Dexter Bulls Online

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 10:29 am

You can get pedigrees, but as bulls are half you herd, I would like to be able to see them and wondered what you would think about having an online database of images of bulls, current and from the past if available.

You can't realistically put images in the grassroots system because I've spoken to them about it and whilst possible, it's not easy apparently, and even if you did, you couldn't look at them online, so it's limited.

I realise that looks doesn't tell all by any means, but I still want to see them.

i.e. This would be a permanent, central record of bull pictures. Not bulls for sale, just any bulls that anyone wants to upload onto the site. Obviously they could be printed for someone who's not online. It could be UK only or it could be worldwide, and it would be very easy to set up and administer.

bjreroberts · Post by **bjreroberts** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 12:27 pm

I personally love looking at photos of other people's animals and always look forward to Stephanie's latests posts!

However, given the lack of photos on the Cattle For Sale ads on this site is this something sellers are able / willing to do?

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 12:33 pm

The thing is I would rather see a picture of a bulls mother, if I was looking for a bull to produce me a good herd, rather than a picture of the bull as I don't want a herd of bulls.

Ideally a picture of his sisters, daughters and the bull as well but probably most of all his mother but you can't have everything!

ann · Post by **ann** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 9:02 pm

In theory its a brilliant idea, however it would only be of some use if people submitted good photo's and not everyone is capable of taking pictures which display animals at there best. I seem to remember thee was an article some time ago on how to take good cattle photo's and it suggested that you needed 3 people. One to take the photo, one to hold the animal and one to attract its attention. Just watch the time the professionals take when they are trying to get good photo's of the winners at the Rare B Show.

I think that is probably why we don't get many photo's on the cattle for sale, as a bad photo is worse than no photo. Needless to say we had lots of nice photo's for our competition, an with digital camera's you can just keep snapping until you hopefully get it right.
however I think we do need pictures of dams to . IMPO

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:25 am

Yes, I understand the problems and would it be used? Yes, you want to see the dams, and loads of calves at well and what they came out of! With the photos, all you need is a telephoto/zoom lens so you can snap at a distance. The other real problem is black cattle but the key to this site is that it would be linked to the bees-knees in software which can take a blacked-out photo that you can hardly see and convert into a perfectly acceptable image.

I've done a test site and it's at http://gallery.mac.com/cliveataylor#100066. If you want to upload any photos, please do, or you can email them in and the website will automatically strip out the image and publish it.

If nothing else, the technology could have all sorts of applications.

Edited By Broomcroft on 1208417234

Martin · Post by **Martin** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 9:10 am

Checked the web site out Clive, and can see that it could be usefull. When I looked for a bull a couple of years ago I visited 4 farms in one day, 2 I would not have gone to if images of the bull and his close family where available to me. Nothing wrong with the animals, just not what I was looking for.

Martin. Medway Valley Dexters

Rutherford · Post by **Rutherford** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 9:13 am

Clive that is a brilliant offer. Personally I like to enjoy looking at my bull, but when it comes to breeding - in the equation of being forced to make a choice of a sight of the bull himself or his dam - I would plump for the dam; it will give an indication of how his daughters may turn out. He has to be a compromise between the genes he inherited from his dam and those he inherited from his paternal grand-dam, they are what produced him; he has nothing else to offer. Since he can only pass on half from each, the offspring will not necessarily look like him, and he may have inherited a cover from one that hides something you would sooner avoid.
Beryl (Woodmagic)

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 4:49 pm

There's no reason why dams could not be uploaded as well. I suppose people concentrate on the bulls because they are the ones that are spreading the genes, albeit not all their own. The postman in a way.

If you want to search the images, just press Subscribe and choose RSS feed, then you'll get options on the right where you can sort and search.

Edited By Broomcroft on 1208447587

Inger · Post by **Inger** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 10:34 am

Very nice pictures. There are a couple of bulls there that I wouldn't mind in our herd. :;):