Post by jamshundred on Sept 24, 2014 23:41:14 GMT
I have noticed over time a number of owners who post photos of their animals, most often bulls, on talk groups and Facebook. Some ask for comments and critique, some just post the photos. I see other breeders leave complimentary comments on some of these animals and I cringe. I see some really awful Dexter pictures not only proudly displayed but other breeders exclaiming how wonderful they are!
I saw this post by another breeder whose contributions I always enjoy reading so I am cross-posting it here.
There is something else I've been noticing. . . . the polled breeders never see a polled animal they cannot "like" and the traditional breeders seem never to "like" the polled animals though it seems to me there is more of the first. The other thing I've noticed. . . . breeders of the upgraded animals totally ignore the photos of the early Dexters! Is that denial?
I saw this post by another breeder whose contributions I always enjoy reading so I am cross-posting it here.
Honest Evaluations 11 hours ago via mobile
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Post by RedRidge on 11 hours ago
I feel compelled to comment, not on a particular bull or cow or calf, but on comments of many evaluations I've read lately. Most of which are not on this sight but other groups. This sight does tend to be a little more opinionated - which is a good thing in my opinion.
We need to remember that if we give a positive response about an animal with a serious problem that we are not doing the owner of that animal any good if that response is general or vague with no constructive comments. We are promoting false information. And worse we are promoting breeding of bad genetics if we overlook problems.
I recently commented about two different bulls who, in my opinion, should have been steers. I didn't say they should be steers, I simply pointed out what appeared to be potential problems in the photo and suggested more pics and angles.
The private responses I got were many... And quite alarming. They all thanked me for having the guts to give my honest opinion and evaluation and said that was a gutsy thing to do. I was appalled that anyone would (for lack of a better term), blow wind up someone's skirt. I got many of these private messages and emails thanking me. That's awful! Many mentioned they didn't post the same opinions themselves for fear of offending someone or making enemies.
Folks, I've got news for you. If I post a pic and ask for opinions, I want to know the bad points. If others don't, that is not asking for an honest opinion.
DON'T do that. If you feel you can't give an honest opinion even about the animals weaknesses then simply do not say anything at all.
When someone points out the good but not the bad I have to assume that they are not educated about structure or not being honest. Either way, I will think twice about ever recommending your livestock.
A generic "awesome animal" is not constructive and rarely accurate - although you can bet your bonnet if I make that comment i really like an animal - at least what I see in the pic. A more specific comment such as good length or good topline can easily be followed by, " i have concerns about how xxx looks in the photo". Or follow it with nothing. But don't make brood generalizations when there are glaring problems.
So... a more recent post asked about an animal someone just purchased. The animal had more serious problems than most and yet every single comment was how nice it was. Was it because the animal had already been purchased and folks didn't want to offend? WRONG answer. By the time I finished reading all the gooshy comments about a very poorly structure animal I wanted to post singsong way to blunt which really would have offended. Something like, "sorry for your loss" :-0
I have lost faith in how knowledgeable people are. Remember many of us have never met so have only our impressions here to go by. So our comments are important. If I agree you can bet I'll be calling you for genetics in the future, and more important recommending you to others. If I don't, I won't be buying stock from you and will not be recommending you. And that should matter because we all know in the livestock world it's not just our genetics but also or reputation that creates sales. I'm not saying we will all agree - and we shouldn't. I'm simply saying we should give honesty and expect honesty. And we should do this without fear of offending. If you are new and lack knowledge about the breed standard or structure, simply say, "I'm not knowledgeable about structure but think she's beautiful". Leaving off the first half is very misleading.
Off my soap box now.
Sheri, Red Ridge Farm
Quote
Post by RedRidge on 11 hours ago
I feel compelled to comment, not on a particular bull or cow or calf, but on comments of many evaluations I've read lately. Most of which are not on this sight but other groups. This sight does tend to be a little more opinionated - which is a good thing in my opinion.
We need to remember that if we give a positive response about an animal with a serious problem that we are not doing the owner of that animal any good if that response is general or vague with no constructive comments. We are promoting false information. And worse we are promoting breeding of bad genetics if we overlook problems.
I recently commented about two different bulls who, in my opinion, should have been steers. I didn't say they should be steers, I simply pointed out what appeared to be potential problems in the photo and suggested more pics and angles.
The private responses I got were many... And quite alarming. They all thanked me for having the guts to give my honest opinion and evaluation and said that was a gutsy thing to do. I was appalled that anyone would (for lack of a better term), blow wind up someone's skirt. I got many of these private messages and emails thanking me. That's awful! Many mentioned they didn't post the same opinions themselves for fear of offending someone or making enemies.
Folks, I've got news for you. If I post a pic and ask for opinions, I want to know the bad points. If others don't, that is not asking for an honest opinion.
DON'T do that. If you feel you can't give an honest opinion even about the animals weaknesses then simply do not say anything at all.
When someone points out the good but not the bad I have to assume that they are not educated about structure or not being honest. Either way, I will think twice about ever recommending your livestock.
A generic "awesome animal" is not constructive and rarely accurate - although you can bet your bonnet if I make that comment i really like an animal - at least what I see in the pic. A more specific comment such as good length or good topline can easily be followed by, " i have concerns about how xxx looks in the photo". Or follow it with nothing. But don't make brood generalizations when there are glaring problems.
So... a more recent post asked about an animal someone just purchased. The animal had more serious problems than most and yet every single comment was how nice it was. Was it because the animal had already been purchased and folks didn't want to offend? WRONG answer. By the time I finished reading all the gooshy comments about a very poorly structure animal I wanted to post singsong way to blunt which really would have offended. Something like, "sorry for your loss" :-0
I have lost faith in how knowledgeable people are. Remember many of us have never met so have only our impressions here to go by. So our comments are important. If I agree you can bet I'll be calling you for genetics in the future, and more important recommending you to others. If I don't, I won't be buying stock from you and will not be recommending you. And that should matter because we all know in the livestock world it's not just our genetics but also or reputation that creates sales. I'm not saying we will all agree - and we shouldn't. I'm simply saying we should give honesty and expect honesty. And we should do this without fear of offending. If you are new and lack knowledge about the breed standard or structure, simply say, "I'm not knowledgeable about structure but think she's beautiful". Leaving off the first half is very misleading.
Off my soap box now.
Sheri, Red Ridge Farm
There is something else I've been noticing. . . . the polled breeders never see a polled animal they cannot "like" and the traditional breeders seem never to "like" the polled animals though it seems to me there is more of the first. The other thing I've noticed. . . . breeders of the upgraded animals totally ignore the photos of the early Dexters! Is that denial?