Meet Limmy

Meet Limmy our Red Devon x Limousin cow.

Limmy ended up in our herd more by accident than planning. When Murray was setting up our herd of Red Devon cattle he asked a local farmer to buy some pedigree Red Devon's at a local sale and she was one of the cows who was brought back.

Limmy is now 11 years old and has had 9 calves with us here. Her calves always finish off on grass well and one of her offspring is now in the herd as a breeding cow.

Limmy with her newly born 9th calf, earlier this year.

Limmy is not the biggest in the herd yet she is the leader of the pack. Cows have a hierarchy structure within the herd with the young heifers tending to be a the bottom and the older larger cows at the top. You often see them having a scuffle amongst themselves which is their way of showing their dominance over one another.

Since I started here a year ago Limmy has become my favourite cow due to her friendly nature and leadership qualities.
We often move our cows through the estate by calling them and walking them along the forest tracks to their new field. This approach is very stress free for our cattle and we also get to enjoy a walk through part of the estate.

The older cows are invaluable when we move them due to the fact that they often remember where they are are heading on a particular track and therefore they help to lead the younger herd members to the new fields.
Limmy's leadership qualities are essential when we are moving the cows and they make our lives a lot easier, she is always the first to hear your call, and the first in line to leave the field. In the photo below Limmy demonstrates her patience due to the fact she had responded to my call much quicker than the others and she had to wait for 10 minutes at the gate while the others crossed the stream and came up the bank. The whole time she stood at the gate waiting for it to be opened where as normally a cow would have become bored and impatient and walked off.

Limmy always has a spare time for you and often enjoys a scratch when you go to check on the cows. Limmy has easily become my favourite cow in the herd due to her friendly nature and I enjoy nothing more than spending a moment with her everyday.

Me and Limmy saying a quick hello while her calf watches on

1/11/13

With much sadness I must share the news that Limmy failed her TB test last week and therefore will be leaving us here at Arlington. She will be forever remembered by Murray and I.