Last month external forces were on our mind, both natural and man-made. This month, it’s all about the circle of life. Calvings, serving and sadly, inevitably, death; the merry-go-round of the dairy farming year.
Unfortunately since last month, we’ve had more deaths than we’d care for. We’ve been really pleased with our heifers this year, but we’ve just had a nasty outbreak of pneumonia, which claimed five of our 140 heifer calves. We usually vaccinate for pneumonia at eight weeks, but sadly that wasn’t soon enough this time, an unfortunate shock change to feeding during weaning weakened their immune systems and made them susceptible to attack. A barrage of antibiotics and vaccinations followed, including the use of an intra-nasal vaccine for the younger ones. Most of the heifers recovered after a little TLC, but this episode has taken a lot out of them, as well as our spirits.
Following this outbreak we’ve seen more of the vet than we’d normally like, but as well as helping us with treatment, they’ve given us a lot to think about for prevention in the future. By smoke bombing the heifer shed we were able to identify areas of poor air flow, and are now making changes to improve ventilation.
Though there’s still a slow trickle of beef calves being born, our attention is now turning back to the cycle beginning all over again. The night round to check for calving cows now also includes looking for bullers. Last summer’s heifers have also been brought in, to their great excitement, ready for heat detection and serving. A flurry of vaccinations and worming has punctuated the start of this new season.
As we change gears in the livestock department, the tractor work is picking up speed once more with yet another burst of silaging. Despite the generous helping of rain we’ve had this year, we feel blessed to have seen some sun at least, which has enabled us to reap some of the benefits. And with a new reservoir being constructed to catch roof water, we’re well placed to make the most of the rain in the future too.

On a lighter note, the circle of life has brought with it some blessings on a smaller scale, as our excellent collie has finally honoured us with a litter of pups. Another generation in a long line of home-bred dogs whose lives potentially revolve around cattle even more than ours.