Wednesday 30th. Morning

 Checked the water trough first, it was all Ok

As I then walked across the site to find the cows I looked for Oak trees.  There are quite a lot of them around!  I found out that not only are there the English Oaks we all know but a lot of Pin Oaks (that's what I believe they are called). They have much larger leaves and their acorns are of a different shape.

I did take note of the W3W locations of the ones I came across if it would be useful?

Finally found 282 on his own.  He was by the look of it eating the bracket fungus on the Silver Birch!  Hope that is not poisonous.

Managed to find the other 2 who were by the main entrance.  They were there as there was a Volunteer Working Party clearing some of the small firs.  Stopped to have a chat before heading home.

They all appeared OK

Tuesday 29th September - All 3 seen

At 14:30 this afternoon, youngster 283 met me at the side of the path just along from the entrance by Hawley Hard, near ///basics.sundial.mailings. As I approached, he greeted me with a soft moo before wandering over to say hello. He thoroughly enjoyed a long neck and back scratch before we headed northeast through the thicket to look for youngsters 278 and 282. We soon found them grazing among the long grass about 125 metres away, near ///lightly.bolts.hunk. The boys took turns coming over to say hello, with both enjoying plenty of strokes and rubs.

After our initial greetings, the boys soon formed a loose circle around me and began to relax and chew their cud. They took turns leaning in for long neck, shoulder, and back rubs, thoroughly enjoying the attention. Youngster 282 was particularly affectionate, offering gentle head rubs after having the sides of his neck scratched. The boys were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

I said my goodbyes at 15:10, leaving youngster 278 resting peacefully in the grass, with the other two boys looking ready to settle down beside him. The boys were all content and showed no signs of acorn poisoning.

The cattle were all good today.

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.

FRiday 25 Sept 26. (09.15 - 09.30) All Four Seen

 I found Jet, Jura & Jeans in E7 on the wide SW-NE track.  They were all bust grazing the grass on the track's verge, about 150 yards west of the ammo dump. They all appeared well.

I could not find J'Adore (276) anywhere in the vicinity, so I went down towards the trough, where Gordon had reported he was last night.  I found him, (J'Adore, not Gordon) at the trough, although I could not say whether he had drunk any water.  He walked over the the western perimiter fence and as he did so I could see he was drooling from his mouth.

When he got near the fence he lay down.

I called the office and eventually spoke to Chris, who advised he was only five minutes away.  He arrived and quickly noticed that J'Arore's lhs appeared swollen.  Chris tried to get him to follow him with a bucket of nuts, but he would not move away from the trough.  He did return to the trough, but just appeared to dip his snout in and not to drink.

Chris rang the office and others were going to come out to assist escorting J'Adore to the corral, ready for the vet's visit later today.  As I was of no further assistance, I left Chris, who was going to put another gps collar on J'Adore.  He advised that he would update the blog, with news later today.  I hope all goes well.

Thursday 24th September - All 4 seen - Youngster 276 appeared unwell

Concerned that Margaret hadn't seen youngster 276 this afternoon, I made an extra visit to ensure he had returned.

At 17:50, all four cattle were standing in the woodland near the water trough. They spotted me approaching and greeted me with a chorus of moos. Youngsters 278 and 283 were quick to wander over to say hello and enjoy a few strokes. Youngster 282 was relaxing and chewing his cud just behind the trough and enjoyed a neck scratch, while youngster 276 was standing at the trough.

I went over to check on youngster 276 and noticed he had frothy saliva around his mouth. He appeared uncomfortable and was occasionally taking deeper breaths than normal. At times, he made audible gurgling sounds and was seen coughing. He allowed me to check him and did not have any visible signs of injury, nor did he appear to have anything stuck in his throat.

After about ten minutes, he went to lie down, but after a short time got back to his feet and returned to the water trough. He allowed me to approach him again for another check, standing calmly while I stroked the sides of his neck. He was seen frequently drinking and lowering his mouth into the water. After a little while, he wandered off to the trees beyond the trough and was observed bringing up more frothy fluid. Fluid was also seen draining from his nostrils. He wasn't panicked or distressed, and soon came back over to stand beside me near the trough.

Youngsters 278, 282, and 283 were all very friendly, and would wander over to spend some time with me, enjoying plenty of strokes and rubs while I was keeping a careful eye on youngster 276. The boys were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

Around 18:25, the boys wandered off to graze in the pasture to the northeast, while youngster 276 remained in the woodland, standing close to me. While still clearly not right, he did appear a bit more settled and wasn't producing any more frothy saliva. After about ten minutes, he wandered out to join the others, who were now grazing along the sides of the grassy track heading northeast. Youngster 276 wandered with them but didn't graze, and at no point was he seen chewing his cud.

After another round of back scratches, I said my goodbyes at 18:50, with youngsters 278, 282, and 283 continuing to graze and youngster 276 following the grass track alongside them.

Upon first noticing youngster 276 appearing unwell, I contacted Chris from HIWWT and shared several photos and videos while observing him. Chris in turn consulted the grazing team, who concluded he didn't need immediate attention but would check on him in the morning. Hopefully, J'Adore is feeling better soon.

With the exception of youngster 276, the cattle were all good today.

Thurs 24th Sept - Only 3 seen

Time is 1:05pm. ​GPS is only showing three collars. I have found three but yearling number 276 is not with them. I’ve had a look around the surrounding area and I can’t find him. I’m a little concerned because GPS is only showing the three collars but I don’t know which collars they are.

I’ll keep looking around for him for a little while before I go home and update you later. I found the cows at ///laces.tastes.flexibly 

 Back home now, 2:00pm. I never did find the 4th cow.  

 

Howard Holiday

 I'm away this week so wont be doing this Wednesday.

Saturday 19th September - All 4 seen

At 14:25 this afternoon, youngsters 278 and 282 were grazing near ///visit.chains.cushy, in the pasture northeast of the water trough. They were both very friendly, taking turns to come over to say hello and enjoy plenty of strokes and scratches. About ten minutes later, youngsters 276 and 283, who had been grazing further north, spotted me and quickly came over to greet me, accompanied by a chorus of moos. They, too, were very friendly and quickly settled in for plenty of fuss. There were lots of flies around today, so the boys were happy to have them gently brushed from their faces. I also noticed that all four had a large number of ticks on the lower part of their necks and on their undersides.

After our initial greetings, the boys soon formed a loose circle around me and began to relax and chew their cud. They would take turns stepping forward for longer sessions of neck and back rubs, thoroughly enjoying the attention. Youngster 276 was especially affectionate, resting his head on my shoulder while enjoying a long neck scratch, something he hadn't done for quite some time. After a while, the boys drifted off to graze, groom each other, or play-fight, with one of them always staying to keep me company and enjoy plenty of fuss. At one point, youngsters 278 and 283 lined themselves up side by side to both enjoy back scratches at the same time. The boys were an absolute joy to spend some quiet, relaxing time with today. All four were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

At 15:50, I set off to check the water trough, with the boys following closely behind. They all watched as I gave it a good clean, removing the layer of pine needles and leaves that had fallen from the trees overhead. When I was done, youngster 278 stepped forward for a long drink, while the others began to relax and chew their cud around a tree just beyond the trough. They all enjoyed plenty more strokes and rubs before I said my goodbyes at 16:20, leaving them all resting.

As I reached the woodland west of the tarmac road, I heard rustling behind me. I turned to see youngster 276 loping through the bracken after me — clearly not ready for me to leave just yet, with the others following more casually behind. After another couple of rounds of strokes, I slipped away, leaving them near the tarmac road at 16:40.

The cattle were all good today.

Friday 18th September 26. (09.00 - 09.40) All Four Seen. All OK. Trough Checked.

 The boys were all on the sloping grass track in D7, SW of the ammo dump compound.  All were true to character; Jet & Jeans stand off-ish and Jura & J'Adore more friendly.  I spent a few minutes stroking/scratching the ameanable pair.

 I then went to check on the trough.  It was full and clear.  I skimmed-off some tree litter from the surface and that as I was about to get back on my bike and leave I saw that all four boys were coming for a drink.

I have never, before seen any of the livestock at the trough, so I stayed for a while.  All four quickly started drinking from the trough and in only 2-3 minutes, they had drunk about 20% of the water in the trough.  I was able to hear and see the trough refilling.

I them went off for my cycle ride through Minley and Hawley Woods.   On the way home,  I met and had a chat with Jackie, who was walking Ziggy and had a young deer pop out and run in front of me for a short while on a track near Hawley Lake.  A great morning's ride.

Unable to check 21/22nd n 28/29th as away

Thursday 17th Sept - All Good

Found the boys munching and walking. They weren't interested in any interaction, they just wanted their breakfast. They all looked great.