House of Cows

Horned beasts

2010-09-05T09:33:00.006+01:00

As well as the usual range of cattle in the fields, spring saw some new arrivals. These were brown and white, with horns. Ten mothers with ten calves, although the calves were of various ages.

The dry weather of early summer resulted in a poor hay and silage crop and the on-going near drought caused grazing problems on the farm. At the end of June the original suckling herd were suddenly sold and since the buyer only wanted the calves, the mother cows were sent to the slaughterhouse.

The horned herd have returned to the field and have now been joined by a bull so they should be staying through the winter.

There has been a noticeable decline in the number of cattle in the area. Dairy herds have been sold and the fields turned arable or given over to sheep or horses, so we will have to get used to a different looking landscape.

Gambolling free

2008-04-12T17:53:00.005+01:00

Cowcam has not been broadcasting for a few days whilst I was away taking the Londonderry Air. The weather here sounded much the same as I experienced in the North of Ireland, windy with sunshine and sporadic showers, and today has been no different. The cows and calves trotted across the field to take shelter under the trees during the heaviest downpour, but for most of the day they have been idling in the sun. Every so often a bunch of calves start running about, which seems to irritate the mothers somewhat. The older cows lower their heads to butt the calves back but they just skip aside and continue on their playful way. It's quite a sight to see the calves buck and gambol as they change direction and speed on a whim.

April Snow

2008-04-06T08:25:00.004+01:00

The forecasted snow arrived! Only a light dusting but enough to muffle the sounds and to interest the calves for a while. The strong north-easterly wind created a blizzard and the herd moved across the field to shelter in the lee of the copse. Once the wind had died down a bit the snow eased off and as I write has almost stopped, leaving about an inch lying. Snow puts a different perspective on the landscape so I'll try and take some pictures before the thaw sets in.

Full of the joys of spring

2008-04-04T10:18:00.002+01:00

April 1st saw the arrival of mothers and calves in the home field. To start with there were just four, but on Wednesday afternoon there was some excited mooing and a large bunch moved in from the farmyard. They careered around the field before settling down. This morning the sun is out and the mini-herd are enjoying themselves in the green grass.

Misty morning

2008-02-25T07:47:00.004Z

After a mild, damp weekend the temperature dipped again last night and we awoke to a light frost and a clear sky. There was some early morning mist and the silent, ghostly outlines of the herd appeared through it as they slowly made their way across the field.

Springtime for Heifers?

2008-02-22T15:29:00.002Z

One sure sign of the arrival of Spring is the flowering of the first daffodil. The buds had formed a while back but with a noticeable rise in temperature over the past couple of days, the yellow blooms arrived today.

There are about forty cows in the mini-herd and they are roaming the large field opposite the house. They are always on the move, (except when they lie down) so it wasn't a surprise to be greeted by a deserted field this morning as they had all moved behind the buildings where they can't be seen from the house. They emerged mid-way through the morning and continued to chomp their way around the field. I turned the Cowcam on for a while but they seemed reluctant to move within range of its lens. It is much better for Cowcam when they are in the field that surrounds the House of Cows.

No Trespassing!

2008-02-20T10:08:00.003Z

Cows have appeared in the field opposite the house. They weren't there yesterday morning so arrived sometime during the day. They look like the cows from up the track, but will need closer inspection to be sure and it was a bit foggy first thing this morning. Whilst I was scraping the car I noticed some tell-tale hoof prints in the grass (I hesitate to say lawn!) so the migration of the mini-herd wasn't without incident. When they are driven along the road, all the other gates are normally closed so that the cows can't get off the road, but that didn't happen yesterday as the cows were expected to turn through the first gate they came to. At least a couple of them decided to pass by and came into our garden instead. It doesn't look like they caused any real damage. It's good to see cows from the windows again.

Morning Exercise

2008-02-10T10:42:00.001Z

It was a bright morning, bit of frost on the ground but not a cloud in the sky so it would warm up pretty quickly. I walked two miles up the track to see the out-wintering cows. It was very muddy in places but fortunately it was still frozen so the going wasn't too tough. The cows at the halfway barn had been given some pellets in their troughs so were too busy eating to pay much attention to me as I passed.

When I reached the end of the track the cows were standing around in bunches waiting for the man to plonk the bales in their feeder. I took a few photos and then walked back down the track. The sun was quite warm and the frozen mud was melting fast so I had to squelch my way back. It is very spring-like at the moment - plenty of snowdrops and crocuses and lots of birdsong - it's almost as if we've skipped winter altogether.

Distinct lack of cows

2008-02-04T22:31:00.001Z

The cattle truck was at the farm first thing this morning and a number of our bovine friends were loaded on board. There are still critters in the halfway barn as well as some out in the field at the end of the track, but there don't seem to be as many as in previous years. Looking forward to the warmer weather when the animals will be grazing our fields again.

Sad news from the House of Cows

2008-01-22T20:43:00.000Z

Our elderly and much loved cat has left the building for the final time.

He thoroughly enjoyed his twenty years and will be greatly missed.

He was a very fine cat indeed.

RIP.

Foot and Mouth

2007-08-21T22:57:00.001+01:00

Straw bunds and disinfectant have been much in evidence since the first news of the outbreak in Surrey. Fortunately it does now seem to have been contained so everyone is breathing easier.

There have been a couple of mass breakouts this summer. The first came when a fallen branch breached the fence and saw chaos and destruction as twenty two boisterous bullocks rampaged through the lovingly tended gardens, destroying fences and enjoying a vegetable feast. The second occasion was calmer as mothers and calves were involved, although the early morning bellowing woke up the entire village. The herd had made their way almost two miles down the lane after a careless walker or biker had left a gate open.

2003-09-15T09:59:00.000+01:00

There has been plenty of birthing activity recently. I reckon we have now seen 9 calves. All mothers and babies appear to be Ok, although they are fairly rapidly removed from the field and placed in the barn.

The most recent mother was No 84 at 4:15 this afternoon, and last Saturday the original limping cow also gave birth.

2003-09-03T17:34:00.000+01:00

Last evening there was unusual bellowing coming from the hospital field. We went out into the garden in the dark and saw a midwife cow galloping past the fence and towards the source of the noise. At first light this morning the first calf of the season is visible under the trees by the river. It is amazing to see the calf walking unsteadily less than 12 hours after being born. Mother and baby appear to be doing fine. Later on, the mother cow rejoined the remaining herd leaving her calf snoozing in the grass. We are looking forward to more calves over the coming weeks.

2003-09-03T17:33:00.001+01:00

The 'dirty dozen' have also been placed in the hospital field together with the existing heifers and the limping seniors. The first arrival must surely be imminent!

2003-09-03T17:33:00.000+01:00

Another cow from the main herd has joined the occupants of the hospital field. Not sure exactly what her problem is. The other senior cow is still limping around with the bandaged hoof.

The still August evenings are perfect for bat watching and also for star gazing. Mars is spectacularly bright.

2003-08-13T12:50:00.000+01:00

We have had another overseas visitor with us for the past couple of days. He flew into Heathrow on Sunday lunchtime, right around the time that the UK's hottest ever temperature was recorded there. We told him that this was normal weather for August!

Not much activity in the field at present, but elsewhere the harvest continues with a constant stream of grain lorries leaving for the mill and an ever-growing stack of round bales piling up behind the barn.

One of the heifers has a damaged hoof so is wearing a bandage and limping a little.

2003-08-06T14:54:00.000+01:00

The herd has been divided and there are currently 20 heifers in the hospital field. They are on a special diet (mostly hay) as you don't want first-time mothers to get too large before they calve, as that makes the birth more difficult. The heifers are spending a lot of time in the shade down by the stream but they don't appear to be distressed by the heat. The dairyman is keeping a close eye on them and has taken them in to be checked over twice in the past 10 days.

Inside the house the cat is not coping with the hot weather. He is not moving around much in an effort to keep cool, although even when it is freezing he doesn't move around much anyway. He has taken to lying stretched out on the floor under the desk with his head between his front paws as he must be finding the bed too hot. I have offered him the couch downstairs but even though it is cooler down there, the poor kitty insists on hauling his furry frame back up the stairs and under the desk again.