Weekend away at Auchareoch - A good time was had by all

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 8:11 pm

So, I go away for a weekend and this is what happens, no new posts since 27/04/06.

Linda and I have just done a bit of Island Hopping and visited the Auchareoch herd on the Isle of Arran, visiting one of our nearest Dexter neighbours. We can look across the Firth of Clyde and see Arran every day but it takes a bit more effort and two ferry journies to get there. We are just back from very enjoyable visit looking at the two year old Auchareoch herd, formed mainly from Burnside, Windyknowe, Ashieburn and Whitehirst herds, with Harron Hadrian as the stock bull. Five new calves are on the ground, one born less that 12 hours before our arrival.

Morton and Eleanor Muirhead now have a herd of about 20 Dexters running on ground surrounded by forrestry at around 500 feet above sea level and some 2 miles from the public road through forrestry tracks. The holding is ideally suited for a Dexter herd with several areal of pasture separated by moor, woodland, hedges and tracks allowing the various classes of stock to be kept separate as required, with very good natural pasture and shelter for the herd to outwinter with homegrown hay as the main winter feed. What a treat to see this herd some two year after its formation with the results of hard work on the management of the whole landscape beginning to show, as replanted hedges, shelter areas and many other environmentally friendly features begin to take form.

What a treat for a weekend away.

Duncan

Martin · Post by **Martin** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 9:46 pm

I had a good weekend also Duncan, helped a friend deal with two injured ewes from a dog worrying incident, found someone that still has hay for sale, (I will need some to feed before hay aftermaths are ready for grazing and also buffer feed when cows are first turned out). finished off the last of the fencing needed to turn cows out. Looking forward to turning them out on Wednesday after the vet visit for de-horning. As it was such a good day (weather wise) yesterday managed to spray one of my grazing fields that last year was a very nice shade of buttercup yellow, I am hoping to keep it green this year.
I calved a little earlier this year, as last year we turned out freshly calved cows onto good grass and the calves being a couple of days old where not demanding enough on the milk supply and although I only had 1 case of mastitis I believe I was very lucky. This year with calves a minimum of 2 weeks old and very demanding, I hope not to see too many very tight and sore looking udders. After a kind winter and a successfull calving time (4 heifers and 1 bull calf ) my herd looks good and is now set to grow at a quicker pace than I could have hoped, although I now need to find someone who has a similar bull to mine that wants to swap (ideal world).
At this time of year we have plenty of sunshine to look forward to, and hopefully a good haymaking (only 8 weeks away). Life feels good at this time of year, I hope everyone in the Dexter world feels the same and wish you all good luck for the future, (anyone got a nice red non short bull that they would like to swap?).

Martin · Post by **Martin** » Mon May 01, 2006 9:03 pm

Maybe everyone's gone away for the weekend Duncan, or they don't wish to comunicate with us. Could the last person to leave the site please turn out the lights.

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Mon May 01, 2006 9:28 pm

They are all out there lurking, Martin. I am just in at 9pm and about to feed my cattle, all still in shed but should be out by the end of the week - only 8 small bales of hay left, and though grass is slow it is coming on.

Duncan

hazel clarke · Post by **hazel clarke** » Tue May 02, 2006 11:12 am

We must have all been out in the sunshine!!!!! Glad to hear that your grass is growing, mine isn't so my cattle will be in for at least another couple of weeks. I still have plenty of silage left. So at least you two know that there is some-one else still out here!

Hazel:

Martin · Post by **Martin** » Tue May 02, 2006 1:50 pm

I'm glad to say that my first grazing paddock is to the top of my wellies and should hold the cows for a while giving the rest a chance to catch up. We always have good early grass in the south east, but as I am on chalk downland it does not last long. As soon as the sun gets really warm it drags all the moisture out and stops the grass from growing, it doesn't help being south facing and gets the sun all day long. After haymaking, if we do not get significant rain we have no re-growth for what seems to be an age, which means that my cows have to have hay in July to tide them over until the grass finally decides to grow. Whatever area we choose to live we have different problems regarding our stock, and how to feed them, using this forum allows us to see how the other half do it. I hope you are able to turn out soon.

ann · Post by **ann** » Tue May 02, 2006 2:11 pm

Hi

sadly back at work today and catching up on Dexter news over my lunch break, after spending the last couple of weeks sorting out electric fences I now have most of my cattle out, no problem here with to much grass for the cows with young calves as the previous mob which went out last weekend have cropped my calf paddock down nicely so I shouldn't have too many problems there. I find the July born calves give me the most problem as by then my silage fields are flushing (hopefully) with grazing grass.
I have had to buy a calf for one of my cows over the weekend as she has so much milk and is such a good doer that if she doesn't suckle two calves she gets laminitis, unfortuetly I could only get a red and white calf (Ayrshire x stabiliser, so the bulls reaction may be interesting as the last time I had a coloured calf he chased it away from its mum when ever he was near her.

I’m sure dexters are racist my red ones certainly stick together.

Ann

:p :p

areoch · Post by **areoch** » Tue May 02, 2006 9:14 pm

Many thanks for the encouraging remarks re Auchareoch - we have a long way to go yet before things could be deemed as 'ideal' - but with continuing help and advice from folks such as yourselves that seems an almost acheivable goal! Eleanor and I both enjoyed and appreciated your visit.
The slightly grey area surrounding our new scenario is becoming more obvious as we proceed - the marketing and balanced disposal system which must run hand in hand with the breeding programme ! Some kind of co-operative area based system would go a long way towards encouraging new and existing breeders - any ideas for central Scottish belt ??
Great to be involved with these interesting wee cattle, but they've got to help cover their costs !
Morton.

Kathy Millar · Post by **Kathy Millar** » Thu May 04, 2006 4:20 pm

My cows have been out on pasture since around mid-April and it is really growing now. Have put the yearlings, 2 year old and runt into an intensively managed system where the paddocks are very small (about 60' by 70') and moved every few days. The 2 cows plus calf have a 2 acre paddock and share it with a few Shetland sheep. The ewes with lambs and the ram group all have their own paddocks but that darned Cheviot ram is already getting fat. I read someone that they can fatten on thin air and I believe it!

Come August, grass will disappear and I will be feeding hay until next April as the fall rains sometimes don't come until November and then it is too cold for good growth. Sad, eh?

Kathy