Getting ready for winter
Posted on November 14, 2010 by Low Arvie
We had one very busy day last week getting ready for the winter. We now have to have our herd tested for BVD, a viral disease which they are trying to eradicate from Scotland, and for this year there is a grant towards the cost of the testing. The vet takes blood samples from several animals which are then sent to the lab for analysis. Since the vet was coming to do this testing we lined up a few more jobs for him while he was here. Baron the bull had gone lame a few days before and the vet found a very deep seated abcess in his foot which he was able to lance and clear, making Baron a lot happier. There were also the new bull calves to castrate. That job is a lot easier and safer to do when the calves are small and they don’t seem to notice, so that was done.
He also checked out Zinnia after her ordeal in the peat bog and found that she has a problem with the stifle joint of her right back leg. There was no treatment for this, but he said just to let her do her own thing and walk as she wanted to. We have put her into the little end of the new shed with Zola, her calf and Bella the orphan and they are living together quite happily. Zinnia is lame but is eating well and has a warm shed to sleep in out of the wind. They also have the Upper Inbye field to wander in when they want to and all is well there for the moment.
Baron has now gone back to the other Ladies after his few days recuperation from the abcess and life has settled back down to its normal winter pattern of feeding and watering.
We have to have the herd tested for TB this month – you have to do this every four years – so there will be a further two vet visits for this before we can finally ‘batten down the hatches’ and really settle into winter.
Baron will stay for a few more weeks and a month after he leaves we will have the Ladies PDed (Pregnancy Diagnosed) and that will tell us how many new calves there will be next year and allow us to plan what to do with the 5 yearling heifers. If all the cows are in calf we may sell 2 or 3 of the young ones.
The year goes by so quickly and each season brings its own particular routine and planning problems, but it keeps us on our (now quite elderly) toes.
Take care,
Lxx
PS 37 years ago today I was involved in an altogether different activity – giving birth myself!!
