Sunday 8th June - All 3 seen - Steer 257 has an injury and is limping

At 13:30 this afternoon, the boys were lying down, relaxing and chewing their cud to the east of Brock's Hill. There were quite a few flies about, but they didn't seem too bothered, occasionally rubbing their faces against the ground to get rid of them. They seemed to appreciate it when I stroked their faces and brushed the flies away. Steer 178 was especially friendly and happily enjoyed a long head and neck rub while he rested.

At 14:15, just as I was about to leave, the boys began to get up. Steer 75 crossed the path and began grazing on the hillside, while steer 178 had a good stretch before coming over for a long back scratch. He's still shedding the last of his winter coat. Youngster 257 also got up, though at first he just stood chewing his cud. After a while, he moved off, and I noticed he was limping. I watched from a distance, hoping it might just be stiffness after lying down, but the limp continued. He appeared to be most tentative on his front left foot, though it was difficult to be certain which leg was causing the problem. There were no visible signs of injury.

The group then moved over to the pasture near ///soil.poses.closer and began grazing on the fresh grass. I got in touch with Grace at HIWWT, who was on call this weekend, and shared some video of steer 257 walking. The Grazing Team plans to visit the site tomorrow to check on him. Despite the limp, steer 257 continued grazing well, though he took frequent breaks to rest. Shortly before 15:00, he managed to cross the ditch and climb into the neighbouring pasture to the east, where the two British Whites were grazing. I said my goodbyes soon after.

Aside from steer 257's limp, the cows were all good today.