No apologies, this weeks update is gorgeous, but why does a cow have a passport??
A picture heavy potter around the farm, a bit about the calves, what they are eating, what their ear tags are for, why they have them, and what they mean. Oh, and the passport......
Spring keeps teasing us, one morning it is shirt sleeves and the sun on your back, the next you are back to wielding a broom in the rain! However, the one thing we will never change is the weather, and when you are farming sometimes it is best to try and look away from the things you can’t change. So this week I will bring you gorgeous images, mainly courtesy of Sheena, so come on in and enjoy the babies!
Fresh out of the wrapper, this little one is a Limousin, if you like a rabbit hole, you can find out more about the breed by clicking here.
Like all of our calves her mother, grandmother, and great grandmother were all bred and born in Ayston.
These guys are getting on for a week old now, its too wet for them to be in the fields. Cattle have small feet for the size of their bodies, and whilst it is wet they make holes in the grass and soil, making it anaerobic ( will explain more later on) and causing “poaching” which means soil gets in to water as a result of run off, which we have to avoid.
So until it dries up a bit and the grass starts to grow the cows and their calves are in big straw pens in the barns.
So what are they eating? The cows are eating grass and clover (Haylage) which we cut, baled and sealed last summer - essentially preserving the suns energy and nutrients through a natural acidification (pickling) process. The calves are primarily drinking their mothers milk, but they are curious so they pick at straw and haylage, which starts to get their rumens (stomachs) ready for real food.
The yellow ear tags serve multiple purposes, they all have an electronic chip in them, which stays with the animal through its entire life and provides its passport number (yes they all have their own passport - no they don’t go on holiday!). Their passports are a mechanism for government to track them, so in theory government always has a record of which farm or premises any animal is on and has been on for its whole life. Farmers, markets and abattoirs have to notify government of every movement between them over the animals lives. When farmers complain about admin - this is one of the many reasons. However there are good reasons for it, firstly it means that anything you eat can be traced back to the farm it was born on, and through every step in between. Secondly, should there be an outbreak of disease it allows it to be tracked and animal movements halted to prevent spread, and exposed animals to be traced.
The Hand written tag is our management tag, the letters tell you the 5 maternal generations and their number (every calf takes its mothers management number), the name is the Calf’s father. We are always monitoring growth, health and temperament and that affects which females we keep from every generation and which bulls we can use when they have calves, as you never put a heifer back to its father or grandfather to breed.
The Hay Barn
There hasn’t been a lot of progress with the Haybarn, but as soon as I have some fun photos or joy with planning I promise to share - thank you to those of you who have been so supportive with the need for an accessible garden, it is hugely appreciated, it really matters to us that every guest (regardless of mobility levels) has access to nature.
Lamb for Easter
We will have fresh lamb back on Good Friday if you fancy an Easter treat, Sue will be running a pop up shop on Friday 29 March from 1pm - 4pm if you would like to place an order please place it with Sue by tomorrow (Tuesday 19th March) on office@scottayston.co.uk or 07803 000465.