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Linebred Miniature Kentshire^® Breeding Plan and Standards
Developed Expressly for South Africa

By Professor Richard H. Gradwohl
Founding Director International Miniature Cattle Breeders Society

The Linebred Miniature Kentshire^® is based on a two breed cross foundation of a single Miniature Hereford bull with outstanding characteristics bred to Miniature Dexter females. We are developing a multipurpose breed that is not only capable of producing outstanding feed efficient beef animals but also has high progeny milk production with a docile nature to make for easy handling. Kentshires^® would not perform in the outstanding manner they do if the two parent breeds were not each outstanding in their respective strong traits. The combination results in a breed that is superior to either original foundation parent breed. An all around great breed of miniature cattle with the best of both foundation breeds. The key to success of this breed is linebreeding (no more than 50% ancestor influence) and bull selection - creating a gene pool necessary for Linebred Miniature Kentshires^® to have the prepotency to reproduce similarly. All animals are registered in the International Miniature Cattle Breeds Registry. For those individuals that wish to participate in this breeding program semen for artificial insemination purposes is provided at a nominal cost. Agreement of strict adherence to the breeding plan and standards is required by signed agreements. Violation of the breeding plan and standards results in disqualification and cancellation of animal registrations. The breed registry chairperson is available to answer breeding program questions and for consultation, e-mail info@minicattle.com.

BREEDING PLAN

The IMCBR Linebred Miniature Kentshire^® Program

Where:
H = Happy Mountain^®One MCBR#2050
D = Dexter Females (cows or heifers)
b = Bull, hi = heifer, F1 = 1st progeny, F2 = 2nd progeny, F3 = 3rd progeny, F4 = 4th progeny

F1 Progeny:
Hereford bull bred to several Dexter females of no closer than half sister relationships.
H x D = F1b or F1hi

F2 Progeny:
Select F1 bull and breed this half brother to his half sisters. Bulls not selected (culls) must be steered.
F1b (selection) x F1hi (several half sisters) = F2's (bulls and heifers)

F3 Progeny:
Select a F2 bull and breed to his half sisters = F3's (bulls and heifers) Bulls not selected (culls) must be steered.

F4 Progeny:
Linebreeding to increase the herd.

Select one F3 bull that has the desired height, color, markings, size, and conformation and breed to all F3 females. Then make bull selections and continue to breed half-brothers to half-sisters. Also, keep producing F1, F2 and F3 progeny from breedings with your selected bulls at these levels. The result is that every animal has 50% influence of Happy Mountain^®One with a mixture of genetics from various selected Dexter females. Truly outstanding animals with great hybrid vigor. You're on your way to developing your herd of these magnificent Linebred Miniature Kentshires^®.

BREED STANDARDS - AS OF 10-1-02

1. Animals must be 42" and under at maturity (three years) to be classified as miniature, or over 42" up to 48" at maturity to be classified as mid-size. All measurements are at the hip (hook bone).
2. All animals must be registered no later than four months of age as F1, F2, F3 or F4 progeny. A picture of each animal being registered must accompany each registration application. Registration certificates from the IMCBR are temporary until maturity (three years) at which time a height measurement is required for permanent registry. Contact the IMCBR or its agent for application for registration forms and additional details.
3. Animals must have originated from approved purebred Miniature Irish Dexter cattle, the approved Miniature Hereford bull, be approved females and have followed the linebred Kentshire^® breeding plan.
4. Parentage must not have evidence of inbreeding within the last three generations unless from approved animals.
5. Animals must not be the result of inbreeding, inbreeding being defined as more than 50% influence of an ancestor.
6. Animals must have originated from the approved Miniature Hereford bull Happy Mountain^®One (foundation bull). Hereford = Happy Mountain^®One, 42" at five years - MCBR#2050 Contact the IMCBR or its agent to order semen for artificial insemination purposes.
7. All breedings must result in 50% influence of the foundation bull creating a gene pool necessary for Linebred Miniature Kentshires^® to have the prepotency to reproduce similarly. Bull selections at the F-2, F-3, and F-4 levels are approved for in-herd use only.
8. All animals used in this breeding program must be registered with the International Miniature Cattle Breeds Registry.
9. All Dexter females must be tested negative for the chondrodysplasia gene (bulldog gene) in the Dexter breed. Contact the IMCBR or its agent for approved testing facilities when this test is available.
10. The attached breeding plan and standards agreement is a required part of this breeding program and must be signed by the approved breeder. All sales and transfers of animal ownership requires new owners to also agree to and sign the attached breeding plan and standards agreement.

BREED REGISTRY CHAIRPERSON FOR THE INTERNATIONAL MINIATURE CATTLE BREEDS REGISTRY:

PROFESSOR RICHARD GRADWOHL 25204 - 156TH AVE S.E. COVINGTON, WA 98042 PH: (253) 631-1911 FAX: (253) 631-5774 E-MAIL: info@minicattle.com WEB SITE: www.minicattle.com

IMCBR South Africa Agent: GERT VORSTER BOX 32626 GLENSTANTIA 0010 SOUTH AFRICA PHONE: +27 12 993 3829 CELL: +27 82 871 7758 FAX: +27 12 323 4338 E-MAIL: vorster@mweb.co.za WEB SITE: www.minicattle.com

Linebred Miniature Kentshire^® Breeding Plan and Standards Agreement

The Breeding Plan and Standards as outlined in the Linebred Miniature Kentshire^® Program require strict adherence. Any deviation from the breeding plan without written approval from the International Miniature Cattle Breeders Registry will result in disqualification and cancellation of animal registrations. Sales of animals must be approved by the IMCBR and require a new owner to also agree to and sign this agreement.

I agree to the Breeding Plan and Standards and am bound by all terms and conditions. I agree that if I deviate from the Breeding Plan and Standards without written permission any animal I may have developed under the Linebred Miniature Kentshire^® program will be disqualified and registration certificates will be cancelled.

BREEDER

Name:
Farm Name:
Address:

City:		State:	Zip:
Phone:		Fax:
E-mail:		Website:

Number of Animals to be Bred:
Number of Semen straws provided:
Breeder Approved By:

MINIATURE LINEBRED KENTSHIRES^® BREEDING PLAN FLOW CHART WITH DESCRIPTIVE NARRATIVE BY PROFESSOR RICHARD GRADWOHL

STEP 1
F1 Progeny (See Chart Step 1)

Breed Happy Mountain^® One semen to Dexter females (artificial insemination). Dexter females are selected for height (42" and under at hook bone), conformation and temperament (docile nature). This first cross results in bulls and heifers that are half brother/half sister and are 50% Miniature Hereford/50% Miniature Dexter. You should get half females and half males.

STEP 2
F2 Progeny (See Chart Step 2)

Select one F1 bull. Bull selection is the key to developing this herd. When it comes to importance, the bull is half the herd! Desired height, color, markings, size, and conformation are all important in this selection process. Look for the bull with the most beef characteristics and short stature (under 42" at 3 years). The IMCBR frame chart will help you predict height. An all black animal, white face with black around both eyes is desirable markings. Bulls that are not selected (culls) must be steered. Breed the selected F1 bull to all his half sisters. This maintains the 50% Miniature Hereford influence while combining the Dexter genetics of the selected bull with those of each half sister. Each F2 progeny, then, will have 50% Hereford and 25% Dexter from the selected bull female side and 25% Dexter from each particular breeding with a half sister.

STEP 3
F3 Progeny (See Chart Step 3)

Step three gives another chance at bull selection. Look for the very best F2 bull based on the criteria mentioned above. Breed this bull to all his F2 half sisters (again, bulls not selected must be steered). The 50% Miniature Hereford influence is maintained but this step gives another opportunity to influence the Dexter female side. The F2 bull selected has, as mentioned, 50% Hereford, 25% Dexter from the selected bull and 25% from each particular half sister breeding. The breedings of F2 to F2 will have the genetic influence of Dexter females in the percentage relationship of 25/12.5/12.5. The female influence from the selected bull stays at 25%. The influence of the half sister breedings drops to 12.5 each.

STEP 4
F4 Progeny (See Chart Step 4)

Now you have a group of animals that are 50% Hereford, 25% Dexter from the F2 breeding and 12.5 from each F2 half sister breedings. The last step requires a last bull selection to be bred to his half sisters. The resulting percentages are 50% Hereford, 25% Dexter from the F2 breeding, 12.5 Dexter from the F3 breeding and 6.25 Dexter from each of the half sister breedings. Hopefully this last breeding results in a bull. During the process of step two and step three additional breedings take place to produce more F2 and F3 heifers to breed to your selected bulls at these levels. Sooner or later an outstanding F4 bull is developed. Additional bull refinement selection can take place at the F2, F3 and F4 levels. The F4 bull is the best of the best. Once he has been developed breedings with all qualified Dexter females can take place (refer to breed standards for definition of qualified Dexter females). The size of the herd is unlimited.

Through bull selection at the F1, F2, F3 and F4 levels the prepotency of genetic focus to reproduce similarly should be developed. These bull selection choices develops a herd of animals, which in the eyes of the breeder are the best he can produce. This is what linebreeding is all about. The development of an outstanding breed of cattle through selective breeding that creates great hybrid vigor. The Linebred Kentshire^® is an outstanding dual-purpose animal for both progeny milking ability and beef characteristics with the best of both foundation breeds.