The Poultry Keeper

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7324 Location: isle of lewis

right i have just nicked this out of the gazette
4 highland cows from benbecula have been transported to the welsh valleys to boast a noteable highland herd tudor fold .Eric and Stephen switched to freesianto the tradditional scottish cattle a couple of years ago they now have 43 head of highlands they took first prize at the oban show this year they said they came to the islands because they like the way the cattle are raised the nateral way ,they're not bulked up with concentrates

thhe highland eatts everything thatgrows heather ,thistle and nettles they keep the land clean and don't churn it up ,that's some of it didn't write the whole lot it's to long ,
right at the auction top price for a highland cow was

70 pounds year old hefier
most went for about 40 to 60 pounds,no calves under 6 months
a 7 year old pedigree highland female went for50 pounds
he came out to tell me that anything that looked highland at all was dropping in price
mind you somebody here has 2 jersey with calf each ,nothing special they have been running with a highland bull £950 each

Spana · Joined: 30 Apr 2005 Posts: 2210 Location: North Cornwall

Oh dear, thats awful. £50 for a cow only seven is an insult to such a lovely breed. If well looked after they can still have good calves at 18 or older.

Its right what you say about them eating up all the old rubbish.
They clean out all our hedge bottoms lovely but that doesn't mean they dont have proper feed as well.

In the general auction rings down here they are not really flavour of the month, but they do much better in the special sales. I think a lot of farmers are wimps and are afraid of the horns.

A friend of mine just a few miles away in Boscastle has a fold of about 70 cows+ calves and he sells direct to the butcher. He has some of the best highlanders I have ever seen. My bull Nevis came from him. The cliff top living suits them and the wind keeps their coats looking beautiful. We are a lot more sheltered but we have some high fields and they do well through the winter on them what ever the weather.

I think I would have been in tears if I'd been at the sale suz.

The little SD heifers about 12months were making between £700 & £1100 at Bristol and the 2year olds up to £2100

We really love our Highlands, they calve easily, are good milky mothers, you dont have to house them in winter if they are not poaching up to much and the beef is some of the best you'll ever taste.

But Im probabley preaching to the converted Laughing

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7324 Location: isle of lewis

it's alright i didn't write out all the articale ,they tend to be well looked after up here on the common grazings there are thousands of acres for them to roam on and they are normally feed in the winter and a tiny bit in the summer he is into his rare breeds ,shetland being his cup of tea Very Happy

i was telling kevin what you had said about them being cheap he said they looked good ,were not thin and you had better get your cattle lorry out Wink

,there is a sale at christmas Rolling Eyes

i'll have to show him what you wrote he'd be shocked after what happened last week ,i think it's going to take a few more years like last year where the none traditional breeds really got knocked ,the suffolks took a hammering ,and people will start looking at the old ways Very Happy

Spana · Joined: 30 Apr 2005 Posts: 2210 Location: North Cornwall

Yes, OH been saying for sometime now that farming needs to go back to the 1950's, but how anyone can earn a living at it I just dont know.

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7324 Location: isle of lewis

totally agree with him ,when we had a few medicines though ,my mother poor peasant farmers daughter hates animals ,i asked her why one day , she said that her father was always nursing something or other and they know that if their pig or other animal died ,there would be no food ,or only veg ,and they would go hungry ,she was always proud of the fact her family was the first family in the village to have a cow as the mayors son caught tb ,the mayor went halves with my granfather to buy one

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7324 Location: isle of lewis

anyone want to see some highlands Very Happy

,these live at the end of my driveway

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7324 Location: isle of lewis

they are lovely ,they have a huge ammount of land and just sort of munch around ,there is a river at the end and they stand on the bank of the river looking like some sort of painting Very Happy

Spana · Joined: 30 Apr 2005 Posts: 2210 Location: North Cornwall

Lovely pics suz. They like plenty of space to roam and the wind in their hair and it looks like they have it there.

Our farm is about 3miles inland from the sea. My bull Nevis came from the cliff tops of Boscastle and often stands as if facing the sea with his head up to smell the salty wind. I think he still misses the Atlantic raging below him. Sad

Old Man of the 80's · Joined: 22 Apr 2006 Posts: 308 Location: Wittering, UK

What a stunning driveway milkmaid! Most jealous!!

mojo · Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 10:23 pm Post subject:

rite bonny critters there are//////////the piccys aint either