Nothing could persuade the cows to leave the field despite the rain

WITH a thundering of hooves the cows race across the road from the main block of grazing and straight into the foldyard. Well. That's what is supposed to happen at the end of the year when it is time for them to come home and into the yards. In practice it is not so easy.
By The Newsroom
Published 24th Nov 2010, 11:17 BST
Updated 8th Jun 2018, 03:15 BST

For more than a week John has been weaning suckler calves and bringing them home after walking the herd into the main corral.

A couple of weeks ago some of the heifer suckler calves went to market to be sold.

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A few are still on their Mums as they were late born, but the rest of the calves are in either bull or heifer yards.

The cows are in the big foldyard with access to a silage clamp.

You would think after the cold and wet weather nothing would be more appealing to a cow than an easy life strolling from foldyard to silage, then settling down to masticate their cud on a soft bed of straw.

The bull thought so and so did most of the herd.

They took a bit of persuading to walk out of the field and across the road. Needed time to eat the grass on the roadside verge and ogle passing cyclists.

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Extra time to pop back into the field to see what they were leaving. Plus time to threaten to charge past us and have a wander down the lane to see where the road led.

Luckily we had a lot of manpower on. Friends and family were staying for the weekend. It was a full heaving house even up into the attic bedroomand so John took full advantage to make sure there was plenty of staff to help him.

But nothing could persuade the last dozen cows to leave the field. Mooing and bawling, kicking their heels up, racing back across the field (gates fortunately shut into the inland grazing),but they would not come home.

John and the teenagers helping him were about on their knees chasing the renegade cows round the field and eventually had to concede defeat for the morning.

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After lunch, the second plan was to tempt them with a big bale of silage - ‘bound to work’ - but it didn’t. The only way in the end was tractor and trailer, bringing them home three at a time from the corral. Once in the yard they were as settled as the rest of the herd.

Why the fuss?

I was quite mournful to see the bull come home as I thought it would be his last summer with us.

He cannot serve his daughters and there are quite a few heifers that are bulling now and can be put in calf.

Management decisions have been taken though.

We shall call in the AI (artificial insemination) service to do the job and keep our bull. He has been wonderful.

All the cows are in calf to him. He is quiet and docile.

And magnificent to boot. A real stud.