Merry Christmas to everyone and anyone who ever takes the time to read this blog.I promise to try to update it on a more regular basis.
Today is pretty much like most other days on the farm as the cows still need to be milked and fed etc.
The cows don't know any different and their day certainly doesn't change.
The herd are doing well and the Chloanne cows are all performing on track.
Sadly though, I don't think that Moet Formation Gracious will ever get in calf and so she will have to go in the new year. It will be the end of an era as she has been an amazing animal, not just for me, but in the main herd as well. However, looking ahead, there are many Gracious decendants on the groung now and genetically , they should out perform the grand old lady.
Chloanne Hershel Gracious was confirmed in calf the other day so that is good news.
Chloanne Magna Gracious, Chloanne Spooky Gracious and Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious are all due to calve around the beginning of Feb so that should start to fill the tank with Chloanne milk.
I hope everyone has a great time today and have a Happy New Year !!!!
Tuesday, 25 December 2007
Sunday, 16 December 2007
Busy week, Stressfull weekend.......
Well last week was pretty much the wek from hell. Problems and calamitys just kept lining up to challenge me .
Chloanne Addison Gracious decided to calve on Thursday morning . Not only was she rude enough to give me a bull calf , but then she decided to lie down and get bloat. By the time I was there she was massive and I had to call for help just to get her up and have a bloody large burp ! Then on Friday it was the herd competition. This went fairly okay except I don't think the judge liked the cow family, the progeny group or the herd in general.
However he did like the cow I put forward, Chloanne Webster Gracious, who I must say was looking like perfection.
So this weekend I have been off .So why does it NEVER feel like that.
This time I get a phone call at 7.45 to tell me of a cow that is lying flat out having just had a dead calf.When I go to investigate , I find ANOTHER cow down with milk fever and she has not calved. In the process of all this happening , I just happen to ask is Chloanne Addison Gracious is okay, to be told that she is absoulutely fine .
Since the vet is now coming to the other cows later that day, I arrange for the vet to see Gracious. Wrll to cut a long story short, she had a temperature of 106 and was not really a happy bunny.
She is now on antibiotics and is looking much brighter already.
Ah, the joys of the weekend off.!!!!!!!!
Chloanne Addison Gracious decided to calve on Thursday morning . Not only was she rude enough to give me a bull calf , but then she decided to lie down and get bloat. By the time I was there she was massive and I had to call for help just to get her up and have a bloody large burp ! Then on Friday it was the herd competition. This went fairly okay except I don't think the judge liked the cow family, the progeny group or the herd in general.
However he did like the cow I put forward, Chloanne Webster Gracious, who I must say was looking like perfection.
So this weekend I have been off .So why does it NEVER feel like that.
This time I get a phone call at 7.45 to tell me of a cow that is lying flat out having just had a dead calf.When I go to investigate , I find ANOTHER cow down with milk fever and she has not calved. In the process of all this happening , I just happen to ask is Chloanne Addison Gracious is okay, to be told that she is absoulutely fine .
Since the vet is now coming to the other cows later that day, I arrange for the vet to see Gracious. Wrll to cut a long story short, she had a temperature of 106 and was not really a happy bunny.
She is now on antibiotics and is looking much brighter already.
Ah, the joys of the weekend off.!!!!!!!!
Friday, 7 December 2007
A Watched Cow Never Calves !
The more I watch Chloanne Addison Gracious, the more she is hell bent on hanging on as long as possible. I am enduring many broken nights of sleep just to keep an eye on her. Chloanne Tulip Gracious has settled into the herd and is really starting to perform rather well.
Sadly I had to "say goodbye" to Frankham Romper Lizzie on Tuesday.I bought her at a sale back in April and I was hopefull of big things from her.
However there must have been a problem with her as she has never managed to get in calf and worse than that , the vet said she never would, so after stiking a deal with the auctioneers and the seller, hopefully I shouldn't be out of pocket when the final cheque arrives.
Sadly I had to "say goodbye" to Frankham Romper Lizzie on Tuesday.I bought her at a sale back in April and I was hopefull of big things from her.
However there must have been a problem with her as she has never managed to get in calf and worse than that , the vet said she never would, so after stiking a deal with the auctioneers and the seller, hopefully I shouldn't be out of pocket when the final cheque arrives.
Sunday, 2 December 2007
One down, One to go!
Well at last 303 (Chloanne Tulip Gracious) has calved. She has had a little red Hereford heifer. She is looking amazing and hopefully she will go on to produce the goods in the milking parlour as well.
Chloanne Addison Gracious has been looking on with interest and she won't be far away from calving her self.
Frankham Sept Storm Ethel was diagnosed as being pregnant again so she will calve round about July next year.
So all in all it's a busy old time and hopefully all the calvings to come will be successful ones.
Next year it is our pleasure to be hosting the Northumbria Holstein Breeders Club annual barbeque as well as the final stock judging of the season. This will take place on the 11th May.
Also I am about to take up the role of vice-chairman for the next 2 years so I am really looking forward to that, and then chairman after that !!!!
It is going to be our annual herd competition in 2 weeks time . This will be a scaled down version of the one that was cancelled due to foot and mouth in the summer.
Hopefully I will be able to find something worthy of showing.Fingers crossed !!!!
Chloanne Addison Gracious has been looking on with interest and she won't be far away from calving her self.
Frankham Sept Storm Ethel was diagnosed as being pregnant again so she will calve round about July next year.
So all in all it's a busy old time and hopefully all the calvings to come will be successful ones.
Next year it is our pleasure to be hosting the Northumbria Holstein Breeders Club annual barbeque as well as the final stock judging of the season. This will take place on the 11th May.
Also I am about to take up the role of vice-chairman for the next 2 years so I am really looking forward to that, and then chairman after that !!!!
It is going to be our annual herd competition in 2 weeks time . This will be a scaled down version of the one that was cancelled due to foot and mouth in the summer.
Hopefully I will be able to find something worthy of showing.Fingers crossed !!!!
Friday, 30 November 2007
Busy week @ Chloanne
Once again I am in a waiting game for the arrival of the next Chloanne calf. This time it is Chloanne Addison Gracious who is due to calve tomorrow.She is shaping up well so fingers crossed it will be a nice little heifer calf.
Also due tomorrow is Chloanne Tulip Gracious (whose mother is Chloanne Addison Gracious).
She is carrying a Hereford pregnancy as she was running with the bull.
This week I also found out that Chloanne Spooky Gracious is about 7 months pregnant.
This is fantastic news as she was just about to be entered for gouing away fat as we all thought that she had never managed to get in calf.So hopefully she will calve down just about the same time as Chloanne Magna Gracious and Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious.
However, all is not well with the original cow @ chloanne.
I have struggled for months to get her in calve and have failed every time .
I AI'd her again today just for old times sake , but deep down I know that she will never really get in calve again so she will probably have to go in the spring.
Also due tomorrow is Chloanne Tulip Gracious (whose mother is Chloanne Addison Gracious).
She is carrying a Hereford pregnancy as she was running with the bull.
This week I also found out that Chloanne Spooky Gracious is about 7 months pregnant.
This is fantastic news as she was just about to be entered for gouing away fat as we all thought that she had never managed to get in calf.So hopefully she will calve down just about the same time as Chloanne Magna Gracious and Chloanne Goldwyn Gracious.
However, all is not well with the original cow @ chloanne.
I have struggled for months to get her in calve and have failed every time .
I AI'd her again today just for old times sake , but deep down I know that she will never really get in calve again so she will probably have to go in the spring.
Thursday, 15 November 2007
Ooooops !!!! Sorry for the delay . . .
Apologies for it being over a month since the last posting. I have no excuses what so ever . Work has been very hectic and when i have been logged onto the computer lately , I have been busy doing other stuff.
The cows are now inside for the winter so that in it's self makes my job slightly easier although it does bring with it , different problems.
Of course, they all need to be fed every day and their pens have to be kept clean too. This is all time consuming and it will be like this until they go out in early May.
the young stock are all still out and hopefully if the weather is kind, they can stay out another 2 weeks.
It is fair to say that the cows have milked better and we are really at a loss as to what else we can do for them to get the high yields that we know we can get.
What we really need is some fresh calved cows into the herd....that should do the trick !!!
All the media has been focusing lately on the increased milk price to be paid the the UK farmers for their milk, with stories of 26p - 30p being quoted.
Well, sadly these do seem to be just wishful thinking as , so far, even 25p hasn't been forthcoming yet.
Unfortunately, also, the media are neglecting to mention the small matters of increased production costs due to higher fuel costs, fertiliser now around £175/tonne, feed prices nearly doubling and labour costs soaring. So , in reality, whilst the milk price increase is a welcome one,the bulk of the benefit is eaten up on the increased production costs.
The cows are now inside for the winter so that in it's self makes my job slightly easier although it does bring with it , different problems.
Of course, they all need to be fed every day and their pens have to be kept clean too. This is all time consuming and it will be like this until they go out in early May.
the young stock are all still out and hopefully if the weather is kind, they can stay out another 2 weeks.
It is fair to say that the cows have milked better and we are really at a loss as to what else we can do for them to get the high yields that we know we can get.
What we really need is some fresh calved cows into the herd....that should do the trick !!!
All the media has been focusing lately on the increased milk price to be paid the the UK farmers for their milk, with stories of 26p - 30p being quoted.
Well, sadly these do seem to be just wishful thinking as , so far, even 25p hasn't been forthcoming yet.
Unfortunately, also, the media are neglecting to mention the small matters of increased production costs due to higher fuel costs, fertiliser now around £175/tonne, feed prices nearly doubling and labour costs soaring. So , in reality, whilst the milk price increase is a welcome one,the bulk of the benefit is eaten up on the increased production costs.
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