Well, after many false starts we have sold the cows and they were collected last weekend.
The Dexters – Pumkin and Pippin – have gone to join a small ‘hobby’ herd not to far away.
Dexters; Pumkin & Pippin – July 2012
Dexters; Pumkin & Pippin – July 2012
And Chloe, who has turned out to be a freemartin has gone to the butchers. It is a shame as she would have made the prefect house cow for us but we took the risk of her being one when we took her on
Chloe – July 2012
Chloe – July 2012
We are selling our cows.
We are going to lose the field that they have been living in and just don’t have enough grazing for them without it. They have been TB tested and we thought we had a buyer for them who was meant to be collecting them at the start of next month but this has fallen through. Most annoying especially after going ahead with a new pre-movement TB test as this was all that was needed before they left for pastures new…
So, if anyone is looking to start keeping cows or would like to add to their collection with a pair of lovely registered dexter heifers. One black, one red. Both with lovely temperaments and easy to handle. Ready for the bull and TB cleared ready to go. Then I know just the person to contact;
Pippin; 2 year old polled dexter heifer – July 2012
Pumkin (not her registered name); 4 year old dehorned dexter heifer – July 2012
Last Thursday we had two, or should that be three, new arrivals.
The first two we have been waiting for for about six weeks. Our new cows!
We now have a black Dexter heifer, who is in calf and due next May, and a steer to keep her company until her calf arrives. They seem so small and delicate up to our other cows, even our last Dexters. They are more nervous of people then any of our last cows, but they will settle down. When they arrived in the lorry the people got out and were amazed at the view as it is all flat where they are, so even our field, which is on a hill, is something completely new to them. They seem friendly though, and stand behind the thistles watching us to see what we are doing or if we have bought anything worth them being interested in.
The other new arrival was my spinning wheel. I have finally given in, and not given up but put on hold spinning with a drop spindle which is very slow, and am now the proud owner of a Louet S15. (thank you mother.) It took me a while to get the hang of spinning on it but, touch wood, it seems to be going ok. I have just ran out of wool now to spin!
It is much faster then using a drop spindle, and it seems much easier to get a more even thread.
Primrose’s calf has now gone, he’s been sold, so we’re milking her again now.
Her milk is lovely; she is a Jersey cross so her milk has a yellow-y colour to it from all the cream and butter fats. Her calf hasn’t been nice to her udder and it is covered in cuts and sore patches, but she is mostly being very good about being milked.
The Dexter’s have also been sold which makes the cow field so much nicer, they were both very nice cows and good at rearing their calves but they did bully Sunshine and Primrose badly and weren’t really suited to our set-up.
Primrose was bottle feed from about six weeks old and has a very quite nature any way, and Sunshine’s a naturally friendly and nosy nature as well.
Between Primrose and Amber (middle-sisters goat who is the only one being milked) we’re getting about 5 and a half liters of milk a day.
A Life Less Simple 