Cows, calves and veterinary

evening light

posted by nellta holdings @ 5:57 AM 0 comments

74

posted by nellta holdings @ 2:35 AM 0 comments

No-one is allowed to laugh ...

posted by nellta holdings @ 2:23 AM 0 comments

Animal (dairy cattle) Welfare Code

Here is the draft Animal Welfare Code 2006 (PDF file). Now open for public consultation.

posted by nellta holdings @ 3:13 AM 0 comments

It doesn't pay to forget the date

I left the house a little over an hour ago to bring the cows off the long acre before night advanced too far towards morning.
And noted immediately a large fire spewing black smoke, just across the neighbour's paddock.
Whines and bangs and glittery colours in the air proved this was no accidental fire ... and my reaction was unrepeatable in a family environment.

I've just met my neighbour. He's sitting in the ute, watching his calves which had destroyed their eight-wire fence and scattered across three paddocks.

My cows are now in their paddock, and I've checked my calves.

Take care - and please, if you're not a farmer; think before setting those fireworks. Rural does not mean they have no impact on the surrounding livestock and environment.

posted by nellta holdings @ 2:07 AM 0 comments

play time

posted by nellta holdings @ 4:05 PM 0 comments

linkage - tail docking (old)

maf.govt.nz: 1995 research into the practice of tail docking in dairy cows
Scroll down to about halfway for the relevant article.
Strangely, I find the conclusions drawn are rather bothersome - but perhaps I read too much into the suggestion that because some farmers cope alright with being hit by tails, everyone should have to put up with it.

Discovered courtesy of site meter - no better way of wasting time than following the backlinks (In general, if a visitor drops in on your blog from the Google Express there's a good chance that they've entered a search entry of interest to the blog owner, and worth following).

posted by nellta holdings @ 5:26 PM 2 comments