Mrs Down's Diary May 13

Last year we lost some of the calves to coccidiosis. An infection of the gut. It was hard to spot that there was anything wrong with the calves at first, but then , when they failed to thrive and we brought in the vet, there was little we could do at that stage to treat the condition effectivley. This year, forewarned, forearmed and we have drenched the calves once already this year when they were in the fold yard, much smaller and far easier to catch.

Now it is not a matter of simply moving them from one section of the yard to a smaller container area, but of co-ercing them out of a large field into a fairly large containment area and then, and here is where the fun really starts, into a crush. Three at a time for good measure.

The mobile cattle crush was carried over from the farm on the fork lift into the collecting area that has been fenced off between two fields and made into a corral. Within this corral is a sectioned off area in the form of a long passage, concreted over so we are not slurping around in the mud when conditions are wet.

This is used for most jobs that need actual one to one handling of stock when they are out in the fields. For example, we can jam in the sheep if they need a worm drench. But not the cows, and by now, the size that many of them are, the calves. But the mobile cattle crush can cope. It is just a matter of persuading the calves to enter quietly, wait for John to get in as well and then open their mouths obediently so they could receive a good dose of no doubt nasty tasting medicine to keep them well.

Of course, on the farm, nothing goes exactly to plan. For a start the cows have to come into the corral as well and they are never calm and reticent when someone tries to manhandle their babies. Plus Daddy bull comes too. And whilst he is the most stolid and solid of beasts, you just never know that if his wives get upset ( assuming polygamy is legal in the cow world of course) he won't.

He didn't. Couldn't care less in fact. Took advantage of the fact that one or two of the cows who might be in an interesting state to accommodate him were easily accessible and not able to gallop off across the field in order not to receive his attentions. But apart from that, quite amiable. But the cows. Push, shove, moo, bellow. One of them in particular needs watching as she escaped de-horning and is quite conscious of the fact that she can use her horns to get her own way.Queen of the Silage Clamp when the cows were inside.

But John and I are nothing if not nifty movers when threatened and John especially was quick and efficient when dealing with the calves medication. I'd have the stuff squirted in their ears,eyes and up their noses. Ours too.

Hope it's good for swine flu too. We'll be immune if it is.