CCTV - In the calving pen

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 12:20 pm

We are now the proud owners of CCTV in the calving pen. I am SO chuffed. I was quite jealous of the system Beryl had but have wanted one for years and years before I saw hers, way back when I had the dairy herd and they were really, really expensive to buy but lots of people still seemed to have them regardless of the price!!!

Anyway they had this one on offer in the local hardware store, it was £39.99, so we bought a 2nd hand flat screen telly for £40 and we are away. :D

There is a heifer in there now, probably a fair way off calving yet, maybe a day or so but I can just pop upstairs and see her happily munching hay.

Did I mention I was chuffed? ???

Stephanie

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 1:59 pm

Stephanie, she will probably calf when the adverts are on.

Duncan

ann · Post by **ann** » Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:16 pm

I have had one of these set ups for quite some time. We got it of e-bay 2nd hand quite cheap and it certainly beats paddling out in the middle of the night to check on them. . Its also amazing to look into the private lives of the cow. Great fun watching the new born calves to. The only problem is if you have a few to calve at the same time. I use mine mainly in winter as I hate getting up in the middle of the night and trailing round to the buildings and you seem to always disturb them, so this way everyone else gets a good nights sleep

springwater · Post by **springwater** » Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:34 pm

My partner set up "Lamb Cam" in our barn last year - two remotely controlled moveable cameras that covered the whole barn. It was wonderful to be able to stay in the house and watch to make sure all was well, kept me warm and snug and saved disturbing the girls :D We could also watch via the internet so my sheep had quite a following with friends round the world :D
For one reason or another, we're not lambing this year so they're on loan to neighbours who are lambing now, then booked to go out in April to a friend who has a pregnant mare.

Edited By springwater on 1299018965

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 10:01 am

Our hiefer calved at 5.45 this morning and we watched on our new CCTV. However I did pop out and check all was OK.

This is because we lost a calf from the last one, they have both calved very suddenly, by which I mean they got fairly full udders - not tight, gave very quickly indeed and calved. So I hadn't realised the first one was about to calve and we sadly had a dead calf, she was still with the herd, maybe born in the bag? I shall never know and I was furious with myself.

It is wonderful that they are calving so easily as it means the bull is easy calving but I must get used to the fact that I am not going to get much warning! Also they are coming about 10 or more days early.

Chris has just moved the screen to the kitchen for me so I can watch and see if the new calf suckles, I don't think it has succeded yet so I may have to go and lend a hand. Mum is reversing whenever it tries to get to the udder, she just wants to wash it non stop!!!

Stephanie

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 11:37 am

The CCTV is certainly coming in handy I have managed to see the calf suck which has saved me a job and can now see it trying too prance around the pen whilst I make cakes - lovely. :D

Minnie · Post by **Minnie** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 11:59 pm

Hi Stephanie,

How lovely that you could watch... we had one born in the bag year before last, thank goodness I'd put the cow into the garden and had been checking all the time because she had the calf about 10pm and luckily I was there.

Her first calf had to be pulled which was why I was on pins and needles waiting for her to calf. Fingers crossed for next time.

We're looking to borrow a CCTV thingy to document the wildlife on our property as part of a funding application for cleaning 'cats claw' weed from the creek (terrible invasive vine that kills the river trees).

It's going to be interesting because so far we've seen quite a lot of animals of a night, but the camera will document that even better. :D

Vicki

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 8:58 am

In case anyone is interested, the same CCTV that we bought is available on ebay at the moment for £13.99 - Buy it now price. I bought mine in the shops last year and it has been sitting in the box!

If you put in micromark mm23289 to Google it comes up as the first option.

It has to be wired to an electrical supply but there is no cable between the camera and the reciever, our barn is about 120 yards from the house and it works fine.

Stephanie

Edited By Saffy on 1299139408

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 9:13 am

I'd love to have CCTV Stephanie, getting fed up with going out at all times. Half way through calving now, and lambing starts in a fortnight.

My barns are 200 and 300 metres away. Do you know whether they would be OK for those distances? And does it have to have line of sight?

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 9:30 am

Hello Clive

Yes it needs line of sight, I think you need a cable otherwise, or maybe a more expensive system? I know it needs line of sight as when a delivery van went up through the yard it broke up. :laugh: The box says 100 metres line of sight but it is a cheap system, meant to monitor outside the house, works great so far for us though and you can add up to another 3 cameras to the same system.

Stephanie

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 11:30 am

We have kept the CCTV on and have enjoyed keeping an eye on the heifer and her calf but we were in for a shock this morning. The mum was feeling a bit territorial as the rest of the herd are just the other side of a gate and she was scraping up her straw with a front leg as her calf was doing laps of the pen. They are in a huge pen that we wintered the herd in until this year when there were simply too many. Anyway suddenly in her excitement she kicked out and kicked her poor calf smack in the head. The poor little thing staggered around the pen and looked quite dazed but seems OK now thank goodness. Not quite what we expected to see her do to her calf whilst we sipped our morning coffee.

Stephanie

Edited By Saffy on 1299666637

Anna · Post by **Anna** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 1:44 pm

I sure envy your CCTV, but I would like to be able to watch YOUR herd. I don´t want my morning coffee ruined by the mopey faces of my "starving" cows