Last nights farming life BBC 4

[startinghandle]

First I know they are repeats....
Last nights' farming life on
BBC 4 I was surprised that someone had failed to spot that his bull was missing a testicle when inspected before
Selling at Stirling Action
Also was the inspector heavy
handed when he rejected
Mr Irvine's bull ?
I did not know when scanning it's possible to see how far inlamb ewes are

 

[Princess Pooper]

First I know they are repeats....
Last nights' farming life on
BBC 4 I was surprised that someone had failed to spot that his bull was missing a testicle when inspected before
Selling at Stirling Action
Also was the inspector heavy
handed when he rejected
Mr Irvine's bull ?
I did not know when scanning it's possible to see how far inlamb ewes are

I think they felt very sheepish about the lack of a testicle. Yes you'd think the basics were checked, but we all make mistakes. Good thing they have a pre-sale inspection!

 

[Tarw Coch]

When scanning they’re looking for a foetus, size of the foetus will indicate age to an experienced scanner. I don’t know about sheeep but we regularly scan cows that have been running with bull for estimated calving dates. They can be seen from about 30 days and the bet is fairly accurate in the next couple of months, further in calf is harder to tell as as the calf grows it gets further out of reach of the scanner .
I’m sure size of the foetus will work on the same principle with sheep although the method of sheep scanning is very different, iirc sheep are usually scanned at approx 100 days anticipated in lamb, sheep scanning not only being used to find Barrens but also number of lambs in ewe.
Cow scanning more just to determine if pregnant as most have one calf although they will pick up twins, which is sometimes just as well. Couple of years back we had vet out to a difficult calving, vet couldn’t reach the calf so ended up with a Caesarian, vet got calf out , had quick check and was about to sew up when I mentioned that she was scanned to twins he checked again and asked if I was sure, I said yes and he perceviered, and found a calf, said he’d never seen one like that before, second calf was nearly out of reach.

 

[AGN76]

I'm glad someone has started a thread on this programme again. I was watching it the other day and cringing at those Limousins. The calves were monsters, huge dopey bullcalves. Then a cow that had summer mastitis in 2 quarters. Seemed Mr Irvine was only interested in money and his ego.

 

[nails]

First I know they are repeats....
Last nights' farming life on
BBC 4 I was surprised that someone had failed to spot that his bull was missing a testicle when inspected before
Selling at Stirling Action
Also was the inspector heavy
handed when he rejected
Mr Irvine's bull ?
I did not know when scanning it's possible to see how far inlamb ewes are

I have been to Stirling/Perth a few times and several times have seen Simmental bulls rejected for small testicles. How a breeder cannot see they are undersize i have no idea . Good size testicles are rather important for a bull, but all gets lost in the chase for weight/fat.

 

[betweenthelines]

I'm glad someone has started a thread on this programme again. I was watching it the other day and cringing at those Limousins. The calves were monsters, huge dopey bullcalves. Then a cow that had summer mastitis in 2 quarters. Seemed Mr Irvine was only interested in money and his ego.

I believe Mr Irving is/was on TFF

 

[7040wull]

As for that jumbo calf why would one be so proud of that and want to breed with it just a big dopey yoke that will breed the same in to his own . Not a very good advert for his herd tbh just shows don't care about the man buying it all about the money money money

 

[Werzle]

I'm glad someone has started a thread on this programme again. I was watching it the other day and cringing at those Limousins. The calves were monsters, huge dopey bullcalves. Then a cow that had summer mastitis in 2 quarters. Seemed Mr Irvine was only interested in money and his ego.

I think your being a bit harsh, fair play to them for letting the camera's keep filming when things are going wrong. I would want editing rights. Young irvines abit cocky but we all got our faults.

 

[AftonShepherd]

I believe Mr Irving is/was on TFF

IIRC his cousin who appeared in the third series was definitely on here.

 

[Johngee]

I'm glad someone has started a thread on this programme again. I was watching it the other day and cringing at those Limousins. The calves were monsters, huge dopey bullcalves. Then a cow that had summer mastitis in 2 quarters. Seemed Mr Irvine was only interested in money and his ego.

I used to watch them pulling those calves and they always had a bucket of cold water ready to throw on to it to revive it, if it needed it or not.

 

[v8willy]

IIRC his cousin who appeared in the third series was definitely on here.

Raymond? really liked him & the father, came across well.

 

[AGN76]

I used to watch them pulling those calves and they always had a bucket of cold water ready to throw on to it to revive it, if it needed it or not.

Yes, this is what my brother says! I've not seen the episode, but apparently a perfectly alert calf got the bucket!

 

[topground]

Raymond? really liked him & the father, came across well.

Have Raymond Irvine and Yevgeny Gromov , the Russian agent in the Channel 4 series Homeland ever been seen in the same room together?

 

[Happy]

I believe Mr Irving is/was on TFF

I think he came on here briefly to answer a few questions and set a few things straight when this series was originally on. Don’t think he’s been back since.

I believe Jumbo ended up going for the same job as @Purli R’s BB

 

[Cowslip]

I had a bull rejected from a sale because his testicles were 0.5cm to small. He was vet checked for everything at home before going to the sale. On speaking to my vet at home it's easy to add another 3cm to the testicles by feeding hard and adding fat to them. My bulls are not fed hard, and I couldn't believe that many bulls are sold over fat and that there testicles could actually be smaller than aloud but the fat hides it!

 

[Wilksy]

I had a bull rejected from a sale because his testicles were 0.5cm to small. He was vet checked for everything at home before going to the sale. On speaking to my vet at home it's easy to add another 3cm to the testicles by feeding hard and adding fat to them. My bulls are not fed hard, and I couldn't believe that many bulls are sold over fat and that there testicles could actually be smaller than aloud but the fat hides it!

It wonder if that's were the saying 'fat knacker' comes from

 

[som farmer]

on buying a Hereford bull, it was first realised, 1 ball. The price dropped to cull value, so took a chance, that bull topped the list, for our fertility tests for the 3 seasons we used him, then went on to make nearly double the original purchase price !

 

[egbert]

on buying a Hereford bull, it was first realised, 1 ball. The price dropped to cull value, so took a chance, that bull topped the list, for our fertility tests for the 3 seasons we used him, then went on to make nearly double the original purchase price !

I've used a one stone Blue Face tup, (it survived 2 seasons and sired ewe lambs which sold for more than it cost. Not something you can say about every BFL!
And recall we had a wily Blackie hill ram with only one stone. He strayed off his lear (heft), travelled far and wide, but I don't recall ever having to squeeze one stone offspring.
It's not good practice, but neither is it the end of the world.

Mind you, I would never ever retain a bull calf - or a tup lamb- that had such a difficult birth, and needed so much TLC, as the one I saw on't TV.

 

[Happy]

I had a bull rejected from a sale because his testicles were 0.5cm to small. He was vet checked for everything at home before going to the sale. On speaking to my vet at home it's easy to add another 3cm to the testicles by feeding hard and adding fat to them. My bulls are not fed hard, and I couldn't believe that many bulls are sold over fat and that there testicles could actually be smaller than aloud but the fat hides it!

We picked up a nice Charolais bull at Stirling sales 2-3 years back also 0.5cm too small.

Really liked the look of him in the lines. Vendor said he’d stand by him for us so took a chance and bought him for £2500 just before the sale started.

Decided to get him fertility tested at home a week or two later and vet also measured him and he would have passed that day.
Felt sorry for the guy selling him. He won the Char pairs with him at their national show at the Great Yorkshire a few months earlier so he must have had fairly high hopes for him at Stirling. Sale average that day was over £6k.

Guess that’s the ups & downs you get in the world Pedigree breeding.

 

[Cowslip]

Our breed have to be removed from sale site so nobody can see them, literally unloaded and back on trailer within 30 minutes for a 6 hour journey back home, I kept him and used him and had some lovely calves.