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“Reality” settling in…
We promised a picture of Thistle Hill Reality without the dramatic sunset lighting….and here it is. Like most young bulls, he finds the heifers on the other side of the fence more attractive. So he did go wandering last night…into our neighbor’s herd of commercial Angus. But Thistle Hill bulls are always gentlemen. First, Reality didn’t tear down fence, or jump. He just found a gate that had been left open in a back corner and went through. This morning, our neighbor, Kathy Hartz, simply walked him back through a lot of pasture and to an adjacent corner. We opened the gate and he ambled back through. Despite a stranger…
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Praise from across the pond….
…our English friend and partner, Angus Cottey, saw the picture of Thistle Hill Magic on our home page and wrote a glowing appraisal. We’re immodest enough to share it. Angus knows cows and a compliment for an American bull from the Brits is no small thing. He writes: “Magic looks a tremendous Bull, I recall your photo of him as a young calf. He certainly has grown on well. I particularly like his top line and how flat he is across the top. A good beef animal should not be pointed across the shoulders but broad and flat. They say snow should be able to settle, certainly not like a…
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Giving docility a good name….
As we’ve noted before, visitors to Thistle Hill almost always comment on two things about our cows: first, how healthy they look (and are), and then how well-behaved. Devon are naturally docile but our care does seem to make Thistle Hill cows and bulls especially easy to handle. It’s an advantage in many ways, including the tenderness and taste of the meat. It also helps when show animals to a potential buyer that you can walk right into the center of the herd…no one runs to a far corner of the pasture. But the big advantage, particularly when you reach our delicate age, is the ability to work with them without…