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Well you may have found her….
….hiding in the weeds on the wrong side of the fence (and tagged her)….but she’s still mine and you can’t have her. Q18 kept looking the other way trying to mis-direct us, but we finally found her new heifer and got it back on the right side of the fence. Then mom came right over and retrieved her baby. The heifer is by Thistle Hill Reality…our third calf of the new class.
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Sometimes it just doesn’t work….
….we thought it would be nice to take a class picture….the 10 heifers that are just about ready to breed. Enlarge the picture by clicking to see Wooz trying to set up the shot. The trouble with our Devon is they’re just too friendly and not used to being pushed around. We also took a bucket of pellets and poured it out in a line….but only one of the heifers bothered to come over and sniff. (Trust us; they’re beautiful)
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A ‘foundation cow”….
….is not a designation we use in the “Devon world”. But if we did, R2 would certainly merit the honor. Purchased almost as an afterthought from Lakota Ranch seven years ago, she has been a steady star performer. R2 comes from the same Lakota family that sired a top Devon bull, “Bud”, who became a star performer for Bill Roberts. That line is almost as prevalent in our herd as Rotokawa. R2‘s daughter, T2, by Rotokawa 93, has maintained the momentum. Visitors often ask to reserve a future calf by her or pay for a flush, which we politely decline. T2‘s latest is this heifer, X2a, pictured at birth. But the next…
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Thistle Hill Alumni Club….
….two young heifers enjoying the sun at Tomina Farms in Tennessee. On the left is “Brandy Station” out of Thistle Hill 486 and on the right “Shenandoah” out of our Q1. Both heifers are by our herd bull “Double Trouble”. Owner Regina Tesnow has been naming Thistle Hill alumni for Virginia towns and landmarks. A nice touch that we appreciate.
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Ladies in waiting….
….two of what, in another breed, would be called our “foundation cows” are close to calving. And they’ve taken to passing the time together in a corner away from the herd and close to a gate just behind them. That leads to greener grass and an area that has been a favorite calving spot in the past. On the left is R2, mother of some of our best animals including our herd sire, U2. On the right, Q18, again a top producer. Jackpot is her son and she served as the recip mother for our wonderful little English calf, Falcon. We’ll let you know.
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September morn….
….a young cow greets the day atop one of Thistle Hill’s hills. She’s U31 out of one of the first females we bought from the Trantham’s Lenoir Creek farm. Sired by Watson, a Rotokawa 974 bull from Don and Heather Minto that was a major influence on our herd. We leave now for the joint meeting in North Carolina of the two Devon associations recently joined as one. Thistle Hill will have a “joint booth” in honor of the occasion with Tomina Farms. We hope you’ll stop by and say hello.
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They tried to tell us….
….we’re too young. Clearly time to split these two up! That’s Thistle Hill Babette snuggling up to our TDA bull Churchill. Actually, Churchill will be going off this week….to North American Breeders where we’ll be collecting him….not for sale but for protection. Traditional Devon America (TDA)….a partnership of three breeders…wants to be sure to preserve the Devon genetics we’ve gathering on our trips to southwest England.
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The great Thistle Hill cattle drive….
….well, maybe not quite. But at this time every year we do bring the main herd in to work the calves. Nothing dramatic like roping and branding. We do carry some in a trailer to the vet…a more efficient use of time…for de-horning or castrating. But it’s all done without horses and any fuss. You can see Wooz standing by the gate of the pen….she simply calls “whoo whoo” or something like that…and they eventually wander in. I’m standing inside the pen so they understand where they’re going. They need to turn in to me and not go straight toward the camera and another pasture. Of course, not everyone gets the…
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Socializing a cow….
….our friend Regina Tesnow of Tomina Farms in Kentucky has seemed to have a particular knack of gentling her cows. It helps to start with the wonderfully docile Devon but Regina takes it from there, as she explains in a recent letter to a newcomer to the breed: Now, how to get cows to go where you want them. Find a food that they LOVE and you are comfortable feeding. I use Beef Builder. I do not feed Beef Builder; I simply use it as a training treat and kept under 1.5 pounds a day it will not damage their ruminant stomach, but believe me they will come when called…
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Cashtiller keeps on giving….
….it was love at first sight when I first saw Tilbrook Cashtiller in the yard at Gavin Hunter’s Tilbrook Grange. She became the foundation cow for a partnership with two other breeders that we named Traditional Devon America. TDA now has seven of her cows on the ground here in the States thanks to embryo transplant; three more are on the way; and eight embryos remain in the canister. Cashtiller is 13 years old now and this is her latest calf, a heifer. Gavin says this one was a little tougher for her and he’s not sure he wants to breed her again. As Wooz commented, “This is what she…