Milking This year’s calves are growing nicely and milking has been going well. The calves are brought in to the barn at lunchtime and penned with hay, water and feed then the three cows, Winnie and Ace come in about…
2017 calving
Calving is now over for 2017, with Rosie giving birth to a big, feisty heifer calf on the 7th July. Registrations have now gone off to the Shetland Cattle Herd Book Society – Annie’s calf, Panda is registered as Rosedean…
Paddy – new Shetland bull calf
Blizzard calved a big, healthy black and white bull calf on 9th June. We’ve called him Paddy. Like Blizzard’s calf last year, he was born with tight tendons in his front fetlocks but his legs are straightening out nicely and…
Panda and Camembert
Panda is doing well, as is her mother, Annie. They are now back in the herd and Ace is Panda’s main playmate, in the absence of any other calves. He seems happy to oblige – and to provide baby-sitting services…
Rosedean Panda
Very happy to welcome a new addition to the Rosedean Shetland herd – Rosedean Panda. Annie (Rosedean Santa Ana) calved yesterday (28th May) a week earlier than we expected. Panda is a heifer calf, Annie’s fourth calf and third heifer.…
Preventative medicine and foot trimming
This week has been one of preventative medicine. We routinely vaccinate the breeding cattle against tetanus and other clostridial diseases using Bravoxin 10. Similar to Heptavac for sheep, each animal gets two initial doses 4-6 weeks apart and then an…
Winter quarters
Last week we moved the steers to their winter paddock, with access to the wood. It was half dark, so not an ideal time to do it, but they behaved very well and we had help from our friends Paul…
Steers dosed / Brushing cows
Thanks to the bribe of sugar beet, we successfully applied the steers’ Closamectin this week, to reduce internal and external parasites. They’ll get another application in eight weeks. Spent some time brushing the cows with a soft brush – they…
Housing improvements / Wormer & flukicide
Tuesday morning, found Rosie loose in the barn and Annie in Rosie’s pen. This is when you’re glad you spent time halter training them. Tied Rosie up to one of the horse rings, walked Annie back to the barn, where…
Ace haltered
Ace is settling in well; naturally, he was bawling for the first few days of the week, but he knows what a bucket is and he’s happy to get a scratch. On Saturday, less than a week after we got…