At this moment in time we have approximatly 30 head of cattle all of which have their own names.
We also show some of our cattle with some success, we have lifted the reserve champion cup three times in the past few years, we were once told by a very knowledgeable man that you cannot be both a quality beef breeder and a show competitor as they are both very different ends of the scale.
Our cattle are bred to the highest standard and comand a high price in the sale ring, they are highly sought after by both finisher and breeders alike.
So when we AI our cattle we choose the sire very deliberately for either beef breeding or potential show material, depending on the Dam.
The cattle are housed in the Byre (Cattle shed) during the Winter months and each have individual stalls.
The are all haltered in thier own stalls, this makes them easier to handle.
They all have a rubber mat which is filled with a foam material.
This we believe is better than straw bedding as it insulates them from the cold floor in the winter, it also keeps the cattle clean, comfortable and less stressed.
But most of all it makes less work for those of us who have to clean up the manure they leave behind each day.
Which is still pitchforked out by hand, and used on the land to refertalize for next years growth.
We also have a foundation flock of three cheviot sheep, they originated from Skye as lambs 2 years ago see
Sheep section.
We still use the original byres which were built by my husbands Grand father and father, so trying to get a tractor in to do the manual work is a little difficult.
As they made door openings for men and animals not machinery in those days.