Sowing barley at Octomore Farm last week

Barnacle Geese - Octomore Farm

Ploughing at Octomore Farm

John MacPherson and his new friends yesterday...

Shorefield Bullocks

James Brown of Octomore Farm working with the Shorefield bullocks near Bruichladdich at the weekend.

Trimming the bull's hooves - Octomore Farm

The hooves of cattle grow like human toenails and need to be trimmed - particularly if they are kept on soft ground.  Dolly and James therefore herd their Angus bull, which weighs more than a tonne, into a specially designed 'crush', or cage.

Once the bull is strapped in, the crush is tipped on its side using a hydraulic system powered by the Massey Ferguson.

The crush is provided by Stuart Ogle, a specialist from Galashiels.

Stuart then trims the hooves using a combination of knives and a sort of angle grinder.

The bull remains remarkably stress-free during the operation, which is of course completely painless.

Ireland from above Octomore Farm

I was up above Octomore this afternoon.  There were some  fierce hail showers about.  The village in the left foreground is Port Charlotte.  Ireland is just visible on the horizon to the right.  Carl

Short-tailed Field Vole (Microtus agrestis)

This rather confused young chap was picked up wandering about on Octomore Farm near Port Charlotte on the Rhinns.
Carl

Goldfinch

At Octomore

Shorefield Project - Octomore

Most of the cattle at Octomore are Aberdeen Angus crosses.  Apart from the Highlander, all James' bulls are Angus and he has a mixture of cows including Simmental, Limousin and Beef Shorthorn producing the hybrid calves that are sold as beef "stores". 

"Store cattle" are defined as "animals which have been grown slowly so that their skeletal development is not impaired, but muscle tissue is slightly below the animals potential and fatty tissue is not developed."  The production of stores is the classic modus operandii of beef farmers in the Western Isles.  They are then sent to the mainland for fattening before slaughter.  This has been the pattern of production for thousands of years and it still continues today.



Across the track from the Highlanders are a small of group of heifers who will be run with the bull in the spring for the first time.  Again, James was feeding them cake largely to make them easier to control.