A COW CALLED PIXIE, part the fourth

The time is fast approaching when our rotund cheesemaking cow idol, Pixie, is dried-off, thus bringing to a close her first lactation. Here she is in her penultimate morning milking, this morning, emanating the usual beams of suspicion from those Pixie eyes.

Yes, 1st lactation means that Pixie is a heifer and will remain so until she has her next calf, an event that is due to occur in July, at which point she will become a fully-fledged dairy cow.

Although Pixie has a good record of milk quality – averaging 4.95% fat, 3.55% protein and a somatic cell count of 75 over the first 305 days and 6,602 litres of her lactation – she hasn’t got quite such a good track record with fertility. She didn’t hold to artificial insemination as a maiden heifer, and only got pregnant having run with Jason, our Aberdeen Angus “sweeper” bull. This meant her first calving fell towards the end of the calving block, having calved-down in January last year and, having not held to the first two services of her first lactation she was “held round” for service last Autumn.

To be “held round” is to sit on mine and boss Richard’s mental naughty step. So, while most of the herd calving-down in the summer months this year will be having Holstein, Ayrshire and - glory be! - Dairy Shorthorn heifers and thus forming Westcombe Dairy's very own elite Evolutionary Guard whose eyes shine down rays of gold, diamonds, rare tapestries and intricately painted spinets upon all who fall under their gaze, poor little Pixie will have the shame of giving birth to yet another beef-sired calf.

Still, even though Pixie’s ovaries perhaps aren’t quite firing on all cylinders, along with her rich milk, she brings me a great deal of delight when she primly trots into the parlour, her fascinating character filling the barn. Next time you see a picture of Pixie, she’ll be holidaying on the side of the hill.