Do we name our cattle?!!
Well the answer is yes and no!
Our pedigree cattle are given a name which is then logged with the Shorthorn Cattle Society. Each year there is a new letter which all names must begin with, this year it is ‘S’. Bull calves are easy to name as they simply feature our prefix which is Treway and the name you have chosen. Last year for instance we had ‘Treway Rocket’. Whereas females are more tricky as they must contain the ‘family name’ along with our prefix. So last year we had ‘Treway Romantic Wendy’. Wendy is the family name. Any suggestions for calves born this year are gratefully received.
Although they have official names we don’t call them that by sight as its all rather tricky to remember! But we do give some cows names which are more to do with their looks such as ‘Curly Cow’ who has a very curly hairstyle. Or their personality such as ‘Scatty Cow’ who tries to jump anything and everything in sight! We once had a cow called Chubba Chubba because you guessed it she was rather rounded and had a particularly large appetite!
But did you know that every cow in the UK has a unique number and a passport?!
It is a legal requirement that each animal has an ear tag in each ear which shows their unique number. One tag must be put in within 48 hrs of birth and the second larger tag within 1 month. Ear tagging is simply like having your ear pierced and is done in a split second.
When a calf is born we have to register it with the BCMS (British Cattle Movement Society). We have to tell them both the sire (Father) and dam (Mother) of the calf and what date the calf was born plus the calf’s ear tag number. From this they then generate a passport which will stay with that animal throughout its lifetime.
It is also a legal requirement to have a farm herd book where we have to record each animal on our farm. This now dates back to the first cattle we had in 2007!