We rather like this shot: it is a quintessential English view and even more so, a classic Devonian scene. Devon is a county of ‘small’ fields, compared perhaps to Wiltshire, Somerset and counties more on the east side of the country. David drove through parts of Wiltshire to collect the goats and saw huge arable fields: acres and acres of hedge-less land that maximizes the space for growing ‘food’. Devon is more of a mixture between arable and livestock where in the smaller fields, the hedges and walls provide shelter (and food). We adore living in Devon; for the kind of smallholding we want to run, the land and climate here are perfect. We may be wet but the summers tend to allow for great grass growth for our stock, we love having the hedges and trees (they are great for wildlife too) and we don’t get too many of the cold easterly winds. Having our animals outside for a good seven/eight months of the year is also fabulous.
Still no signs of any bulling amongst the cows. We spoke to Rachel at the vets who advised us that we can get luminous paint to put on the cows such that when they are ‘mounted’ by another one (which is what happens), the paint is rubbed off, so showing they have been in season. It is also possible to ‘bring’ a cow into heat through the use of an injection of prostaglandin (PG). If we continue NOT to see sign of seasons, this may well be an option we have to consider. We want our three to calve next May ideally which means becoming pregnant at the end of July/ start of August. We have a bit of time still to catch those heats…. But not a lot!!!