Life with the Kintore Castle Fold

Oban Show and Sale February 2012

2012-02-18T13:14:00.000-08:00

Well where to start! We've been busy since Christmas with cows, sheds, feeding etc. Luckily the warm weather and little to no snow has stayed. Only bad thing has been the wind which has wreaked havoc!

We went to Oban last weekend for the February Bull show and sale. It was a great weekend as it always is when we go to Oban. It was also a wonderful learning experience as it was our first time showing in Oban! We took our lovely yearling bull Torin. He did very well placing fourth and was sold to a couple from Estonia! Silly over petted guy that he is, he even made an appearance in the pub for a Magners!

We let our two heifer calves Melora and Riona out with the rest of the fold this weekend. They have been weaned and sufficiently tames, petted and coddled. We put wee Jock in with his Father Ciaran and have our Two Year old Heath separated hoping to sell him soon.
Heath is son and nephew to two of our best breeding cows so I'm afraid I'll finally have to part with my 'first born'.

We haltered the two young heifers today and groomed, and groomed and groomed them! Mel has had a wee bit of time and practice but surprisingly it was Riona that stood like a pro and loved every minute of it!
It was a bit of a rodeo come walking time though! Mel walked like a pro and our Riona showed she had some spirit, but by the time we were done both our girls were walking like the lovely ladies they are!

Here are some photo's of Oban and our two yearling heifers, who will be part of our show team this year...

Christmas and Coo's

2011-12-27T10:02:00.000-08:00

Well that's Christmas past. It was a very busy season with baking, cleaning, decorating, wrapping, unwrapping, eating, cleaning etc. etc.! Was a good time though and other than some incredibly harsh wind the weather was unseasonably warm!

The cows are all doing well and thriving. The feed ring is inside this year to save the field getting in such a mucky mess. With the weather this mild it is working great. We are surprised just how much the cows are going into the shed to eat. They have never been inclined to go indoors when offered the opportunity. Just shows they appreciate good silage! Today was incredibly sunny and bright so all the cows were out happily grazing.

We went in with the calves today. We haltered all four of them. Torin and Mel are wee experts and are not bothered at all and quite liked getting a proper groom. Jock and Riona have never been haltered for any length of time so it was good training for them. Jock stood still and loved his groom like he's been doing it for ages. Riona has always been the 'flighty' one, but she stood very calmly and by the end was enjoying her groom as well.

Once we were done spending time with the 'babies', we took Heath up the steading for his Christmas bath! Heath has had all his blood tests done recently for going to Oban so he has to stay quarantined from the other animals until he goes to the Bull Sale in Oban in February.

Even being rather chilly outside, Heath as usual loved his bath. He must be one of the most easy going bulls we have ever come across. He stands patiently to be haltered, loves his bath, and walks alongside me without the need to use a lead rope on his bull ring. He's a true joy to work with and has an almost dog like temperament. Eager to please and always looking for a pet and a cuddle!

So after everyone was sufficiently combed and coddled the cows were put to bed with clean bedding, fresh silage, their feed for the night and finally Mr. Singer and I got to go in the house for some left over turkey and a night by the fire.

Merry Coo-mas to all our friends and family.

Wind, wind and more Wind!

2011-12-10T17:58:00.000-08:00

We felt the full force of Mother Nature this week! She showed us she is boss! Our duck hutch landed on it's roof even though it was anchored! Luckily the ducks weren't in it, a couple chickens were but they didn't seem much bothered!
My poor ducks though, they were left out on the moat for two days with no hutch to go in or dry feed. They let me know today that they weren't happy.
Our Daughters Nursing Graduation was last night, but we very dutifully got up this morning and while I was away to get the car Mr. Singer and the neighbours got the duck hutch back in place. I then went and gave them clean and dry bedding, food and water and then called them in.
Poor things were struggling with the ice on the moat but thankfully they are all fine and well.
The cattle were just fine, Heath and Torin in the front field had enough shelter to not be bothered. The others have their feed inside. It has saved our field from being ruined and given them a dry lie. They are very quickly becoming accustomed to having indoors available. Funny when even in blizzards last year they would not come in, but seeings how their feed is indoor they aren't so picky now and are even beginning to enjoy the dry lie.

So we spent the whole day trying to sort the carnage from the wind. We were freezing by the time we came in, but we did manage to sort the most important things.

Highland Dinner Dance

2011-11-28T10:56:00.000-08:00

We went to Perth for the East of Scotland Highland Cattle Club's Dinner Dance. What a great time! We are lucky to have so many friends and mentors within our club. The venue was at the Royal George Hotel in Perth. The rooms were gorgeous, spacious and comfortable and the meal was amazing! We were definitely well looked after.
It was a late night with lots of dancing and drinks and a good deal of fun!
The next day John, Scottie and I went to Bell and Roddie's for a visit. Roddie took us around his cattle (The Hillhouse Fold) as well as Young & Brown's cattle. Not only were the cattle lovely but so was the view! Nothing compared to Bell's homemade soup and homebakes after our tour though!
We had a great visit and then a good giggle looking through the photo's from the night before!

Stars of the Future

2011-11-23T08:26:00.000-08:00

We attended the 'Stars of the Future' Calf Show in Forfar last weekend! What an amazing show of up and coming calves from all the breeds. There weren't many Highlanders, but I think this was the first time they were in attendance so here's hoping next year will see more attendance.
There was a Barbeque the night before that was amazing! Beautifully BBQ steak and all the salad and sweets you could imagine.
The Show itself was extremely well laid out and well planned. It was a delight to see so many beautiful calves and so many different breeds.
We got first with our young bull - Torin, and second with our young heifer - Melora. The overall Junior Champion was Ishbel from Young & Brown brought out by Roddy and Catherine McNaughton.
Overall a very good show and a delight to see a show entirely for the 'Future of the Breeds'

It's nearly winter and still as busy!

2011-11-06T14:10:00.000-08:00

Well we are starting to 'winterize'! Pipes insulated and ready for winter, windows re-sealed. The steading is ready, bales in, straw laid and doors open for the cows to come in and out to feed etc. etc.
We have weaned and started halter breaking Melora (Mel), she's had her first wash which she managed surprisingly well! She is used to being groomed and enjoys it and is already a big suck looking to me for a cob when she sees me. We are hoping she will be a part of our next year's show team.
Our Torin needed some 'refresher' training as the little bugger has gotten lazy! But after only a few times he got back in the swing of things, although without an audience he gets bored quick!
We have the 'Stars of the Future' in Forfar coming up in a couple weeks. It's a calf show for up and coming calves! We will be taking Torin and Mel with our Young Handlers - Robbie and Ryan.
Other then that just busy getting the yard and garden ready for winter, tidying up, and hoping we don't get the bad winter everyone is predicting!

Well deserved rest

2011-08-24T03:09:00.000-07:00

We attended Perth Show on 06/08/11. It was a beautiful day with a large amount of fine Highland Cows! Torin got first place in his calf class. Lady got 1st in her cow class and Heath got 4th in his bull class. We were pleased with the 4th place as much as the 1st's as Heath was in a very strong class of great bulls, so we were pleased with his placing.
This was our last summer show so the cattle after the quarantine period were finally let back with the fold and have happily settled in Summer Break mode!
We have been busy getting our shed ready for winter. We plan on putting the feed ring inside the shed to help save the field from getting in such a mess where they feed. We will also use it for any blood tests, jags and weaning that may need done.
We have recently sold two of our young bulls, both Samson of Idvies and Padraig of Kintore Castle have been sold on to hopefully sire their own calves!

Shampoo's and Shows

2011-08-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

We've recently been to Banchory Show and Turriff Show. At Banchory we were lucky enough to get Reserve Champion with Lady. A lovely three year old heifer from Balmoral took Champion. Our Heath got 2nd in the young bull class and our star Torin got first in the calf class. At Turriff Show all three animals got first in their classes and Lady got Champion with Heath receiving Reserve Champion.
We were lucky enough to get beautiful weather for both shows and also had our friend Scott Wylie come and help us show, as well as having our regular 'young' stock man Robbie and our daughter Amy came to Turriff to give us a hand.
Plenty of late nights feeding and cleaning animals, shampooing, spraying, drying and dressing. Then early mornings - loading, unloading, combing, spraying, showing etc.!
Aw well, we do love it although it's ever so exhausting! Only one more show to go. We'll be attending Perth Show this weekend, then ourselves and our beasts will get a well deserved rest. Well the animals will, we have been neglecting many things that need done around the farm not to mention the garden through lack of time, so plenty to catch up on!

Today we attended the funeral of Judy Bowser. A terrific woman and someone I considered a mentor, hero and friend. She will be dearly missed.

It's Show Time!

2011-07-10T14:35:00.000-07:00

We are in full swing for Show Season! We've been to Angus Show, Fettercairn Show and Echt Show in the last few weeks! Needless to say we've been very busy! It's hard work and early mornings, late nights etc. but we do love it! And to our delight we have been doing extremely well! Heath has been placing in all the young bull classes and received first the last couple shows. Torin has placed first in every Highland Calf Cattle Class that he's been in and Lady has been winning firsts as well as Reserve Champion! We are so pleased with our animals and that our hard work is paying off!
Our latest show was Echt Show. The weather looked ominous but in fact the morning turned out to be hot and sunny! The rain started to come on just as we finished showing so we were able to take shelter with our friendly neighbour Highland Folk until it passed. When it came time for the Championship judging the weather was again agreeable so that was a bonus. The skies opened up again, but as we were done showing for the judges we weren't bothered, and the animals didn't mind a wee cool off at all.
The parade went very well and the rain came on just as it was finishing, so it was straight out of the parade and into the float and home!
A long day, but thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and very pleased with our results!

For Show results please click here

Oh and do remember, we have three bulls for sale - Heath (pictured below), Paddy and Samson of Idvies. All with wonderful tempermants, halter trained and great pedigrees!

Fold Visit - Boquhapple

2011-06-04T01:59:00.000-07:00

We went on a fold visit with the East of Scotland Highland Cattle Club to visit at Ian and Agnes Bowie's beautiful farm at Little Carbeth, Killearn. It was a windy day and we did get rained on a bit, but the sun was shining and it was a great visit.
The club had a great turn out, we met at Stirling Mart and carried on from there. What a great set up! The cattle shed was very impressive, my favourite being the water that never freezes! Very cool set up!
We were greeted with snacks and beverages upon our arrival, it took me a wee while to accept the glass of wine as we had spent the previous night with Mr. Scott Wylie who showed us the night life in Killin! I'm afraid I had a bit of a headache, but at the coaxing of Mrs. Lacey I finally accepted one and as they say a bit of the hair of the dog sorts you out!
Ian took us around the beasts and what beautiful animals they were. I was partial to a few so will be keeping my eyes out at the upcoming sales! The estate itself is also beautiful with gardens and a gorgeous pond!
All in all a great day with friends and the wonderful folk from the club, and then a very sleepy ride home, where thank goodness Mr. Singer drove and I was able to snooze a bit!

Fun at Fife Show!

2011-05-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

We took our show team to the Fife Show yesterday. Consisting of Lady, Torin and the yearling bulls Samson and Heath. It turned into a very nice day. The threat of rain was there all day but it managed to stay away for the entire show! There was a good turnout of Highlander's and as usual the crack and socializing was as much fun as the show itself!
John and our young handler Robbie were in their boiler suits and busy doing the 'dirty' jobs. We were finally nearly set, cattle all groomed and nearly ready when John now minus a boiler suit and in his shirt, tie and good jeans went to put on the young bulls show halters. He was nearly done when he felt a warms sensation and realized that he had been completely shit on by one of the bulls. His own butt was completely covered including his pocket and wallet!
We were told it was actually a good luck sign and we went on to win a 2nd from Lady in the Cow in milk class and Torin placed 1st for Best Calf in Show! The bulls didn't place and I think Robbie was a wee bit disappointed, but every experience is a learning experience and good for us.
We were waiting for the champion classes and near the end of the day when a loose Dairy cow walked by Mr. McNaughton, lifted her tail and let loose! The poor man was covered in shite from his Highland Tie down to his boots, including his nice white show coat! A laundry challenge for Bell I think!

All in all a great day, a great show and pleased with the results.

East of Scotland Highland Cattle Club - Annual Show

2011-05-16T01:09:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we attended our first show of the season at the East of Scotland Club Show. The weather was brilliant and what a great turnout! We took Lady for the young cow class, Heath and Samson for the Yearling Bull class and Torin for the Calf class. Robbie was with us to show Heath and was very excited to be at his first show ever!
John and I were first up with Lady and Torin for the Young Cow class. Lady placed 2nd and we were very pleased with that!
Robbie and I were next with Robbie showing Heath and me showing Samson in the Yearling Bull class. Samson didn't place but Heath got a very respectable 4th and Robbie did very well showing him!
I decided to take Torin in on his own for the calf class. Usually the cow and calf go in together but I was confident that Torin would walk on his own, and actually be better behaved without his Mom there. The little star walked brilliantly! His Mother was hollering at him on the sidelines but he did great and he won the Best in Show Calf!
Last was Robbie with Heath again for the Young Handler class. He did very well and won the Young Handler! We were so very proud of him!
So all in all the first show of the year turned out to be very successful! Robbie didn't let go of his Trophy all day and we were very pleased with the results.
Even without the results though, the day was fabulous! The weather was incredible and I'm sure there isn't a friendlier, more helpful bunch of people then the members of the East of Scotland Club. We had a great time at the BBQ and enjoyed visiting with all the other members.

Oh and a special Thank you to Jill for letting me know she reads the blog, nice to know someone out there is reading it!

Hooves, Hair & Horns

2011-04-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

Another busy few weeks, and luckily beautiful and co-operative weather! We had Malda & Ellen's hooves done last week. You can't help but admire a system that puts a full grown cow on it's side and in the air with little stress! Ellen did a bit of funny walking getting used to her 'new' feet, but I think both were glad of it!

We had our 'stockman in training' over on the weekend and brought the bulls over for a wash, a groom and a walk. They are looking great, behaving well and even shining!

The bulls had their first ever trailer ride and did very well, so hopefully we are well on the way to getting them ready to go to shows.

Heath's horns are in quite good condition and I've been giving them a wee sand and oil whenever he's in, but Samson is another story. I'm not sure why but his horns are so dry and cracked. We worked on them this weekend so hopefully we've got them on the way.

It's funny how when we bring the 'wee' bulls home, Heath bellows at the bull Ciaran and Ciaran nearly comes thru the fence thinking he's got competition! Just a few months ago they were in with him and were just 'calvies' but now Heath has found his 'deep' voice and I'm convinced he likes to taunt Ciaran!

Ciaran is just back from his 'holiday' servicing a couple cows. He's in quarantine until his blood tests come back and then he'll be put in with ours for next year's calves.

Kimberly had her calf on Friday, a huge black bull calf. By the time I got out to her in the field the calf was already half dry, running around and had two sucks in the 10 minutes I was there! Nothing coming over him!

Drizzle and Ducks

2011-03-26T06:18:00.001-07:00

Woke up to drizzle on what we had assumed was going to be a bright and sunny day! Aw well, could be worse, they have snow and very icy roads at home in Canada.

Ellen had her calf this past Wednesday, a beautiful, black, heifer calf. She was already up and running within an hour of being born. The neighbour had been keeping an eye out for us and phoned me to say she had been periodically checking and the cow wasn't doing anything, then she heard Ellen going on about something, came over and found she'd had the calf and the calf was already up on her feet! We've named her Riona Ellen Dubh. Riona means 'queen like' which is fitting as we call Ellen the 'Queen' of our fold.

I hadn't seen my pair of Apricot Call ducks for a few days so was rather worried for them. The female (Daisy) was getting awful bothered by all the other drakes to the point of having a bald head and sore eyes! I'd been keeping her in the chicken run to keep her safe but had left the door open after a few days thinking they were hopefully over bothering her, and she was hopefully able to run back in the pen if they came after her. Anyway she must have got right fed up as her and her mate (Donald) buggered off for a few days. I finally found them today in the burn beside the house. Poor Daisy's eyes don't look as though they'll heal properly this time, but I picked her up and put her in her fresh cleaned run for some food and a rest. I then went and coaxed Donald to walk home to be with her. He didn't need much coaxing, what a lovely mate he is. I may have to consider re-homing them if they continue to be bullied, which would be a shame as they are my favorites!

We got Riona tagged today and let her and Mom out. Torin and Mel were thrilled to have a new playmate and Ellen was glad to be back out with her chums.

Time to go back out, stable to clean, cows to feed and a trailer to sort.

It's a Girl!

2011-03-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

Well after three bull calves born here, we finally got a girl! Our Emma had a heifer calf on March 8/11. John had got up at 4am to check on her as she was getting close and there was no sign of her going into labour. When he got up at 6am there was the little girl already on her feet! She's red, but just like her brother Heath she'll turn black. She's already got the black tail and nose! We've named her Melora Emma Dubh. She's a good sized calf and already a little character and ever so brave! Her and Torin are already the best of friends and Torin checks on her if he isn't near by. Torin has grown incredibly quickly the last couple of weeks.

The weather has finally warmed up and we are now hoping the sunshine continues so the grass can come. We are getting tired of having to feed the cows bales, and they are already wandering away from the bale to get a bit of fresh grass, not that there is much on the go just yet.

The bull calves Heath, Paddy and Samson are also quickly growing! We are still undecided on whether to show all three this year or pick two of them. A hard choice when they are so similar in size and condition.

The ducks and chickens are also happy to have some fair weather. There is definitely no shortage of eggs on the go. My poor apricot call female - Daisy isn't fairing so well though, the other drakes are continually getting at her and the poor thing has resorted to hiding in the chicken hutch for a break. But her lovely mate Donald stays with her to keep her company.

Over all our little family of creatures both feathery and furry are doing well and we are all enjoying some fine weather and sunshine!

Oban - Show, Sale, Wedding!

2011-02-19T02:57:00.000-08:00

We were at Oban last weekend, and I'm just now feeling completely recovered! What a great time we always have, it's like a reunion, the Highland Folk are such fun good natured people. We had a slightly different agenda this year. Last October our friend Simon informed us that this February we would be attending his wedding to Emma. The difference with this wedding invite and any other was that Emma would not know anything about it until the night before the wedding! No easy undertaking to keep a secret from a smart cookie like Emma! But Simon managed to pull it off and the night before asked Emma how she fancied getting married - the next day - and in the ring at the Auction Mart. Emma luckily said Yes, gavel down, sale complete! I celebrated a tad too much and husband had to give me an arm to get to our hotel and bed!

Anyone that is familiar with the Oban mart will know that it can feel like one of the coldest places ever! But luckily the wedding day was actually a nice day, as far as nice days in February in Oban go. Emma wore a beautiful outfit that Simon had arranged for her and her daughter was in a matching outfit. Everyone looked amazing and John and I were so pleased to be a part of their special day.

The next day was the show and it was a good show with lots of good beasts attending. Another drunken night to follow. When in Oban...

Monday's sale went well and since we were not there to buy nor sell we managed to get away in good time and get home in day light. All in all a very good weekend, good fun with friends, a great wedding, good show and sale, a good too much to drink and a good deal tired!

Lil' Character!

2011-02-05T13:22:00.000-08:00

Well our little boy is a week old today! The little guy is already a character! He's already a brave wee boy and curious as well. He is too snoopy to not come and see what Mum is talking to us about! Luckily Lady is not only a great Mother but her tummy still gets the better of her, and as long as there is food on the go she'll go eat which lets us have a bit of time with our new baby. Lady is also much more calm when it comes to her baby then Emma and Ellen were. She is alert and nervous if we get over close to him, but most of the time she's happy enough for us to be near him if she doesn't feel we are threatening him.

Today was a beautiful sunny day, so while trying to get the chores done I took the opportunity to get some photos as well. Torin is a born poser! But it's amazing to look back on the photos and compare the 'girls'. My Malda is so grown up! She's a full grown cow now, seems like only yesterday we brought home a little yellow girl and now she's ready to be bred! The first pictures of Ellen are very different to the grown up cow we see now as well!

I also took the comb out and gave the boys a comb. Heath never turns down the opportunity for a good scratch and pretty soon I had him and Ciaran fighting for a spot near the comb!

It's amazing how attached one can get to a cow! They each have their own personalities and are special to us in their own ways. John and I are both already convinced that Torin will be something special. But whether he is or isn't, we are already awful proud of our new little boy!

Lady's Baby!

2011-01-30T06:17:00.000-08:00

Well another busy weekend at the Kintore Castle Fold! Lady finally decided to go into labour on Friday. Being a big heifer and as Highlanders are usually easy calvers we didn't anticipate any problems. She was being her usual spoiled self, after every contraction she'd come over for a pat, a cuddle and a warm word. It wasnt long before the poor girl was flat out straining and nothing was happening. Once we heard her water breaking internally without seeing any sign of a water bag or feet we started to get concerned. Cousin Steven was called over for a consultation. By then she was back up and had stopped pushing. The decision was made to call the vet. The calf was all ready so we put Lady in the crush and the vet got ready to deliver. The calf had such a big head that it took John, Steven and me taking turns to pull while the vet did her darndest to get the head out. Finally it was done and the little beauty slid out! A beautiful black bull calf! He looks awful tiny, but I'm thinking with a head that big he'll make a fine bull! Must be something in the water around here, that's our third bull calf born on site bringing out total bulls to Five! Anyone needing a good bull, look no further!
On Saturday we got all the cows into our holding pens to await the vet's arrival for vaccinations and blood tests. Young Robbie came over to give us a hand as was handy a stock man as a person could hope for! While waiting for the vet to arrive we haltered Samson and Heath and practiced walking them around. Robbie and Heath were getting on really fine. Samson has only been haltered a few times and hasn't really been walked so it was good practice for him and he's coming on fine. Surprisingly all the cows behaved well and the whole process went smoothly. Even Lady walked right out into the crush and then right back into her calf.
Lady and baby are getting on fine, his name is Torin Dubh of Kintore Castle Fold. Lady has plenty of milk and he's such a noisy sucker we can hear him feeding from the house! Lady is surprisingly calm. When Emma and Ellen calved they were near mental for a month and panicked if anyone came near their babies. Lady is happy for us to go in and have a look and still comes to get her hand fed cobs.
So all is well in our world all the happier for having a new healthy baby boy!

Ice almost away! Until next time...

2011-01-16T10:11:00.000-08:00

Not much to report besides bad weather! But it’s finally getting a bit better. Rained all day yesterday, so finally have nearly all the ice away. About time, it was so slippy it was near impossible for humans to get about let alone slippy hooves!
We had the vet out to vaccinate all the animals against BVD, he’ll need to come back in a couple weeks for round two, then shortly after that our annual blood tests to go to the College and then hopefully we will be able to say we are Hi-Health!
We put Kimberly in with the other cows today to get Samson weaned. So front field has all our ‘boys’ and back field has all our ‘girls. I feel more sorry for Kimmy then I do Samson. He still has Ciaran who he seems to think of as another parent as he goes to him whenever he’s upset and his two buddies Heath & Paddy, but poor Kimberly has been separated from her baby and put in with a bunch of strange females. We hadn’t seen Samson having a suck in ages though, so think he’d nearly weaned himself.
Lady looks as though she will be calving any day so we’ve been putting her in at night. It was so slippy we were worried she might slip and hurt herself or her calf. She’s happy enough to go in, piggy that she is she is happy so long as she is being fed. She’s probably our only cow that doesn’t mind being inside.
Was awfully nice today to look outside and see green again! It would be nice to have the nice weather stay and the grass grow, we’ve been going through two round bales a week with this weather!
We have two new additions in the pond this week. A pair of mallards has been here all week. They aren’t going in with the others but they aren’t too bothered to see us either. We had a pair here last spring as well so I’m assuming it’s the same pair come back for her to sit again.

Snow, snow and more snow!

2010-12-05T02:24:00.000-08:00

♪ ♪ It's beginning to look a lot like - Canada! Lol, I was never a big fan of winter back home so to have it come here in all it's force is not great! Thankfully we have highlanders! They aren't too bothered by the cold but they are starting to get annoyed with all the snow. They can no longer 'trudge' through it they have to bound! Thank goodness it's not calving time! We'd never find the poor wee babies!
We have had a bit of a struggle getting through the snow to break water, put bales in feed rings, let out ducks etc. What a work out getting through that snow! The chickens won't come out of their pens at all, who says chickens are stupid?
I'm hoping we will get an early winter and then it will go away as it's going to get awfully expensive feeding them this soon and all through winter!

and then the calves came back...

2010-11-02T13:11:00.000-07:00

We 'swapped' cows and fields on Saturday. We brought the 'girls' over from the croft brae field and put back in the home back field. They were so happy to be back, they didn't need halters at all, they all ran home and right into the field! It was great to see them happy and content to be back!
The calves and mothers had been nice and quiet since about the third day of weaning, so that was a relief. We still have the bull and new cow and calf in the front field until their quarantee time is over, but we have the vet coming this weekend to test them so should hopefully get them all together again soon.
We are wishing we had waited to wean the calves until December as by then it will be time to wean Samson and the noise will start again, we could have waited and weaned them all together at the same time. Ah well, it's done now.
We put the calves on the croft brae field Saturday after their mothers were moved home. It is to be temporary until it's safe to put them in with the new bull, cow and calf. They seemed settled enough and were used the field as it was the one they'd been on with their mothers before we brought them home to be weaned. We were satisfied all was well and were prepared to go out to a 'Race Night' with friends for the evening. John was in the shower and I had just finished getting ready when I wondered why I could hear the calves crying and why it sounded so close. I stepped out the back door and in the pitch dark was still able to see the outline of two furry babies in my flower beds, looking across the fence to their mothers! Ha, little buggers! I was both annoyed that they had managed to find a way out and pleased that they had found their way home and no further! Poor little darlings, it was too dark to do much else, so they got put back in their weaning pen for the night.
Next day we went to the field and fixed the spot they gotten out at. We decided not to bother haltering them as we'd noticed since they have been weaned that they would rather be with us then alone, so John went ahead to open the gate and I told them to come along and they just followed me over to the field. Too cute they are! John went away curling and later just before dark I was on my way to go and give them their evening feed when the neighbour boy came over to tell me the calves were in their field! Oh boy, these neighbours have horses so I quickly went over to relieve them of their unexpected guests. The furry buggers had managed to get under the fence between the croft brae and the neighbours field through the stream! They were in that field with their mothers for months and never caused any trouble and twice in two days they've managed to get out!
Needles to say they weren't just especially happy to find themselves locked out of their own field and in the company of horses. I hollered at them to come on and once the neighbour had her large horse haltered and out of the way the calvies just followed me right out and back home again!
We work during the day, so the next fencing will have to wait until the weekend. The calves are fine although the dog is more then a little put out as the weaning pen is also his kennel! Unfortunately with all this rain they are turning the wee area into a mud pit, but we'll hopefully get the fence fixed and once again put them back on the croft brae. Can't help but be amused though, little darlings just want to be home with us.

New & Noisy!

2010-10-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

I took the 'baby' Khaki Campbell ducklings to the Rare Breed Sale in Thainstone. They sold and I purchased a pair of Apricot Calls and a Pair of Trout Indian Runners. A couple weeks after that, one day when we had the calvies over I noticed they were looking at something in the pen. I went over and discovered a very frightened, young female mallard duck. I picked her up, put her in the chicken run for a couple days to eat, drink and rest. Then I let her out to do as she wished. She's been here every since! She has joined the rest of the ducks and seems quite content to stay put. So of course I had to name her - Lucky Duck!

We went to Oban last weekend for the Fall Highland Cattle Show and Sale. Needless to say we had a wonderful time and what a pleasant surprise to have beautiful, sunny warm weather! Even more surprising was our purchases! John and I had gone out to Idvies to see the cattle that were going to be at the sale. While there we were taken with a cow Kimberly and her bull calf Samson. Come sale day (which we not only managed to get to on time but also did it without a hangover!) we were all set on bidding on a couple cows including Kimberly. Two of our choices 'went over dear so we were'nt overly hopeful that we might get Kimberly. When the bulls went through my girlfriend that I was sitting beside informed me that my husband had just bought one of the bulls. I said 'no, he wouldn't', and she said 'well i'm sure he did', so I looked down at him and the sheepish Oh Oh look on his face told me he had indeed bought a bull! Lol, I hollered down to him, 'What did you do!' Luckily for him Ciaran is a great bull and I had to agree that the price was too good to leave. So we ended up coming home with a bull and we did end up getting our Kimberly and Samson!

This weekend we brought the 'babies' (Heath & Paddy) over to be weaned. I'll have to start calling them the boys as they aren't babies anymore! The first day went fine as both them and their mothers are used to us bringing them over for a few hours at a time to halter train, groom etc. It was a very different story this morning. We woke to them bawling and it hasn't let up all day! Thank goodness we warned the neighbours. Their Mom's have been hollering for them as well, but they've not been as bad as I thought they'd be. The only time the babies were quiet was when we were petting, cuddling or combing them. So long as they were getting some kind of attention they are fine. Little buggers have turned into even bigger sucks then before and follow us about like dogs. Aww but they are lovely and I'm so very fond of my beautiful boys.

Summer busy!

2010-08-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

We have been very busy with your average summer things, yard, garden, weeds, flowers, etc. etc. And of course hanging out with our coos! We went on holiday to Canada (home to me) for two weeks and had a great visit with my friends and family. When we got home we returned the bull we'd hired (Russell of Idvies), here's hoping that Emma, Ellen and Lady are in calf.
We've been spending more time with the calves Heath and Padraig to get them ready for showing next year. The little buggers are almost too tame! Well Heath anyway has no fear and in fact becomes a pest if we are trying to get some work done anywhere near him. He figures we are two legged vending machines and won't stop pestering us until he's either gotten a treat or a good scratch! We'll soon have to start disciplining him though, as his little horns are not a problem just now, but they soon will be, so we'll have to teach him that rubs and butts are not okay. Easier said then done when he's our big suck!
When we returned from our trip the baby Khaki Campbell ducks were no longer babies and are nearly full grown. As best as I can tell they are all three females so they'll be going to the rare breeds sale in Thainstone coming up. I'm hoping I can get either another female black Indian Runner or possible an Apricot Call pair, if all else fails I'll try for another female Khaki Campbell. We'll not keep the ones we have as they are related. It is still ever so funny watching them as they still think they are chickens! They still run to their chicken mother if they are frightened, but she's no longer protective of them and doesn't pay much attention to them any more. The other ducks leave them alone for the most part, but they do come and harass them every now and then. They do go in the moat but mostly just splash about in the shallow ends. I have forced them to go for a proper swim which they absolutely love and splash and dive, but they soon want out to go look for their Mum!

Shows and Babies

2010-06-20T04:46:00.000-07:00

We showed Lady at the Angus Show on June 12/2010. She didn't do too bad and placed 2nd. However when it came parade time I told John he could take her around as I had gotten to show her. She was tired and grumpy and we should have left her be because once she got into the noisy ring she decided she'd rather not be there! Poor girl, it was all John could do to hold her, so we just took her back our and she practically ran into the trailer. Aw well, she did well and I didn't fault her wanting to be done for the day.
I've had a broody chicken for ages! She didn't hatch anything the first time around, so I gave her another chance and stuck a few Khaki Campbell duck eggs under her. The Sunday after Angus show I went out to kick her off the eggs and decided she'd had enough chances and I wouldn't let her sit anymore this year. But when I went to move her off much to my surprise were three baby ducks! They look hilarious because they are already bigger then you'd expect a baby to be and it won't be long before they are bigger then their 'Mother'. But they are awfully cute and the chicken is being a very good Mother considering she can't figure out why they always want to be in the water!
All in all another busy few weeks, just wish the weather would co-operate so I can get my flower beds done before we are away to Canada on holiday.

No weather for Gardening!

2010-05-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

I've been desperate to get my gardening done, but the weather hasn't just been very co-operative! I have managed to get some weeding done and a few plants planted, but the rest of the weeding will need to wait until I don't have to worry about mud. And then hopefully we'll get the bark spread.
We've been grooming Lady daily to get her ready for the Angus show. She absolutely loves a good brush! She puts her head down and stays perfectly still loving every second of it! We don't even need to bring her in or tie her up she just lets me walk out to her in the field. We've bathed her once already and will hopefully get two more done. We wanted to do another bath today but the weather is cold, rainy and very windy!
Malda and Princess are done in the Glen field, but since we sold Jen and Dosan and their calves we'll bring them back up shortly. Good thing, I'm missing seeing my youngest girls on a daily basis.
We still have the hired Stock Bull 'Russell of Idvies'. Not sure if he's managed to do anything because we haven't seen it! But here's hoping Lady, Emma and Ellen will soon be in calf.
Well that's it for this week, hoping to have photos of my lovely flower beds up if the weather ever co-operates!

Saying Goodbye...

2010-05-23T04:28:00.000-07:00

We sold two of our cows and their calves today, Jen w/calf Macie and Dosan with calf Maiwen. Was sad to see the baby girls go as they were awfully cute and such nice calves. But it's nice to be back to our 'original' fold and have the time to spend with them. Had such a beautiful hot day yesterday that I actually got a sunburn! Cooler today and rain, but looks as though the sun may show up at some point. Heath and Paddy are growing like weeds and Heath has turned into a big suck, always coming up to be hand fed a cob! They have been going into the creep feed we set up for them for their calf feed, but Heath likes a cob and a scratch as well. Paddy is still a wee bit wary, but he's coming on. Lady has been getting daily combings at feed time and absolutely loves it! We don't need to tie her just walk out and comb her where she stands. She likes it so much she hangs her head and closes her eyes! What a suck. We'll wash her today to start getting her ready for the Angus show.

Chickens and newborns!

2010-05-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

Well another busy weekend and a Monday passed! We went to the rare breeds sale in Thainstone and I replaced my Spangled Hamburg hen that died this winter with two more and a rooster! Poor Doodle (my original rooster) wasn't too happy, and even with just one eye he managed to let the knew rooster know that he was boss of the roost! The red hen (Penny) isn't bothered by the newbies and the black Hen (Lilo) is sitting on eggs just now so she's not bothered either. Hoping to get some chicks soon but she's a week over due from the first day she started laying. I'll give her another week and then she's getting chucked off! So after the initial rooster fight we thought the excitement of the weekend was over, but it was to start again at 5am Monday morning with the neighbour texting to say there was a new black calf in the front field! Dosan had her baby, a little black heifer (at least we think it's a heifer, she's not much wanting us to get near it just now!) Within a few hours of getting born she managed to get between the fence and onto the road. Poor Dosan nearly came thru the fence at us trying to shove the calfie back thru! We eventually got her back and I managed to get back in the house and get ready to work, which was a bit of a relief as I don't generally do chores with cattle in my polka dot pajama's like I had to just then! Later that night once home from work the little bugger managed to get out again, but thankfully put herself back in. She caught holy hell from both her mother and her Aunt Jen! But she's a beautiful, healthy calf! And for sale, any interest, inquire within. ;)

Ben More Fold - Judy Bowser

2010-05-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

On Sunday April 25th, we went to visit Mrs. Judy Bowser and the Ben More Fold. Judy 86 is a Veteran breeder who has had Highlanders at Auchlyne, Killin, since 1946. Judy was a wealth of knowledge, has an incredible sense of humour and a wonderful wit! I thoroughly enjoyed my time with her and her daughter Emma. We were able to tour the pastures and see most of the cattle. They are so tame that Judy can walk up to each and every one of them and have 'chat' with them, even in the middle of the pasture! What an amazing woman she is. I was even lucky enough to spot that a cow had just given birth to a calf and Judy and I went to go have a look at the new arrival. It was a wonderful experience and I do hope Judy will have us back again some time.

First Cattle Show

2010-05-02T08:15:00.000-07:00

On Saturday April 24th John and I participated in our first Highland Cattle show! We went to the East of Scotland Highland Cattle Club's Annual Show. It was held at West Busby Farm, Methven and hosted by Mr & Mrs. Taylor. We showed Malda and Princess in the Two Year Old Heifer Class. Both cows behaved very well although we didn't place. We weren't too worried though as it was our first show and it was more about us getting practice! The show was followed by a beautiful BBQ featuring Highland beef of course! We then went to our friend Scott Wylie's with the Judge Andrew Cameron and his lovely wife Sheena. We went out for an amazing supper with Jim the Stockman from the Ben More Fold and his family, The Lacey's, Andew & Sheena and Scotty of course! We had a wonderful meal and good company and then returned to Scott's house for a night cap and a visit with good company.

Fred the neighbourhood Pheasant

2010-04-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

Busy Weekend

2010-04-18T06:50:00.000-07:00

We had a beautiful, sunny day on Saturday so we made the most of it! I got loads of gardening done in the flower beds. They are nearly all ready for the bark we have ordered. We brought Malda and Princess in a few times and have been grooming and washing them to get them ready for next weekend when we take them to the Northeast Scotland Highland Cattle Club. It's our first time showing so I'm a bit nervous. I'm not worried about winning, just want some experience under our belt! Malda is easy to groom and wash but doesn't walk that great, she likes to keep her head down. We put a nose ring lead in to see if we could get her to walk better and she had herself a little temper tantrum and laid down flat on her side, practically with her feet in the air and wouldn't move. When she realized we thought it was funny she gave up and walked fine after that. She still needs more work walking but as usual she's a clown, friendly and a pleasure to work with. Princess is more difficult as she likes to use her hooves! I've told John kicking cows are his cows! He can handle her no problem and I'm scared of hooves so he's been doing most of the work with her. She is in wonderful condition and a favourite of ours as far as show quality goes, so we are hoping the work we are doing with her pays off. We've had a daily visitor in the Garden for ages now. A pheasant I've named Fred. He comes and does his rounds at least three times a day. He's found the spillage from the bird feeders so snacks there. He's not scared of either us nor the dog or cat so he's become quite tame. I recently hung mirrors in the corners of my back two flower beds. What a laugh! Fred found them and being breeding season has been coming all day and aggressively fighting his mirror foe! Luckily breeding season is waning and he no longer attacks the mirrors (good thing, i was getting sick of cleaning them after him) but he still comes daily for a 'news' with his mirror pal.

Macie Jen Ruadh arrives

2010-04-07T13:11:00.000-07:00

Well yesterday I got a call at work from my son advising me that there was a new calfie in the front field that hadn't been there a moment before! Of course panic was my first thought, was she up, was she suffocating, did she accidentaly get stepped on? No worries though, when I voiced my concerns my son calmly told me that there couldn't be much wrong with it she was up and running around! Lol, what a hardy breed they are! It wasn't especially warm and was raining and she was already up. I got home within the hour of the phone call and it was obvious she was very new to the world, but true enough she was up and sucking and not bothered a bit! We did make a half hearted attempt to get Mummy and calf in but Mummy let us know we weren't to come anywhere near, so although the weather wasn't ideal for a newborn calf we let them be. Today she is up and running around and sucking every chance she gets! Oh, I suppose I should introduce her, she is a lovely little red head named after our beautiful niece in Canada - Macie. Her full name is Macie Jen Ruadh of Kintore Castle. What a bonnie calf she is!

In like a Lamb, out like a Lion

2010-04-04T10:07:00.000-07:00

We bought two in calf Black Highland Cows at Thainstone Mart. We will just keep them for a short while to round out and calve, then we'll take them back to the mart for the Rare Breeds Show and Sale. On Tuesday March 30th we woke up to a blizzard and lots of wet snow! We couldn't even see the cattle so we had to trudge out in the mess of flying, bitter snow. They were all fine but we managed to coax Emma & Ellen in to let Heath and Paddy have a dry lie and dry out! They didn't seem to mind! The two new cows Dosan and Jen are in quarantine in the cattle shed so they were fine as well. Lady and Russel (the bull we have on loan just now) were in the front field and were surprisingly sheltered, and Malda and Princess were not so happy on the Croft Brae but they had a bale of hay and found what shelter they could. We didn't have power here for a full day and no power at work for two days! Just mother nature reminding us who's really boss! But the snow has pretty much melted away, it's been a lovely weekend and spring is surely on the way! We had to ear tag Heath and Paddy today, our brave Heath stood so well for it but poor Paddy howled! Mommy's weren't too happy but job done!

Busy Weekend

2010-03-21T10:33:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! I'm exhausted, but also ever so happy and satisfied! Finally a beautiful weather weekend! Spent the entire weekend outside. We got yard work done, did a tidy, moved the chicken huts and sorted cows. We've had to interfere a few times when Ellen leaves her own baby (Padraig) over long and instead lets Heath suck. Wouldn't normally be a big deal but just now Heath is big and healthy and can follow Mom and Auntie about. Baby Paddy on the other time still has plenty of naps. We don't want Heath to empty Ellen and then have none left when Paddy needs a suck. But so far they are both doing well. We moved Lady, Princess and Malda up to the Croft pasture to give the front field a rest. They all haltered and walked brilliantly so that was a bonus. Today was more clean up, a fire to burn all the fallen/broken branches over winter, a long walk with the dog and then I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning out flower beds. I'm sore already so quite sure I'll pay for all this activity come tomorrow morning, but it was well worth getting out in the sunshine and fresh air!

First Day Blogging

2010-03-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

Well this is our first attempt to start our own blog. Bare with us, as anyone working on a Farm or Croft will tell you there isn't always alot of time to sit in front of the computer. We are a relatively new fold and in the last week have had our first two Kintore Castle calves! So to get us started let's just say Hello! and we hope to see you again.