My annual herd test was completed a couple of weeks ago and, thankfully, we are again clear for hopefully another year.

My herd test and Jeep MOT are always in December - both bring a certain amount of stress.

As I’ve said, the herd test was thankfully clear, but, unfortunately, I’m going to get another day out with the Jeep due to a broken spring.

Anyway, with both of those ordeals out of the way, I’m hopefully now on the wind down to Christmas. Most jobs on the farm are reasonably up to date, I think.

Quiet calving

Calving has gone a bit quiet over the past few weeks, so hopefully there won’t be a bust over the festive period and I could do with weighing some lambs and treating an odd sore foot.

I probably would have had them done the week gone by if it wasn’t for the icy weather that just left the yard too treacherous, so, at this stage, they will probably have to wait until after Santa has been and gone.

I’ve asked him for a new telehandler. I’m pretty sure that I’m on the nice list, but even the strongest believer in the house isn’t holding much hope of me getting some new shiny metal.

But as I keep telling them “if you don’t ask, you don’t get” so we’ll have to wait and see.

Silage pit

I opened the silage pit a couple of weeks ago. I’d been feeding bales up until then. I still have plenty of bales left, but I'd like to try and get the pit emptied this year, as it hasn’t been emptied for a few years now.

Calved cows had been performing very well on the baled silage and 1.5kg of concentrate, but the bales were of very high quality.

I’ll now need to keep and eye, to see how cow condition is holding on the pit silage. It is first-cut silage in the pit, but it was a week late being cut, due to poor weather, and will be slightly wetter than the second-cut bales.

That being said, it should still be good quality. I haven’t managed to get it tested yet, but it looks fairly good.

Crunch

Calves have started getting meal over the past couple of weeks also and have started well. I usually start them on a calf crunch and then move them on to a coarse ration when they are eating well.

But this year I just started them on Inisleigh’s weanling blend, as I just kept forgetting to buy a bag of crunch and, thankfully, they took to it flying, so I’ve saved myself a few euro in the process.

I’d like to wish everyone a happy Christmas and I’ll speak to you all again in a few weeks!