Paula Hynes: The show whites are packed away, temporarily
Becky Hynes, Showmanship Pictured Ihfa Second In Final Intermediate The League Centre, Place
The show whites are finally packed away for a while and I truly am looking forward to a few quiet weekends. The girls did themselves proud with Georgie finishing in third place in the final of the IHFA junior showmanship league whilst Becky finished second in the IHFA Intermediate showmanship final.
Two of our heifers got third placings, we were delighted with our Fame heifer as she is from an outstanding cow family and has all the potential to make a superb cow herself.
One of our two-year-old heifers became really sick at the show which became a huge worry; she may have had an underlying chill before she left home, we’re not sure rightly but she also stopped ruminating and stopped eating on her first night there.
One of our vets came to treat her but she was very slow to react to treatment. We took the decision that she would be safer staying at the show so we could monitor her 24 hours a day, and after 48 hours, she slowly began eating haylage and hay again.
By the time Saturday arrived, she was well enough to travel home again, she had been treated numerous times with rumen boosters and also some vitamin supplements as she needed energy when she wasn’t eating.
Our vet arrived into the yard an hour after she returned home and gave her a thorough examination again, her stomach, lungs and heart were all normal and after a night snuggled up in her straw bed, her appetite was fully back and thankfully she is bouncing fit since and milking well again.
She is a seasoned campaigner in the show ring so we know for sure it wasn’t the stress of leaving home that got to her.
After what were a very cold but sunny few days, milder weather has returned and ground conditions are still excellent as the cows graze of the lower part of the farm on the final grazing rotation.
The year has gone so fast and I can’t believe we will be housing cows full time soon and winter will be fully upon us, that will also mean the beginning of breeding season for the autumn calvers.
We currently have a heifer on a flush program, and she will be served tomorrow, so hopefully, we will get some embryos from her.
She has been on a very specific diet for the last eight weeks. If all goes well and she produces a few embryos, we will implant some when we are implanting some of the Rita Ora embryos before the end of the year. The heifer we are flushing at the moment will be served for her natural calf sometime in November.
She is always first up to the gate to say hello and spends most of her time playing in the pen. It is always great to see a calf with an attitude and an aggressive feeder. Ultimately, they are herd animals and have to earn their place within the herd.
The shy ones always take a little more looking after and won’t eat as well on the feed rail when they become older. I would much rather see a calf that will knock the bucket out of your hand.
We tend to try and keep the show calves in groups, so they continue to fight for their place at the feed trough and do not become too soft.
Likewise, we try to outwinter a lot of the show heifers so they get some downtime; they were very content last winter as they had access to haylage every day and were also getting heifer nuts.
While the show whites might be packed away temporarily, we are currently planning what we might take to the RUAS Winter Fair in Belfast in December, the gang love that show as there is a great atmosphere there, top class judging and the show affords great hospitality to all the competitors.
The facilities are also superb which is a credit to the RUAS team given that they must keep livestock from the South separate from the Northern Ireland livestock due to export regulations.
Crucially before the full winter routine arrives, we are planning a little mini break away to recharge the batteries, I can hardly remember the last time we both stopped together for a few days, turned off the alarm clocks and just enjoyed a little non farm life together.
Life is short and needs to be enjoyed, the body needs some 'R and R'. As farmers, we spend so much time focusing on looking after the animals and keeping them healthy, but we often neglect looking after ourselves, and I think it is imperative that we remind ourselves that a fully functioning farm needs a farmer who is fit and healthy with a clear mind.
A tired farmer can often miss things and not have their minds fully on the job, and that can lead to farm accidents.
We also have a wedding to look forward to with friends in December, which will be magical as I have never been to a wedding around Christmas time. It will also be another chance for us to get away from the farm for a night before Becky heads off to Australia again.
