I seem to recall being a bit smug about getting this year’s hay crop in without it feeling a single drop of rain. Well, the same feeling isn’t available to apply to the barley straw. One of our neighbours has grown a crop of spring barley and offered the straw to us. We said we’d have […]
Being away from home all day yesterday, I was spared involvement in the annual hay cutting decision. Which was something of a relief as it’s often a bit agonising. A neighbour, Gordon has been cutting and baling our hay each summer since we started and whilst he and his family team do a wonderful job, […]
The last few days have been filled with cattle. Thursday morning last week was our first chance to get ear tags into the three calves born the previous Saturday. We try to get tags in within 48 hours because after that time, calves are quick, agile and strong and rather tricky to catch. And so it […]
The waiting’s over and we have five lovely Red Poll calves. Four heifers and one bull so far; three to come. Pepper was the first last Sunday, followed by her half-sister, Copper on Wednesday. Just to add excitement to an already packed Saturday schedule two were born in the early hours and a third, to ace mum […]
At this time of year, when we finally reach the first due date (9 months after the day Admiral, our Red Poll bull, walked off the trailer to meet his heifers and cows for the first time) we start to fret and discuss and examine and try to remember exactly what a cow that will […]