The vet's visit

All is back to normal on the croft following the vet's visit yesterday with the cattle back in their respective fields and the little bullock seemingly ok after being dehorned and castrated. Always a stressful experience, more for him than for us, no doubt.

Bull

We sold Big Iain our stock bull today. He had been with us for nearly five years. But, he was 'coming into his own heifers' as they say, and therefore had to make way for new blood. Still, it was a bit sad.

Good thing, though, he went to a fantastic new home at Arnisdale, near Glenelg. New cows to serve and new people to feed him. Such is life.

So long Iain, and thanks for all the calves.

Tale of two sheep

We have a field across the Mill road which we keep free of sheep and cattle for the winter months. When the grass grows in the Spring we move our cows into this fresh pasture and everybody is happy. A while past it was a tad annoying to spot a lonely, little, sheep seemingly happy enough wandering about the field and grazing what grass was left from last season. The sheep did not belong to our croft and had obviously, somehow, got in from an adjoining field where a neighbour had recently introduced some sheep.

But the issue was only slightly annoying and I left the little blighter in peace, for a while. Then one day I took a notion to return the sheep to where it belonged, summoned the trusty Spike who swiftly cornered the little beast in a corner and I made a grab. Finding it slight and light I just lifted it over the fence and thought 'job done' and went home for a munch of homemade fruitloaf.

Next day, as is my want, after feeding the beasts came a stroll with the dogs down the Mill road to the shore. Much to my chagrin and annoyance what was back in the field happily munching, but the little sheep with the one horn. A change of strategy was called for, obviously. But the day was too nice and the dogs needed their walkies. Tomorrow for the interloper.

The dogs romped on the shore, chasing birds and looking for buried treasure in the form of bones or in the case of Lola, interesting shells. And on the way back their day was even more enlivened by the sight of a stray sheep on the Mill road. The sheep panicked, the dogs gave chase and they all went round in circles at great speed with me shouting at the dogs to let go. The sheep headed for the shore and escaped and that is one of the reasons sheep should be kept firmly in fields, behind stout fences! Sheep and dogs don't mix, unless the dogs are working.

The incident was forgotten but the little sheep with the one horn was certainly not. Next day I took the quad and Spike the dog and duly cornered the sheep again. This time I hoisted it onto the back of the quad and holding the sheep with one hand and steering with the other, took it to another of our neighbour's fields and let it go. Goodbye little nusiance sheepie and problem solved.

A few days later, both the aformentioned sheep turned up at the gate of another of our fields, exactly at the spot where I was feeding the heifers. They had obviously came along the shore and managed to breach the fence there.

For three or four days it was a battle of wits. The sheep dashing in trying eat the heifers food and me waving arms to chase them away. I even tried feeding them, to keep them busy while the heifers got fed, to no avail. One would leave its feed and circle around the heifer's food and then go back for the remains of its own. Tricky devil.

There was no alternative. I took Lola and Spike on a sheep chasing mission. The dogs jumped out of the Land Rover, saw the sheep, I gave the command and the sheep with great haste headed back to the shore. For good measure I chased them far along the shore in the direction of where they should be.

But they came back two days later. So persistent! And the dogs gave chase again and fingers crossed, that will be the last I see of them. Wouldn't like to bet on it, though.

Highland Cattle

We have been rearing Highland cattle at Romesdal for over ten years now and the thought struck me as to how my views have changed over time. Then, the most notable feature of the Highlander was colour. Now, it is whether they are capable of producing a suitable large calf which will sell well at the mart.

In other words, who cares what colour the cow is as long as she is in proportion.

At calving time in the early years we would be slightly disappointed if the calf was male, for some reason thinking heifer calves best. Not so now. Once you have your optimum fold number and don't need replacements then you get more bucks from your efforts from bullocks. Fact of life.

The Highlander, apart from being more photogenic than other breeds of cattle, is part of the larger grouping of cattle bred primarily for beef. It stands to reason therefore that a good proportion of heifers will also end up as beef or the planet would soon be overrun by them.

That is why as a breeder you get immense satisfaction when your lovingly reared heifers are sold to continue the line in some other part of the country or indeed some other part of the world.

To return to the question of colour, what I really like about our little fold of six breeding cows, Iain the bull and their followers, is that we have one black cow, one white, one yellow, one red and two dun. As for their followers, we have one not so little white bull (son of Iain), three white heifer two year olds, one red three year old heifer and five little calves of varying colours from last year.

The moral being the more colour the merrier as long as the quality is there.