Lots of people have been asking, “so what do you actually do on the farm?”
But believe me, there is always things to be done!
The day usually begins at 7.30am and the first job is to make sure all the baby calves (3-9 weeks old) are given milk. We make the milk from powder and warm water in a large (180 litre) mixing tub. We use feeders and fill them using buckets so my arm strength has definitely improved! Each calf has roughly 3 ¾ litres with the intention of putting on 0.9 kilos per day. We have roughly 100-120 calves on milk at a time and if all goes to plan, they are fed by 8.30/8.45am. Whilst Grampy and I are feeding the calves, Dad is usually putting the silage round to the bigger steers in the larger sheds.
But believe me, there is always things to be done!
The day usually begins at 7.30am and the first job is to make sure all the baby calves (3-9 weeks old) are given milk. We make the milk from powder and warm water in a large (180 litre) mixing tub. We use feeders and fill them using buckets so my arm strength has definitely improved! Each calf has roughly 3 ¾ litres with the intention of putting on 0.9 kilos per day. We have roughly 100-120 calves on milk at a time and if all goes to plan, they are fed by 8.30/8.45am. Whilst Grampy and I are feeding the calves, Dad is usually putting the silage round to the bigger steers in the larger sheds.
The next job is to give fresh bedding straw to the slightly older calves (9+ weeks old). This is done using the bobcat piloted by Grampy and me spreading it around using a fork. There are 8 sheds to be bedded and this usually takes us to breakfast time at 9am.
After breakfast, I continue to bed the baby calves and make sure all the animals are fed, watered, have fresh straw and most importantly are happy and healthy. This routine is done everyday….some may say that this is repetitive and boring but to me, each day brings something different whether that is a calf not wanting to drink the milk or detecting an animal looking under the weather and in need of an injection.
After breakfast, I continue to bed the baby calves and make sure all the animals are fed, watered, have fresh straw and most importantly are happy and healthy. This routine is done everyday….some may say that this is repetitive and boring but to me, each day brings something different whether that is a calf not wanting to drink the milk or detecting an animal looking under the weather and in need of an injection.
At this time of year, a lot of the older livestock are grazing the fields but we supplement the diet of the younger cattle at grass by feeding corn to make sure they are receiving the correct nutrients for their required stage of development. This is to ensure that we are maximising their growth potential all year round and don’t suffer if the grass is not quite matching the correct nutritious properties. Aberdeen Angus’ are known to be good ‘doers’ so when at grass they don’t require as much attention as the continental breeds. This is one of the main reasons why we stock this breed as they suit our grassland and more importantly our style of farming.
Following the daily feeding and bedding routine there are many other jobs to be done depending on the time of year. Today we wormed all the grazing livestock, which needs to be given every 6-8 weeks whilst they are out at grass. Other jobs include giving pneumonia and black leg vaccinations, castrating the calves, cleaning out the open sheds, moving the cattle between pens and fields as well as lots of other maintenance work. Since working on the farm I’ve realised that you have to be flexible and adaptable as the plan for the day frequently get interrupted by more important and unplanned things. Lucky I don’t mind a change of plan so that works well with me!