December comes around and it is our annual TB (tuberculosis) test

We dread it! Our little herd was affected by TB last year so this year back in the spring and I think I may have done a little post as to what I was doing, I proofed our field from the wild animals that carry TB. 

Limiting our cows contact from the toileting areas of these certain wild animals is essential and that is what I did and it paid off.

I spent hours finding these toileting areas in the fields where our cows would graze and fencing around them so there would hopefully be no contact.

Now animals are animals and you cant control them, sometimes what ever you do you cant stop them, but I tried my best.

After last years result where one of our breeding cows had an inconclusive result, which lead to her taken out of the herd in to isolation for 60 days. 

At this point she had a calf at foot, which was only 12 weeks old, we had to make the decision to keep the calf with her and risk both of them being culled if the TB test results came back positive or take the calf away from her. We took that risk and kept the calf with mum. 

After 60 days the vet came back and performed the test again to be told the result was negative, which was great, but it did mean she was always going to be susceptible to testing positive in the future so it was advised to cull her at some point within the next 12 months, which we did. It wasn't nice at all to do as she was so well and really nothing was wrong with her, but we had to think about the rest of the herd and what implications it would have on us this time around if she did have a positive results again this year.

So although she did test negative on the second test we were still affected. This is nothing compared to what some farmers face, I know, but how ever big or small your herd is, TB has a massive affect not just on the animal, but on your whole livelihood.

I wasn't taking any chances this year and made sure that our cows where kept away from the possibility of coming in to contact with TB and as I said it bloody paid off because this year we had the all clear, our cows where safe for another year

Me, Dan and our little herd of Dexter's are over the moon

Big post I know, lots to say on this matter, but will leave it there. 

Thanks for reading.

Charlotte xx