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.