The bulls with diamonds on the soles of their hooves
For a moment last week, I thought that we had struck oil, as it were. The stock bulls were in for their annual pedicure. It is a job I am always apprehensive about. Even though they are quiet, they are hard to handle because they are such big animals.
Two of the bulls were on the absolute limit of what the crate could handle. Thankfully, when the crate turned them on their side, they just lay there.
I immediately noticed something glistening embedded in the soles of their feet.
It turned out that they were pebbles and the surface of the stones that was making contact with the ground had become highly polished. I assume this happened because of the bulls’ sheer weight and the ground being rock hard.
Such was the shine that I immediately thought of Paul Simon’s immortal song, ‘Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes’.
The bulls weren’t showing much signs of lameness but, left untreated, the pebbles would undoubtedly come against them later on and, chances are, it would be smack bang in the middle of the breeding season.
So no diamonds for us but, at least, I felt relief when the last bull was released out of the crate, without injury to man or beast.
First cut
We got our first-cut silage completed in ideal conditions.
We actually take three different first-cuts.
We took an early cut in the middle of May which, hopefully, will be close to 80 DMD and will be fed to fattening cattle.
The next cut was taken at the end of May which, hopefully, will be somewhere around 7274 DMD. This will be fed to the suckler cows when they come into the shed, in November.
I absolutely believe that one of the mainstays of good conception rates in autumn-calving cows is built around a diet that contains the maximum amount of top-quality silage.
The other cut was taken last week and this silage will hopefully be not less than 66 DMD. This will be fed to the cows and heifers before calving, from the middle of July onwards.
As is our practice, it will be fed last thing in the evening so, hopefully, they will eat by night and calve by day.
Most of the fields that were cut have been let up for second-cut, along with some of the grazing paddocks that has become available, as we wean the calves and restrict the cows on their grazing area.
THERE WAS SOMETHING GLISTENING AND EMBEDDED IN THEIR FEET