What happened to the field shelter Di?
I am sure there wil be someone with more experience than me on soon but they are hardy little beasties I wouldn't worry too much.
Mine were enclosed in the yard with the sheds etc using electric fencing that has worked for the last two years until the local hunt lost control of the hounds a week or so ago and the whole lot came up through our field scattering the sheep and sending the cows straight through the fence ??? . Now I am soo scared to pick a battle re electric fencing as that is what we re-enforce our hedges/ditches with and I don't want them to get to know thay can always get through it so now they are out until later on this year when we will have time to fence it in properly. Good eh. The term muddy dosent quite cover it .
It is The Skirrid Clive - some people call it the Holy Mountain. I don't think it is considered to be part of the Brecon Beacons.
Shame the sunshine didn't last. I put them out for a few hours every day, some days they are less than keen on the idea when the weather is awful and who can blame them.
Di, I am sure someone with the right experience will soon come along and answer your question, sorry I can't as I've never wintered my cattle out.
Thanks for the compliment Isabel and there isn't quite as much grass as there appears to be.
i over winter 15 dexters outside with no trouble and calf over november and december had a bull calf eary jan looks as strong as any born in summer, i tend to think it makes em hardy and grow better with basic hay and some keep nuts
they dont seem to mind but they find the less windy spots to lay in.
i let them wean themselves so they get plenty of tit for 9 months or so and then the in calf mothers seem to dry up a little and calf gives up trying. it works for me and its nature way
He only needs one legally. The other ear has the small metal tag with a much better survival rate. I rued the day that Defra insisted on the plastic ones, which are much too big for a small Dexter ear, despite the derogation for a slightly smaller one, which the DCS achieved.
Sorry! I thought 2 was the rule. The first one I did I got it upside down and ten you cannot turn it! I'll be very pleased when he goes off to slaughter as it reminds me every time I see him.