Archived News

19th August 2007
Originally I was expecting to use this latest news page every so often just to outline the work currently being undertaken on the farm.    However, since the website went live two weeks ago, so much has happened and this page has become more of a diary for the time being.

Whilst waiting for the Foot and Mouth Disease test results on these calves, the local vets were not permitted to test for other possible illnesses and it was another five days before they could be given the most appropriate treatment, which cannot have helped the situation.

On a positive note Amanda looks after our youngstock and she is doing a grand job nursing the most poorly calves. As they won't feed themselves, these calves are given a milk and glucose mixture through a tube until they regain their strength, this is a fiddly job made a little easier this week with assistance from a trainee vet on work experience.

When calves are bought from different dairy farms and put into a group here at Manor Farm they inevitably bring with them coughs and colds which then spread. In this way IBR is taking it's toll on the young calves, with the virus spreading through the group. The virus causes secondary infections which can be treated with antibiotics, however a couple of the calves have unffortunately died.

At present all deadstock must be licenced to leave the farm so we contact our nearest incineration service who come with the licence and collect the fallen animal. One of the calves became steadily poorly today, he had so much mucus coming out of his mouth and nose that breathing was becoming increasingly difficult, he was really rough and unable to stand. I had to make the decision to have him humanely killed by the incineration service rather than have him suffer a slow death, nothing more could be done for him medically.

I think it is good that our children see the process of care entailed with the livestock, the hours we are spending checking them, calling the vets in to diagnose and treat and then nursing the calves back to good health. However our boys are fully aware that death as well as life will be encountered on a working farm and they weren't phased when the calf was shot today and then winched up into the back of a sealed truck to be taken for incineration.  

The passports of any fallen stock are sent to the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS)

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