A Cow And Her Family

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28559, 12 April 1958, Page 9

A Cow And Her Family

On Huntly Hill, the property of Mr George A. Harrison at Springbank, a six-year-old Friesian Jersey cross cow has been doing meritorious service as a foster mother to lambs.

The cow which was bought at Addington for £ll, at a time when few cattle were selling at under £2O, because it was very thin and had apparently had a calf at 15 or 16 months old, is not new to this task. It began three years ago when the shepherd on Huntly Hill, Mr John Crawford, was milking the cow in the hay shed with about 10 pet lambs playing around him waiting for a drink. It occurred to Mr Crawford that it was ridiculous that he should first have to milk the cow and then feed the milk to the lambs. To shorten the process he straightaway put the week-old lambs on to the cow’s teats and they continued to suck—even young lambs have no trouble in reaching the cow’s teats. Subsequently the cow was used to succour all the pet lambs and

eventually had eight lambs to carry on permanently. Shortly before Christmas that season the fat lamb drafter took four of the lambs, but he did riot think that the others were ready. Two of these were slaughtered by the shepherd the next day. They killed out at 391 b and 411 b, this indicating that the lamb? were doing better on the cow than on the ewe. One of the lambs was left with the cow until the following spring when, as a hogget, it fetched top price of 94s Id at Addington. Last year the cow calved in time to be milking when lambing started and again was frequently used to nourish motherless lambs When mothers had been found for all these six motherless lambs In October .six motherless lambs in very low condition were put with her. They are now/ looking healthy and well-nourished. In addition to doing this service the cow is still able to provide a modest milk supply for Mr Crawford arid his wife.