Archived News

29th January 2014

The sunshine yesterday was wonderful with just a few chilly intermittent showers which I managed to dodge whilst cleaning out and bedding up the three little pigs. 

The piglets moved inside at weaning time in order to give Polly a well earned rest, however due to the almost constant rain and the waterlogged ground, Polly and Spot have moved into their own barn until the weather and ground improve.

Christopher and Laurence were fencing in Homefield on Sunday in a three hour deluge; it really did throw it down! The electric fencing around last year’s ewe lambs has been extended in readiness for 9 in-lamb ewes that will come off the hill tomorrow and join them until lambing time.

Having moved the bull out from the seven cows at Hackhurst; the cows went to graze at Raikes and Ethelred moved to Churchfield where he will wait a while before having his annual fertility testing.

The cows at Raikes which will be PD in march

Our Belted Galloway suckler herd are a hardy native breed that live outdoors all year round apart from weaning time. The Beltie calves that were born in Clockhouse Field last May and June were weaned from their dams today, except for Eleanor and her calf ‘Dusk’ who was a late arrival in November.

This group have been grazing East Lawn over winter and in order to fetch them in and divide the cows and calves, the group had to be walked to the buildings at Hackhurst where we could use the cattle handling area.

Trying to separate Beltie cows and calves in a field would be very time consuming and most likely futile as the cows will do anything to break out of the coral to get back to their calf.

So long as the whole group followed the truck out of the field, onto the Roughs, back into West Lawn and through another three fields; all the time with no cows or calves turning back or stopping...then we would be okay!!..

The Belties will follow the truck if they think there is grub on board, but they won’t leave a field if they see extra people or bright coloured coats. With the correct planning and six of us out of site ready to block gaps and pathways on the Roughs, the plan went like a dream. 

The cattle were divided in the yard and loaded on the trailer with Eleanor, Dusk and the other calves in the smaller section at the front.   Once all cattle were loaded we brought the eight cows to Manor Farm where they will remain for a couple of weeks in a barn whilst the calves will be housed at Raikes during the same period.

The cattle are housed at weaning because the communication between dam and calf continues and the bond is so strong that the cows will break free from a field in order to return to their calf.

It’s a difficult time to wean the Beltie calves because the barns are being used by Friesian cattle of all ages throughout the winter. 

New Friesian calves arrive from dairy farms at any time during the year so we were lucky to have a barn available for the Beltie cows before the next Frisian calves arrive in a fortnight.

There’s a sense that this winter has produced many more strong southerly winds and gales than usual and the farm has certainly suffered with each one through both wind and rain leaving us with additional work to get it all straight.  There was an incredibly strong wind on Saturday with more things being lifted off the ground and strewn about the place; and then I heard Chris Evans on Monday chatting about the mini tornado that had whipped across the country!

On Christmas Eve a barn at Coast Hill was ripped apart by the wind, with sections flung across the field and the remainder pretty mangled.  The farm equipment, implements and fertiliser have been moved as we start to prepare for the rebuild.