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It’s that time of year again when it’s a race to get as much done as possible in the precious few hours of daylight.
While feeding and bedding can be done with the lights on, I prefer to get scraping out and opening bales done in natural daylight.
Our tups have been out for five weeks now and have been switched around
All the cattle are now inside and have been for five weeks, so the only stock outside now are our own sheep flock and 150 lambs for finishing which belong to a neighbour.
As grass was still fairly plentiful when cows came in, the same neighbour has already finished nearly 200 lambs.
Our tups have been out for five weeks now and have been switched around, so fingers crossed we should be lambing a wee bit earlier next year.
Maedi visna (MV) accreditation has also been secured for the Zwartbles Flock, with a second clear blood test done in October.
However, the cost did run into a far bigger expense than anticipated, and it will take a good few sales above commercial values to recoup the outlay.
Cattle housing
We try not to stress the cattle too much around housing. Each grazing group is generally housed together and interventions are initially kept to a minimum.
However, calves have now been weaned and dosed.
We don’t clip the calves as all sheds are open on at least one side, and with little shelter, they are exposed to the elements.
Cold snap
The past week has seen the first sustained cold snap of the winter with temperatures dropping to -10°C on Saturday night, with the top temperature over the last few days a balmy -2°C.
Often the climate we encounter seems to be a world away from other places close to us on a map.
It means a lot of extra work and a far shorter growing season than other parts of Scotland
That is due to a combination of being at least an hour travelling time from the coast in any direction, and the farm sitting at nearly 900ft.
It means a lot of extra work and a far shorter growing season than other parts of Scotland.
Last Wednesday when travelling to Stirling with a load of calves, when we left the temperature was 2°C and by the time we got to Stirling the outside temperature gauge was showing 11°C.
The cold has also highlighted an issue with fuels, with all but the oldest tractor running erratically or not starting at all, despite new filters being fitted.
In the end, while an average of 193p/kg was down on last year, heavier weights meant they made £900 per head at 12 months old
The calves which went to Stirling did pleasantly well.
Our expectations were low, with the beef trade having been depressed for some time.
In the end, while an average of 193p/kg was down on last year, heavier weights meant they made £900 per head at 12 months old.
We had held off selling as long as possible, but with the majority of heifers being retained for stock replacements, the number of stock sold this year has been reduced substantially – cashflow was required to keep the wheels turning.
Saturday then took us to Carlisle with the intention of reinvesting in the herd with the possible purchase of some pedigree Limousins from the Homebyres dispersal sale.
Fantastic quality
The quality of the stock was absolutely fantastic and trade lively throughout the sale which meant none of the cows with calves at foot were available within our limited budget.
That, together with the realisation that the funds from the sale of the calves on Wednesday had already been accounted for with payment of rent two days previous, meant our participation never progressed beyond watching and dreaming.
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