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The Hereford Breed - Breeders & Judges Guide

 

Breeders and Judges Guide

Points of a Hereford • Undesirable Characteristics • Frame and Weight by Age

Points of a Hereford

Head and neck: Forehead broad, face in porportion with look of alertness; muzzle broad; neck of good length; throat clean and not too full, jaw must be well set neither over or under shot. Teeth to meet the pad correctly. Top of the head should be higher than the crest or neck and the back.

Forequarters: Shoulders should be smooth and well covered with flesh, should not be too prominent for the sake of ease of calving; brisket neat and trim with no waste; legs should be straight, even and set well apart.

Body: Back should be long and broad with a level topline; ribs should be well sprung, loins should be wide and deep for good expression of eye muscle, firm to touch, flank, brisket and belly should carry no waste.

Colour: Face, crest, underside, socks and brush to tail should be white; the body should be a deep rich red.

Legs and Locomotion: Legs should be set squarely; feet should be even and straight; walking action should be free and smooth, not rolling hips, twisting or crossing legs or straddling.

Hindquarters: Rump should have good width and be well muscled; tail head should be set flush with the topline; thighs should be wide and well muscled; legs should be set wide apart without being either too crooked or straight; testicles should be of adequate and even size.

General: Overall appearance of alertness combined with docility, should parade well and appear healthy; smooth frame and fleshing free from coarseness; coat fine and silky. Bulls should be rung at 12 to 14 months (2 3/4 inch copper rings ). Heifers should be mated to calve at 24 to 30 months.

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Undesirable characteristics are:-

Head
Weak jaw (undershot or overshot). Narrow muzzle.

Neck and back
Red necks, line back, sway back, weak over the loin, narrow pins, dropped pins.

Legs and feet
Red legs, sickle hocks, turkey hocks, swollen hocks, twisted front feet, curly toes, splay feet or excessive growth of soft horn on the feet or flat pasterns.

Hair
Black hair, usually found in the tail or around the hindquarters or muzzle. Harsh coated animals.

Size
Too small for age - a two year old bull should have suffcient scale not to damage the image of the bred and younger bulls must indicate they have the potential of being of sufficient scale. It is not the society¹s intention to ask judges to reject exhibits for line backs, red necks, red legs, black hairs, black or discoloured noses etc. Rather these points must be weighed up against the animal's overall conformation. Should a near border line case possess some of these undersirable characteristics then it should be rejected.

Other undesirable features listed, such as undershot or overshot jaws, narrow pins or the exhibit is too small for age, are a different matter. These cannot be tolerated and exhibits must be rejected. Testicles should be examined closely, must be even and have a minimum circumference measurement of 31cm at 21 months of age and show no signs of rupture.

Cows and calves at foot are sold as a unit, therefore both the calf and the cow must pass inspection standards. If the calf is weak or miserable it should be rejected. We emphasise both the mother and calf must pass individual inspection standards. Cows that are obvoiusly poor milkers are to be discouraged, irrespective of quality.

Condition
Refers more so to sires than to dams. We do not wish to encourage overfeeding but a sire must be in sufficiently sound condition to stand a season¹s mating and on average settle thirty-five cows. If you are in doubt, again the animal should be rejected.

Summary
Judges should ask themselves if they would like the exhibit in their herd. If not, the odds are it should be rejected. Remember we are looking for above average Herefords. Keep the standards high and the breeder will receive his rewards. Strong sensible inspection is one sure way to ensure our breed's continuing success.

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Hereford Frame and Weight for Age

Bulls below Frame 6 are undesirable for use in pedigree herds.

frame
7 months (200d)
8 months
9 months
score
height (mm)
weight
(kgs)
height
(mm)
weight
(kgs)
height
(mm)
weight
(kgs)
7
122+
411+
124.5+
461+
127+
511+
6
117+
351+
119.5+
396+
122+
441+
5
112+
291+
114.5+
331+
117+
371+
4
106.5+
231+
109+
226+
112+
301+

 

frame
10 months (300d)
11 months
12 months
score
height
( mm)
weight
(kgs)
height
(mm)
weight
(kgs)
height
(mm)
weight
(kgs)
7
129.5+
561+
132+
611+
134.5+
661+
6
124.5+
486+
127+
531+
129.5+
576+
5
119.5+
411+
122+
451+
124.5+
491+
4
114.5+
336+
117+
371+
119.5+
406+

 

frame
13 months (400d)
14 months
15 months
score
height
(mm)
weight
(kgs)
height
(mm)
weight
(kgs)
height
(mm)
weight
(kgs)
7
136+
710+
137+
740+
138.5+
700+
6
131+
620+
132+
650+
133.5+
680+
5
125.5+
530+
127+
560+
128.5+
590+
4
120.5+
440+
122+
470+
123+
500+

 

frame
16 months
17 months
18 months
score
height
(mm)
weight
(kgs)
height
(mm)
weight
(kgs)
height
(mm)
weight
(kgs)
7
139.5+
800+
141+
825+
142+
850+
6
134.5+
710+
136+
735+
137+
760+
5
129.5+
620+
131+
645+
132+
670+
4
124.5+
530+
125.5+
555+
127+
580+

 

frame
19 months
20 months
21 months
score
height
(mm)
weight
(kgs)
height
(mm)
weight
(kgs)
height
(mm)
weight
(kgs)
7
143+
870+
143.5+
890+
144+
910+
6
138+
780+
138.5+
800+
139+
820+
5
132.5+
690+
133.5+
710+
134+
730+
4
127.5+
600+
128.5+
620+
129+
640+

 

frame
22 months
23 months
24 months
score
height
(mm)
weight
(kgs)
height
(mm)
weight
(kgs)
height
(mm)
weight
(kgs)
7
145+
930+
145.5+
945+
146+
960+
6
139.5+
840+
140.5+
855+
141+
870+
5
134.5+
750+
135+
765+
136+
780+
4
129.5+
660+
130+
675+
131+
690+

 
       

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