Lesley Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 ...well, a five bar gate anyway! Our two Aberdeen Angus heifers are off to the abattoir on Tuesday and so we moved them back down to the barn paddock to get them used to coming through the crush. The plan was that that was the only way out for them to come out for feed for a few days and then today we could close the crush and try to get the replacement eartags in as they've both lost both of them and they need two each to go to slaughter. Yesterday one of them came through and the other didn't - Carl was sorting out hay when the one in the barn decided to take a short cut and she just rose in the air and sailed over the gate to get into the paddock! Well over a ton of beef heading straight for Carl and he had his back to her - I shouted and he fled......luckily, in the right direction! She's been impossible today - we've had to attach sheep hurdles upright against the gate so that she couldn't jump over and we spent all morning trying to get them through the crush. We called for reinforcements and my son came to help. We have the eartags in the other one but awkward Hannah will not come through the crush. We had to stop when it became dark - a whole day trying to catch cows The words 'never again' have been uttered many times We have to keep them in the barn now she knows she can jump as she could clear the fence. .....and if we eartag them both that is only phase 1 - if we ever get them into the stock trailer at 6.30am on Tuesday it will be a miracle and we only have until 8am to get them to the abattoir as it is only a small one, just 10 minutes away, and they have to have all animals in by 8am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 Sounds like a right carry on . Thank goodness Carl got out of the way . Good luck for tomorrow - sounds like you'll need it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted November 13, 2011 Author Share Posted November 13, 2011 Thank you - the annoying thing is they usually go through the crush without a problem.....they know something is different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 Oh bless them! Little madam - glad Carl ran the right way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 Glad Carl got out the way! They've seemed so quiet the couple times I've seen them ... nomming my hand I've been at work over your way all weekend so could have tried to help! Hope you manage to get them loaded in time on Tuesday morning, you'll be needing a lot of freezer space for those 2! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 They have been the most docile and calm cows......but the animals always know when something different is happening. We've been taking any visitors over to them whenever we can so that they're used to different people being around while they're fed but they still know........like when the Vet comes We nearly called to see if you were local...... but it was 4pm by the time we realised that she wasn't going to behave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 blimey! Likewise, shout if you need any help - I'm more than happy to pop over if I'm free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Good luck for the rest of today and tomorrow morning Glad that your husband was Ok. You have given me a great image of a cow gracefully flying through the air, very Thellwell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 Ha ha! - it was quite Thelwell We're on to Plan B now and are in the process of making a race from the lambing barn instead - then we need to get them to go in there but they will be hungry again soon and should follow a bale of hay. I phoned the abattoir this morning and asked about the ear tags and they're OK to take the one without the yellow tags as she has one metal tag from when she was born. Fingers crossed .......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 Well, we eventually managed to get both cows in the smaller barn with the help of the man who is taking them tomorrow as his trailer is bigger than ours and our current vehicle wouldn't pull the trailer with even one of those enormous cows in! He came to see where he will have to drive while it was still light as it will be dark when he arrives tomorrow morning and said he'd stay and help get them in - they were right madams again All set for the morning now........and very sad that they are going off to slaughter . It was never our plan to use them for meat but our plans had to change this year and we're having to run down the number of animals we have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Oh my god! I guess they know when abbatoir time has come. There are some Welsh blacks in a field adjoining one of ours & they were so noisy when some were due to go the abbatoir. So glad your hubby got out of the way - beef cattle are huuuuuge! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted November 15, 2011 Author Share Posted November 15, 2011 These were certainly huge - their backs were at my eye level so about 5' - and they weighed around 800kg each! All went well this morning - we wouldn't have done it without my son who came round at 6.30. I've mentioned before that (like Lewis!) he keeps very odd hours and often doesn't go to bed until well into the small hours and isn't good at getting up.......6am to him is the end of a night, not the start of a morning As we were getting up at 6am we had a text to say he'd just woken up, still on the sofa!, and would be round.........and he was He and Carl had to manoeuvre a heavy cattle hurdle behind the cows and encourage them into the trailer. It went like a dream and they were delivered to the abattoir before the 8am deadline. I don't think the abattoir men were too impressed with cows which are 3 times the size of the beef steer they usually deal with We went back this afternoon to collect livers, hearts, tails and suet fat and the owner grumbled a bit We were all sad to see them go after 30 plus months, we bottle fed them and named them...........but it's done now, a relief after the stressful weekend, so much could have gone wrong but it didn't. The man who helped said the last cows he took went mad and were bucking and kicking and the Vet and DEFRA official ran and hid!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 I remember them as sweet calves - they were the size of a bus last time I saw them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 Glad it all went well - what a relief for you . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 Glad to hear the successful outcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Glad you managed it ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted November 16, 2011 Author Share Posted November 16, 2011 I now know that a cows liver weighs 14lbs and the tail weighs 2lbs - even after trimming I had 24lbs of liver to freeze, and 4lbs of dog food. The dogs also had the thin ends of the tails - they were ecstatic We're having a real blood fest here now.....despatched a big cockerel and the remaining pheasants. There were 6 left when we went out, 5 left when we started and only 4 by the time we finished........they found a gap in the roof netting. We still have 11 table birds and 2 Light Sussex cockerels to go......the table birds will be turkey sized soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Thats a lot of work!! Let me know if you need help plucking nearer Christmas when I'm home! Spoke to L farmer at home yesterday about doing the Christmas turkeys... theres a few hundred of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted November 16, 2011 Author Share Posted November 16, 2011 They'll probably still be here at Christmas Lewis - it was plucking the last lot that set my back problems off in July! We moved them all around today as their run had hardly any grass left - they now have grass again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Well done Lesley, that's a lot of meat. I'd love to try some of that beef if you have any spare. I have to shut the dogs out of the kitchen if I'm plucking and gutting - they just get too excited Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
