Mrs Down's Diary

Four of the calves are heifers and only one a bull calf. We would prefer bulls. With a new bull, any of his daughters cannot be bred on as replacement stock for our own herd. By the time they matured for breeding, the bull would still be too young for us to replace, and we would not want him serving his own daughters.

John is delighted that the new bull is delivering.

"What I have been looking for is a tight calving pattern," he told me, rather in the manner with which the two judges on Masterchef say (or shout) to each other.

I do need to stop giggling and look serious on these occasions. A tight calving pattern? Is that plain stitch or purl and on what size needles? No, you dope. It means that the herd will all calve within a short period of time.

Cows are " bulling", ie, keen to be served, for 24 hours in a three-week cycle.

The aim is to get all the herd back in calf by three months after they have calved.

For full feature see West Sussex Gazette February 13