Archived News

2nd February 2009

Being up on a hill, we always tend to get a fair amount of snow when it falls in the south east. Last night was no exception and we have a foot of snow here at Manor Farm.

It was wonderful not having traffic whizzing along the A25 this morning.  For a few hours we had the peace and quiet of heavy snowfall broken only by the sound of cattle in the yard and flocks of finches overhead.  Maybe similar to the tranquillity of Manor Farm a hundred years ago.

Wotton Lottie, one of our pedigree Belted Galloway heifers gave birth to a heifer calf late yesterday afternoon. 

As the snow started to fall last night, Amanda and Luke went up to check on the calf which looked fit and well and was being sheltered stoically from the weather by her mother.  They debated whether to bring the calf in for the night, but knew that Lottie would have to remain in the field until daylight; splitting them up at this early stage could have caused the mother to reject her calf.   It was a calculated risk, but the decision was made to leave both heifer and calf in the field overnight.

Unfortunately this morning the calf was shivering and felt cold to the touch, so she was bundled up in a pile of soft haylage to protect her from the bitter wind and the continuing falling snow.  

While waiting for Luke to arrive with the tractor and trailer, the calf was given warm cholostrum by tube, just to be sure there was something warm inside her until she reached the shelter of the barn.  I rubbed her damp coat with the haylage, trying to dry her off and stimulate warmth from the outside.

Lottie is such an attentive and gentle first time mother.  As the calf was carried into the trailer, Lottie was a little unsure of what was happening and wandered off up the field for a few minutes, but kept looking back, quietly mooing to her calf.  We all moved away from the trailer and walked up behind Lottie so that she headed back to the open trailer and straight in to join her calf. 

The trailer took Lottie and her calf to Raikes Farm where they are now sheltered from another nightfall of snow.  Oh, by the way, the calf will be registered as Wotton Nightfall,  I hope you like that!

As the schools were closed, our boys have helped with the chickens and pigs, made their ‘base-camp’ snow proof, checked out the new calf and of course went sledging! 

    The stuff of memories!