Today at 1300 hrs the 3 girls were in J11 grazing some short grass and new heather.  They are fit, very clean and contented.

cattle checked with trainees

Checked the girls today, all good grazing gorse in k6

Visited today at 1015 hrs.  All three well and contented, two browsing bramble and one gorse in G and I 11.

Tuesday 22dn December - Site Check

Called in to do a site check today and found the three girls in H11/H12 all looking very well. They were nice and relaxed and after briefly checking me out they carried on with their cudding and grazing.

Trough working and all ok.

Grazing at this time of year: A quick note following on from Joanne's post below.

Joanne will not be alone with her concerns for the cattle during these leaner months, we fully understand (and are grateful) for your thoughts on our herds well being). I t’s good to know you are out there! : ) But please don’t be worried. At this time of year all of our cattle on all of our sites will be changing their diets to woodier vegetation such as bramble, heather, and gorse, and in doing so they are doing a fantastic job of keeping the scrub in check! All very normal, very natural. Get fat in the summer, leaner in the winter. Rest assured we keep a watchful eye on their condition at this time which is of course reinforced by your good selves. Mineral blocks ‘licks’ are sent out to supplement those sites where the cattle are a getting a little thin. In Bramshot’s case, the girls are fat with plenty of ground  / forage : ) Our stocksman (Jack) is very happy with their progress. So again, please don’t be concerned at this time of year. And importantly, please, please don't feed them as this not only affects their diet but their grazing habits which in turn effects the site as a whole. They do a fantastic job, but they must have freedom to express normal behaviour.

Thank you Joanne : ) And thank you one and all for your efforts! They are as always greatly appreciated. And Merry Christmas!  

Today at 1pm

They are all standing very near the gate near the big woods staring at the lush grass in the field. I'm sorry but I am worried they are hungry. What can I bring here for them. X

Visited today at about 1330 hrs.  The ladies are fine and browsing/grazing in N7/8.  Met the Trust staff member visiting today too and had a chat.  Thin the ladies will look forward to the cattle nuts he has!  Grazing/browsing material on the area looks a little thin now.

visited today at 10.30 am

All the girls fairly close together very near the reptile watch area in central heath field, heads down munching away. X

Today 12.36

as if by magic I lookup from blogging and there they are eating gorse and bramble leaves a litthe up from the trough. X

At site now

Thanks for clarification about cattle movement for winter that's great. I haven't had long today so haven't found them yet but yesterday they seemed happy trotting from one side of the heath to the other. Xx

Cattle plans for winter

Hello all,

Further to Jo's question about cattle plans we aim to keep the livestock on site all winter.

Historically we have taken them off, mainly at the request fo the previous grazier as they were concerned about forage levels.  However, as these are our own cattle, they are in very good condition and we are more confident about their ability to find food within the site, we are hoping they will be able to stay on all winter.

As winter progresses we will obviously be keeping a good eye on their condition, particularly their back bone by their tale, and their hips, which is where their condition will deteriorate first.  Should we need to they will be able to be taken off at very short notice but hopefully this will not be the case.

By being on all winter they will have to alter their diet to go from the grasses to the shrubs which means you will likely see them eating more bramble leaves, holly, gorse, oak and birch branches and heather.  All of these are pretty abundant on site, hence our confidence on food availability, and the effect of grazing on these species should be beneficial to the heathland as a whole.

Best wishes

Elliott

visited today at 3.40

The girls are hanging out by the first gate in the car park. Just wondering when they leave for winter. Is there still enough food here. Just wondering because they are usually gone by now. Xx

Today at 1215 hrs the girls were together laying and cudding in K10.  A bit dirty from browsing under tress and scrub but they are contented and well.

Visited today at 1315 hrs.  The girls a bit separated.  Rosemary browsing bramble in H11 and Kitkat and Lola grazing pretty poor grass in I10.  However, all look very well and very content.  The trough is OK too.

visited today at 12

The girls were all laying around expecting rain I imagine in the small bunch of trees in the top left corner of the open heath area. I Brought alone two bags of apples they had trouble at first trying to chew so I crushed them all with my feet and they hungrily devoured the lot. Is this ok.xx

Tuesday 1st December - Site Check.

After a bit of search I found the girls down near the cattle grid in D6/D7. Two of them were searching for acorns while the other one was munching on brambles.

All three looking fit and well.

Today 2.55pm

Just as I was about to give up I found the cows happily grazing in the undergrowth near the first gate from the car park. All seems well altho I don't think I would enjoy eating brambles. Are they allowed apples that have fallen from my apple trees. X

visited Sunday and Monday and today

I haven't been able to find the girls for 3 days now, I'm here now and will continue to look for the next 40 mins or so. Where can they be hiding. Xx