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Wooz’ favorite bull….
….currently away on a business trip. He’s Traditional Devon’s™ Highwayman…one of our pure, traditional English bulls working with partner Bill Walker’s herd in South Carolina. Some of the “experts” consider this Frame One bull too small but not the lack of air between the stomach and the ground. Highwayman is all meat…easy to maintain and easy on the pasture. Lots of his first calves are on the ground here at Thistle Hill. Incidentally, that’s a Traditional Devon™ heifer in the background….another showpiece!
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The Rotokawa 243 family….
….is beginning to make an impact on Devon herds in this country. After a slow start due to the feud inside the Rotokawa partnership, things have settled down and now we expect a whole new shipment of 243 semen will be heading to Henry Hauptmann’s Rotokawa America. Regina and Tom Tesnow are justifiably proud of their 243 son….a product of Thistle Hill farm they have nick-named Casino. Regina reports he’s been doing a wonderful job with her Tomina Farm herd in Tennessee and you’ll be able to see him at the RedDevon USA meeting later this year. Casino’s half brother Jackpot, another 243 son, is here at Thistle Hill and shares herd…
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Where to begin….
….well, to coin a phrase, “start at the beginning”. Posting has been non-existent for almost a month, but not because there’s been nothing to report. It’s breeding season and Wooz here discusses strategy with our vet, Dr. Monica O’Brien. AI comes first, and we’re using two sires across some of our best cows: Traditional Devon’s Falcon (our English bull) and Rotokawa 243, who has given us some wonderful calves in the past. After that, came sorting the herd into groups….getting the right bulls with the right females. In all, we’ll be using four bulls this time: Jackpot and U2 plus limited use of two Traditional Devon bulls, a son of…
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243…the formal portrait…
….well, actually we liked the one we ran the other day, 243 fresh from work, splattered with mud and head covered with hay. But Ken McDowell cleaned him up so here’s New Zealand’s finest: Rotokawa 243. Ken’s not saying but that fact that he went to all this trouble and gussied him up and put a label on the picture tells us that the shortage of 243 semen here in the States may be about to be remedied.