I will be unable to Check on the Cattle on Sunday 4 October. Apologies

Monday 28th September - All 3 seen

Shortly after 11:15 this morning, the cattle were grazing in the woodland southwest of the entrance beyond the sailing club, near ///suave.cakes.prowess. They spotted me approaching and wandered over to greet me. They were all very friendly, each taking a turn to say hello and enjoy the first of many strokes and rubs.

After our initial greetings, the boys soon gathered around me to relax and chew their cud. They alternated between leaning in for long neck and back scratches and resting peacefully. They were all incredibly affectionate, offering the sweetest head rubs while enjoying plenty of fuss. Around noon, youngster 282 settled under the shade of a tree to rest, with youngster 278 following suit soon after. Youngster 283 enjoyed uninterrupted back scratches until I said my goodbyes at 12:15. As I was walking away, he settled down to rest too. The boys all appeared happy and relaxed, and showed no signs of acorn poisoning.

As I arrived on site today, I noticed a contractor spraying chemicals in the woodland near the entrance by Hawley Hard, close to the car park. I went over to speak to him, and he said he was spraying the rhododendron with a herbicide. He advised that HIWWT were aware of the work. As a precaution, I made Ned, who is on call, aware and shared a photo of the label on the chemical being used.

The cattle were all good today.

update on 276

It is with sad news I regret to inform you all that #276 didn't make it through Saturday night.

The vet said it was a 50/50 chance however there was no more that he or any of us could do.

As Chris has already said, please do keep an eye on the rest for symptoms - Acorn poisoning usually begins showing a day or 2 after consumption once the kidneys have failed.

I am going to suggest that if people notice any areas with acron drop please let us know and we can adjust the no fence boundaries to try to reduce the liklihood as a preventative measure.

Thank you for your keen eyes and care when the checking the livestock

The grazing team 

Sunday 27 September 26. (11.20 - 11.40) All Three Seen. All Well.

 They were in F6, in the small copse of trees immediately to the SE of the anno dump compound.

Jet was laying down under the tree cover, so I was unable to get a shot showing his profile from the  rear, (to reveal any swelling like J'Adore had on Friday).   There was no drooling and showed no evidence of having done so. He seemed well.

Jeans was stood between the trees and the compound fence.  He also appeared well.  Also, no drooling or evidence of having done so.  His rear profile appeared symetrical.

 

Jura was under the trees, stood not far from Jet.  He also appeared well, with no evidence of having been drooling.  His rear profile also appeared to be symetrical.

He was happy for me to spend several minutes scratching his neck, forehead and around his horns.

Saturday 26th September - All 3 seen

Shortly after 14:30 this afternoon, the cattle were gathered in front of the water trough, having recently wandered down from the paddock. As I approached, the boys were all standing to attention, watching me closely. As soon as they recognised me, I was greeted with a chorus of moos. They were all incredibly friendly, taking turns to come over, say hello, and enjoy plenty of strokes and rubs. Judging by the water level in the trough and the fact that it was still refilling, they had obviously had a refreshing drink shortly before my arrival.

After our initial greetings, the boys soon gathered around me to rest and chew their cud. They would take turns stepping forward for more attention, all thoroughly enjoying repeated neck and back rubs. Chin scratches seemed to be a particular favourite today, with all three stretching their necks right out so I could get to the underside of their chins. When not being fussed over, they would stand and chew their cud, groom themselves, give me affectionate head rubs and licks, or even participate in some play fighting. On a couple of occasions, things got a little too rough for my liking, and they needed to be told to stop. All three were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

By 15:35, youngster 282 had found a comfortable spot just behind the water trough to settle down to rest and chew his cud. Youngsters 278 and 283 still wanted more attention and lined themselves up side by side to enjoy back scratches at the same time. After a while, youngster 283 settled down at my feet, with youngster 278 following about five minutes later. With them all resting, I took the opportunity to give the trough a good clean.

Afterwards, all three were more than happy to continue receiving more strokes and rubs while they were resting. Youngster 283 got up for another back scratch before repositioning himself in a more comfortable spot slightly further away from youngster 278. They were all absolutely fine today and weren't showing any signs of acorn poisoning during my time with them. It felt very surreal not seeing youngster 276 today. I'm so used to finding all four together, with them all taking turns to be fussed over, that his absence made the place feel strangely different.

I said my goodbyes at 16:30, leaving them all peacefully resting and chewing their cud. As I was walking away, though, I looked back to see the boys following me. Youngster 278 gave a loud moo and walked up to me, giving me a gentle nudge, before positioning himself for yet another back scratch. I'd clearly missed a spot earlier! After another round of scratches, I said a final goodbye at 16:45, leaving them all grazing in the pasture in the sunshine.

The cattle were all good today.

276 likely acorn poisoning, please watch for symptoms

Signs to look out for;

- Excessive drooling and frothing at the mouth

- Listless and unresponsive behaviour

- Excessive drinking

- Bloating, often uneven

276 has been treated by the vet and possibly a bit better than first feared. Fingers crossed he is able to pull through over the weekend. Sam will be around the farm checking up on him.

IMPORTANT UPDATE - Fri 25th Sep - staff check

276 has been taken back to the farm for treatment. Reported by Gordon on Thursday evening drooling and coughing up phlegm. I met Tony in the morning who had located the yearling still drooling but we also noticed significant swelling on his left hand flank, which must have come up overnight. The vet will assess him this afternoon.

The other 3 seen well as we left the site. Please keep an eye out for similar symptoms in them as we we don't yet know the cause.