Archived News

18th March 2010

Day two of the TB testing has gone very well and I am pleased to report that we had no ‘reactors’. So hopefully for the breeding cattle that should be good for another four years.

Once each cow had been TB checked it was a great opportunity to do some routine tasks while they were in the cattle race; they were given their annual dose of Bluetongue vaccination; any missing ear tags were replaced; and they were scanned for pregnancy. 

This winter we've seen some stylish head gear on the farm, but nothing as useful as the scanning equipment that Tom, the vet had to wear today.  This photo shows Harvey waiting patiently as Tom prepares a nose ring for him.

The scanning is an excellent way to discover whether a cow is pregnant or not, however it cannot give a terribly precise date if the pregnancy is already well under way.  As a rough guide we might hope for calving to begin in this group in about mid June over the course of two months.  Harvey has done a fantastic job!

Harvey was given a Bluetongue jab and a shiny replacement ring was put through his nose, he was then loaded onto a trailer and moved to Hackhurst where he’ll stay for a while keeping company with seven pregnant cows and heifers. 

The time has come for us to sell Harvey and buy a new bull or swap him with another bull to prevent him coming back onto his daughters. We need to find him a good Belted Galloway herd in which he can continue to produce more Kempslade Harvey offspring!