A Month on the Farm

by Lisa Buchanan

~ March ~

We have great news! We passed our annual Tb test – one of the most stressful moments of the year. No-one has proved it yet, that is work in progress, but we believe our programme of vaccinating the badgers on the farm is protecting our cattle. It certainly makes us feel like we are doing something to prevent them becoming infected, and it has the added benefit of keeping the badgers healthy too!

Calving has gone rather slowly. We have five beautiful calves on the ground, but according to the scanning we should be much further forward, but you cannot rush nature! To our great distress, we lost one calf. It was huge and the mum was a heifer. We managed to get it out using a jack, which sounds much worse than it is. It is a brilliant bit of kit that makes us more able to pull a big calf out. It is quite safe so long as it is used properly and we have been trained. This calf was wedged for too long around its middle. It tried to breathe and we were doing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and more besides, but it just didn’t make it. It was devastatingly sad and you just cannot help but blame yourself, even though this stuff does happen. On the bright side, we managed to milk from the cow about four litres of colostrum – the first, antibodyfilled milk without which a calf will die. We froze it and then when, a few days later, we had another calf when the mum didn’t have quite enough milk at first, we had some on hand! You would be so surprised by the things you would find in a farmer’s freezer and fridge!

We have had two cows with pus in their hooves. It is quite odd for this to happen when they are inside on straw, but it may be there has been the odd flint in the straw and should it make the smallest hole in the foot then there is trouble. It is immensely satisfying though when you take a hoof knife to the foot and find the pus, which can sometimes explode out. The cow is delighted too, even though her foot is a little hacked about to find the problem. Nowadays, the wonderful Metacam brings good and quick pain relief.

While it is still jolly cold, Spring is tantalisingly close. The snowdrops are like tiny jewels from heaven and the daffodils are popping up all over the place, even if not in flower yet. The birds are looking for nesting places and the dawn and evening choruses are truly beginning. Spring is just so exciting and the best antidote to the discombobulation which seems all about us.