There’s a man I periodically meet out walking whose way of looking at the world always entertains me. Last winter, as I customarily bemoaned the wet, he was pondering how best to embrace it. He’d got as far as a puncture repair business for wellies – if it ever takes off, I’ll be first in the queue. His instinct to adapt comes to mind as I await the arrival of Dewi, our farm vet, a selection of brown cows before me – and among them Wesley, a 16-month-old black Aberdeen Angus bull.
In the “old days” we would borrow a neighbour’s north Devon bull in return for a bottle of whisky, but the introduction of pre‑movement testing to combat TB raised complications, and we had to begin keeping our own. Being a small farm with no buildings, this presents a logistical challenge. It necessitates running the herd as two groups, to keep the bull separate from inappropriately young heifers. This is easier in the summer when we can lease additional grazing, but with our increasingly wet winters, we now risk disproportionately damaging two fields instead of one. Hence, in May, when I needed a new bull, I bought one I knew I would use but not keep. And I chose an Angus because they’re popular, so he should be easier to sell. First, though, I need to confirm he is “proven”.
“Have you seen him working?” asks Dewi as he gathers his overalls, arm-length examination gloves and portable scanner. I haven’t as such – folklore has it that you shouldn’t see a good bull working. Research confirms this, suggesting natural conception mostly occurs between 10pm and 2am. But I watched Wesley “pair up” and, very early the following morning, noted the traces of semen in the vulva. Then I calculated the 21 days when they were due to be back on heat, but weren’t, and waited another 21 days to be sure. By my reckoning he’s caught them all, and they range from 48 to 62 days pregnant.
As Dewi affirms each one “in calf”, the star of the show gets bored and lies down. I’ll be sorry to sell Wesley, but perhaps I can treat myself to a new pair of wellies.
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