FOUR CHIEF POINTS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 85, 20 January 1938, Page 8

FOUR CHIEF POINTS.

STUD BULLS

CULLING THE HERD. When culling herd cattle there are certain major faults to he found which never should be allowed to pass into the breeders, and very often these are overlooked, owing to the person doing tli job watching for defects which he ha's been told by judges were the cause of animals being put down in their classes in the show ring, writes A. J. Tanner in the “Australasian.”

The four chief points can be summed up as follows: Constitution, head and underjaW, legs, and lines. I. place constitution easily first, as, unless one is continually on the lookout for signs ol this, a herd can very easily deteriorate. The first sign is generally a run-out appearance in. the bone, narrow ribs, and lack of heart room. If at all doubtful, stand in front of the animal in question and yon may find the front legs very close together and the knees only a few inches apart; a good-eon-stitutioned animal is invariably wide through the heart and has plenty of width in front.

Handling Stud Sires. When going round the various studs and shows one cannot help noticing very often how very badly a number of the rings on the bulls have been put in. Some have been put so far back in the nostril as to make them practically useless from a leading point of view, while others have been rung with rings either far too small or too heavy, the former preventing- the nose from expanding and the latter so elongating the nose through their excessive weight that the whole face of the animal looks ugly. Apart from appearance, a badly placed ring is decidedly cruel; not only does the wound take far longer to heal but great inconvenience is caused the animal when feeding, often resulting in his losing a considerable amount of condition. For beef cattle a 2£in or 2^in ring is the best size.toj use. This allows for plenty of expansion in the nose, and if placed through the cartilage in the right spot—that is, where it is the thinnest, the ring will not be in the way of the animal when feeding, although it sometimes does prevent a beast from suckling. Never try to ring or do anything to show stock in fat condition on a hot day or overheat them. Also endeavour to avoid allowing them to bump their jaws on a hard rail. 1 have often seen hulls tied to a post with their jaws over a rail on which they are pulling back and bruising themselves. This is very often the cause of lumps which may turn to actinimycosis, and even when this does not occur the mark loft is. always looked upon with a certain amount of suspicion. Teach to Lead. A hull’s ring should not be touched for at least a fortnight after ringing except for the application of healing ointment or grease. Only when absolutely necessary should a bull be led by tiic nose ring. Attach a lead to the ring hv all means, hut teach him to lead without the ring first and only use the’rope on the ring when you wish tp check him or when you desire him to hold his head higher. We see far too many leaders dragging bulls along by the nose lead with the poor brutes holding their heads out and trying to pull away, and consequently showing themselves at their worst.

The great thing in teaching an animal to parade properly is to gain his confidence when leading him. Do not he frightened of him and never allow him to walk yards behind and he dragged right np beside the leader or the head along. The beast should always he right up beside the leader, or the head should be well in front, with enough rope allowed to give him a chance to parade with his head up, but he should be sufficiently educated to be able to pull up and stand with his legs outside him and his head up.