If you’ve spent any time around cows, you know they will rub up against anything to scratch their itch. Fence posts, tree trunks, electrical lines, cell towers, your tractor when you drive in the field, you name it, and they will rub against it. It’s safe to say cows are motivated by anything that will give them a good scratch. A great way to allow them to safely scratch is to install a cattle brush that is free of any metal. Cattle brushes do more than scratch an itch. They help remove harmful parasites, dead skin or hair, and dirt. It lets a cow groom where they can’t reach themself. Their circulation is increased with each use, and boredom, stress, and abnormal behaviors all decrease. The cows are happier when they have access to a brush. In certain countries providing access to coat care is mandatory.

At our farm we have opted to install poly bristle street sweeper brushes, instead of buying pricey cattle brushes! Same concept but it won’t hurt your pocket as much! Check out the video below of how we install our street sweeper brushes, and contact us if you’d like one for your field!

We often get asked what we feed our scottish highlands, what type of hay feeder we use, and how much hay we need for the highlands to get through the winter.

We feed our adult mini highlands grass and hay only, no grain. We only feed grain to weaning calves, for a short period. When it comes to winter feeding, we do not use a hay feeder. Some of you will *gasp* at that statement but we have chosen this route for a number of reasons. We have seen too many cows, or calves, get hurt by the use of hay feeders. Horns broken, small cows getting crushed, heads stuck etc. We have found that if we roll out the hay in a few different lines everyone has a chance to eat fairly without being bullied or hurt. Once we rotate to a new field we drag our fields to spread the manure and left over hay, creating lush pastures. Essentially nothing is really wasted.

As for how much how we feed during the winter. We try to take into account how many adults, how pregnant/nursing cows we have, and the quality of the hay. As a general rule we calculate that they will consume approximately 2% of their body weight per day. Our cows avg. between 500-900lbs (900 is usually for a VERY pregnant mama) and we have just over 65 adult head. Just as an example, we are averaging about 1 round bale (approximately 1,000 lb) of hay every day. Since we do rotational grazing, and have lush pastures when the ground is not frozen, or covered in snow, they tend to eat a bit less hay and enjoy the left over grass.

The science behind rotational grazing is deep and fascinating. A general overview is that the cattle tend to first eat the growth that best fits their needs. The grazing of these grasses and growth releases a chemical signal to the root system of that plant to release stored sugar and nutrients to the surrounding soil. If the cattle are moved from the area it allows the grass or growth to recover and once again be grazed. Each soil type, time of year, and environment will determine the times needed for recovery and regrowth. The cow’s hooves slightly penetrate the topsoil allowing the manure (3-2-1 NPK fertilizer) and urine (high nitrogen fertilizer) to be absorbed by the root system of a pasture. The cows at Cyrus Ridge Farm are rotated through a series of 6 pastures, each ranging in size from 5-10 acres. The occupied pasture is closely monitored to optimize the rotation to the next pasture. In the fast-growing season of spring and early summer, the cattle will not be able to eat all of the grass growth. The excess grass is cut, dried, and baled for use during the winter months.

Check out the video below to see how quick and easy rotational grazing is

Flies…let’s talk about them, and the steps we’ve taken to lower their presence around here. Having too many flies can be annoying and harmful to the cows because it spreads disease such as pink eye and more. By the fall of our first year in farming, we decided to make a change. We purchased a drag to spread the manure after every rotation, and started adding garlic to their free choice mineral. We mix 1lb of garlic per 50lbs of trace mineral. Studies have shown that adding garlic to mineral can significantly decrease fly counts, by 50% or more. The same studies also show an increase of mineral consumption. Flies lay their eggs in fresh manure. When you spread the manure it cools it down and dries it out quicker, which gives a much shorter window for them to lay their eggs and killing the process. Spreading the manure also helps us to fertilize the pastures.

Watch the video to see how Ben mixes it all together.

Yes, selective breeding has been done to create a smaller cow. At GP, we are considering any cow at the age of 3 years old that is 36” or under at the top of the back to be a micro cow. 37”-42” as a mini cow. 43”-48” as a mini midsize cow.