eye brow so that the eye is more hooded with eyelashes pointing downwards. The lack of pigment is a non-issue, it does very little (if anything) good, but it does help to sell bulls. The bull's face is a bit too open for the purist and therefore lacks a bit of character, but it would not bother me at all for commercial use.
On the calving ease issue, that line of herefords is known for calving ease and besides I've never seen a calf's head get hung up on the sides of the birth canal, the real issue is when the forehead hits the top of the pelvic opening and the head turns back, that is just about the worst case scenario as it will very often result in a C section. Most difficult births that need slight assistance will be because the poll of the head is a tight fit in the birth canal, especially with first calvers. If you think about it, the head rests on top of the front legs, so excessive bone (especially the wrong kind of bone, ie heavy round bone) and very long heads are the real culprits when it comes to dystocia. Another factors that plays a role is very prominent or open shoulders, very prominent hooks and a lack of neck extension that causes everything to hit the birth canal at the same time.
Selection for narrow foreheads is about as effective as the selection for narrow chests as width in an animal runs from end to end, typically width between the eyes, will correlate to chest width, heart girth, well sprung ribs, width between the hooks and width between the pins and such animals will have a square rump when seen from behind. The opposite will also apply, narrow between the eyes equals narrow chest, lack of heart girth, lack of srping of rib, narrow hips, closed pins and a roofy rump when seen from behind. In my mind if you start making the entire animal narrower the pelvic opening and birth canal will follow suit.
I know which of these two types I'd rather farm with.... and remember as with all traits.... nature doesn't tolerate extremes!
