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Two moo-borns join La Societé's family

Two moo-borns join La Societé's family

Wednesday 01 March 2023

Two moo-borns join La Societé's family

Wednesday 01 March 2023


Two new additions have been born to the Conservation Herd looked after by La Societé Guernesiaise.

The calves arrived on Thursday 16 and Friday 17 February and have not yet been named.

David Bartram, Conservation Herd Manager, said they will be fed six litres of milk a day for up to 10 weeks, before being weaned off milk and onto solids, starting with eating grass.

cow calf calves

Pictured: The new born cows are being bottle fed to build their strength.

"They will then become grazers at La Sociate's fieds around St Peters around July," Mr Bartram said.

The two new additions will be "future grazers", he explained, "helping increase biodiversity" by their natural feeding and breeding processes.

"They are a land management tool along with the main herd to help increase bio diversity in Guernsey," he said. "I am pleased to have these two healthy additions who will join the other six later in the year."

cow calf calves

Pictured: The two new additions were born in mid-February.

The two new additions are joining a herd which was created in 2014, to bring grazing back to the Bailiwick which in turn boosts biodiversity by encouraging more species to settle in various areas across the island.

Cattle used for grazing are dehorned and castrated a week after birth, making them steers as opposed to bulls.

The Conservation Herd tends to rotate locations every four weeks or so with grazing sites supplied by private landowners, the National Trust, and the States of Guernsey. The herd is made up of animals of different ages and a variety of weights so they graze differently.

Screenshot_2023-02-28_at_14.42.25.png

Pictured: The two new additions will join the older six steers who are already used to grazing and trampling different areas across the island, which pushes back overgrowth and encourages new species to flourish. 

The herd has been managed by Mr Bartram since July 2020, and was previously looked after by Julia Henney.  

Mr Bartram has a number of volunteers who help him with the general running of the herd. The project is sponsored by private donors and two cattle go to the abattoir each year in order to financially support the future of the herd.

Read more...

FOCUS: The importance of Guernsey's Conservation Herd

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Dave to steer the Conservation Herd


 

 

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