Sunday 30th June - All 25 seen - cow 940 still limping badly + no change to the lump on steer 228's face

The seven Sussex cattle were found lying down, relaxing and chewing their cud in the area around ///engage.allow.giant at 09:30 this morning.  They were all happy and looking really well.

Eleven of the Caesar's originals were found in the area around ///ranks.kiosk.lorry at 10:00.  Ten were lying down, relaxing and chewing their cud in the long grass, heather and bracken.  They were all looking good.  Youngster 228 was up and about, happily munching on lots of long grass.  He soon came over and said hello and lay down beside me.  He quickly started to relax and chew his cud.  Sadly, the lump on his face doesn't appear to be getting any better.  Is there anything more that can be done to understand what the lump is, and what could be done to treat it, please?

Cows 72 and 940 were lying down, relaxing in the area around ///foods.lilac.rips at 10:30.  Steers 20 and 35 were munching on long grass on the slope of the hill to the south.  They were both good.  Youngsters 214 and 222 were lying at the edge of the path, a little to the north.  They were both happy and relaxed, and enjoyed big stretches.  Older steer 21 was lying down, hiding in the bracken, on the far side of the path.  After a while, cow 940 got up and had a stretch.  She then took a few steps forward to reposition herself, and she was still limping.  She soon lay back down and took the weight off her sore foot.

As I moved between groups two and three, I walked past the covered reservoir and the gate was still padlocked.

Except for cow 940, the cows were all good today.

Saturday 29th June - All 25 seen - cow 940 is still limping badly + the covered reservoir gate was lying open - now closed.

A group of twelve steers was found resting under the trees around ///carry.builds.dare at 09:30 this morning.  They were mostly lying down, relaxing and chewing their cud.  They'd occasionally get up, have a stretch and a scratch before lying back down.  Steer 227 wandered over to say hello and received an ear rub.  Youngster 222 was happy to stand close and chew his cud, with me helping to keep the flies away.  The boys were all happy, relaxed and looking well.

Cows 72, 214, 234 and 940 plus steers 30 and 228 were found relaxing in the trees to the west of Horse Pond at 10:05.  Cow 940 was initially lying down and chewing her cud, but soon got up to have a stretch.  After a while, she walked forward to go and stand beside cow 72 at the edge of the water.  She was still limping badly on her rear right leg.  The others alternated between lying down and standing in the shade of the trees.  They were good.  There is still no change to the lump on steer 228's face.

The seven Sussexes were found at the far west of the site at 10:45, near the water treatment compound around ///projects.thuds.homecare.  Steer 210 was initially grazing.  The other six were standing in the shade of the trees at the side of the fenced compound.  They were all relaxing and chewing their cud.  When he finished eating, steer 210 came and said hello and was happy to receive a back scratch.  He then wandered over and joined the others.  All seven were happy and looking well.

After saying my goodbyes, I walked up to the covered reservoir and found the main gate was lying open.  I checked to ensure there was no one inside and then closed and padlocked the gate.  I gave Severn Trent's operations room a call to make them aware.

Except for cow 940, the cows were all good today.

Thursday 27th June - All 25 seen

The original eighteen cows were all together in or around the cow shed at 16:20 this afternoon. Steers 20, 21, 30, 35, 222 and 227 were all lying down and relaxing outside the shed. Steer 33 had buried himself in some bracken behind the shed. They appeared to be enjoying the slightly cooler conditions, but were still being bothered by numerous flies. The others were all either lying down or standing in the shed. Several were snoozing. They all appeared to be well, despite the rather poor ventilation in the shed. At 16:45, cow 214 got up and wandered outside, stopping to say hello. She then walked over the wooden footbridge and lay down in some leaves under the shade of the nearby trees. She rested for a while, before starting to chew her cud. Cow 940 was lying down for my entire visit, so I didn't get to see if she was still limping today. Sussex cows 211, 212 and 1396 plus steers 1626 and 1640 were all happily grazing in the pasture to the north of James Bond pond around ///beep.depend.hook at 17:25. Like yesterday, they had found a nice spot, which was being kept cool by the breeze. Cow 211 came and said hello and thoroughly enjoyed a long back rub. I received a couple of head rubs and some licks as a thank-you. I then went off looking for steers 197 and 210 in the surrounding areas, before spotting them from the little ridge in the pasture. They both emerged from the gorse bushes around ///sizing.attic.receive at 17:50. They soon wandered over, mooing a couple of times before stopping off to say hello. The boys were soon reunited with their herd mates. All seven had started to graze together when I said my goodbyes at 18:15. The cows were all good today.

Wednesday 26th June - All 25 seen - issue with Sandy Hill kissing gate fixed by Tom

The original eighteen Caesar's cows were all resting in the trees to the west of Horse Pond at 16:35 this afternoon. The majority were lying down, either snoozing or relaxing and chewing their cud. The cows would occasionally get up and have a stretch, before repositioning and lying back down. Inevitably, there were a large number of flies around. Despite the very warm conditions, they were all looking good. Cow 940 was lying down and relaxing, so I didn't get a chance to see how her leg was doing.

The seven Sussex cattle were together at the far western end of the site, around ///vanished.stir.costly at 18:10. They were all happily grazing. It felt a lot cooler at that end of the site, and there were definitely fewer flies. By 18:25 the youngsters 197, 210, 211 and 212 had all wandered out to the main path and were eating fresh grass as they headed west towards Beacon Hill Road. All seven were happy, relaxed and looking well.

After checking the first group of cows, I climbed up to Sandy Hill and found one of the kissing gates had been pushed beyond its front post. Thank you to Tom for coming over and getting the gate back between its posts. The cows were all good today.