The Poultry Keeper

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7170 Location: isle of lewis

i've been to the libary today ,haven't been in ages came back with a book called suil aghleidheas sealbh
it's a book on highland cattle Wink

Spana · Joined: 30 Apr 2005 Posts: 2133 Location: North Cornwall

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7170 Location: isle of lewis

it translates into a keen eye keeps the cattle ,
it's called a keen eye jan and it's written by una flora cochrane
it's about fact and folklore on scottish highland cattle
there's a pic i like in there of a cow named proiseag sgiathach 111of garth
it says calved in 1918,
Wink

that's going to be my bedtime reading over the next couple of days , Embarassed

fairislefaerie · Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Posts: 542

T&M is perfect bedtime reading ! This year accompanied by Suttons & chilterns booklets.

Angela

heelandcoo · Joined: 03 Jun 2008 Posts: 2

I have been searching for this book for years! Does anyone have a copy they don't want ???

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7170 Location: isle of lewis

what book is it you are after Very Happy

heelandcoo · Joined: 03 Jun 2008 Posts: 2

Looking for A Keen Eye by Una Flora Cochrane about highland cattle. I believe it is out of print now.

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7170 Location: isle of lewis

we got ours from the library ,if you are a member maybe they can order it for you

bronskibeat · Joined: 09 Sep 2007 Posts: 1617 Location: Clawddnewydd

LMAO about your choice of bedtime reading Spana, then again, mine's the BFL flock book........ Embarassed

On the subject of twins, my broodmare was carrying twins that were missed on scanning, one subsequently died in utero some point later but Louis was enormous as a foal and has made over 18hh fully grown. His parents were both 16.2hh and he didnt get any hard feed until he was 3.5 due to growing like the proverbial (that wont be found in a T and M catalogue Wink

) Also you can get a big twin and a tiny twin lamb, just depends on how much space on the uterine wall each placenta has to attach to.
Interesting that a twin heifer can sometimes prove fertile, also I had never considered the possibility that an infertile "single" heifer could have been a twin that wasnt picked up at scanning. Do vets routinely pinch the twin like they do with horses or do they just let them get on with it? Very Happy

manic nonie · Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 3:10 am Post subject:

spent last night reading QMS reports if it counts, and of course primrose MCconnel agri notebook Embarassed

. I've seem a few stunning hiefers and them when they were kept for breeding proved to be infertile, again though in beef, the dairy isn't concerned with replacments so its not much bother. Im just thinking of a set of lambs this year one was tiny the other was big Shocked

both female.

I'm liking the reading material though, I can't remember the name of it but theres a cracking book on the subject of genetics (fanastic chapter on infertility) Rolling Eyes

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1360 Location: Leicestershire

bronskibeat · Joined: 09 Sep 2007 Posts: 1617 Location: Clawddnewydd

Yes, we found the mummified foetus (like you get in lambing) in the placenta when Louis was born. I always check the mares placentas are complete to make sure none has been retained...... I'm a bit slacker when it comes to the ewes and unfortunately a couple of weeks ago paid the price when I lost my top show ewe with metritis Crying or Very sad

The thing of it was, she had lambed totally unaided and back at the beginning of February...... Confused

These things happen though. Still, with the amount of ewes to lamb it gets impossible to check everyone has cleansed properly so unfortunately it can occur.

vanessa · Joined: 24 Sep 2005 Posts: 1241 Location: Correze

This infertile twins bit ... it is ALL twin heifers that are likely to be infertile, or just those with a male twin?

I'd heard before about the infertility of twin calves, but I'm just a little confused now whether twin heifers would be fertile?

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1360 Location: Leicestershire

Twin heifers are fine.

It's when you get twins which are 1 male and 1 female. I did explain it in an earlier post on this same thread. If they share the same blood supply the female is what is called a Freemartin. The male hormones override the female ones and their reproductive systems are undeveloped, so externally they may look fine but they perhaps have a very tiny uterus or no cervix and the ovaries don't function as they never come on heat. Occasionally a set of twins will be born 1 male 1 female and the female will be okay - it is rare though.

Itsybitsy