[Wizard]

RSPCA another lot of ****************** by and large as you have just foun herdsman

[herdsman]

RSPCA another lot of ****************** by and large as you have just foun herdsman

Wizard I have known for years, infact a lifetime of running dairy herds. I wish they would recruit from people who know about farming and understand livestock.
I attended a course run for various members of the enforcement/welfare wih people from Defra, trading tandards, RSPCA among others and the ones from the RSPCA had the least knowledge of farming practices and most didnt even know different breeds of cattle.
Sorry way off topic and rant over

[Wizard]

herdsman a silly question please no intention of quarrelling why do you worry about going off track should you meet me in the lane do we only talk about Jim's rhubarb because it will be off topic if we talk about Mary 's little lamb 

[ballingall]

Jackie you could goats for your milk production..... Smaller and they produce more milk for their bodyweight thyan cows do.


 

Beth

[Jackie]

I hate the RSPCA for dogs, so I suppose they are the same for all animals. The RSPCA have several million pounds in art work at their HQ and the dogs go short. They routinely kill dogs after 14 days if not found a new home. They wont allow pedigree rescue to take (or buy) the relavant breeds, they know their breeds better.

Ballingall I'm a bit wary of goats cos they are expensive to keep and goat cheese is a smaller market than cow cheese, but I'm willing to be proved wrong. 

Herdsman dont worry about going off topic I too like the conversation to expand, its how we talk in real life. 

Nice analagy Georgee boy!

[herdsman]

Oh how relaxed you are here. I oversee another forum about boats and one poor chap asked about varnish and somehow ended up with poetry and another about power tools and we ended up with a chap realteing a story about double parking inHarley street. It all got very silly so we put a banter section in.
I guess I was just sensitive to the niceties of other places. Now I am allowed to go way off topic.. Yipee you may live to regret this.

jut noticed.. I bet you didnt think you would get varnish on a thread about lonely cows!!

[Wizard]

Like I say Jackie starting a topic and moving to another is good People won't post if its not what they want to talk about You no doubt read my comments on the big 3. Talk about things that interest us or some of us One only  has to read the directory page?Right across it lists replys and the amount of readers for that topic I think that is good.I gave you my thoughts on cows and told you about Jerseys

[garden cottage]

wizard I have to disagree with you regarding going off original topic/ posting. Dont feel it helps orginal poster who is trying to get info or help for that particular subject, easy enough to start a new heading elsewhere..........................neil

[Wizard]

AW dear

[Rosemary]

Yup, I'm with garden cottage on this. Plenty topics in Coffee Lounge that can go on and off topic, but if you are seeking specific advice, it's awful timeconsuming to have to wade through all the "other" stuff. 

[humphreymctush]

Can I mix sheep(4 or 6) and the cow in the same field?
You can but if you divide the field and alternate each year between sheep and cattle you reduce the worm burden for both species.

[Rosemary]

Grazing them together will also reduce the worm burden - cattle like long grass, sheep like short grass bevause of the way each species grazes, so grazing them together will make good use of grass, or following sheep behind cattle in a rotation.

[VSS]

There has been some research done which has shown that fattening lambs actually do better when grazed with cattle - they eat all that lovely lush stuff that comes up around the cow pats, that the cows won't eat and, of course, its really good stuff due to the muck.

[humphreymctush]

You don't need two cows. The first calf will probably be two by the time it's ready to go for beef, by which time there will be a new calf.

If you only have one cow how do you wean the calves if you need to keep them together to be a herd. I have seen prickley nose rings would this do the job.

[Rosemary]

The cow will wean the calf herself, same as all animals do.