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APPLE JUICE

We have a beef suckler herd of Devon Ruby cows. The first calf of 2008 was born on 5 February. He's named Pickle and there was much cooing both from us and his mum, Duchess. The whole herd celebrates new arrivals and all the cows, even the male steers, muck in to keep an eye on them and look after them. When the calves are a few weeks old they become quite brave and nibble at our trousers and lick our hands. Cows like to know what's going on and will often wander over to say hello. Our young bull, Erik the Red, really enjoys having his head scratched.

Devon Rubies are a beautiful rich mahogany colour. This very old and handsome breed originated around Exmoor in North Devon over 300 years ago and is very suited to living on a farm like ours. Its colour used to range from yellowish or tawny to dark red. But the red was always preferred and the breed is now characteristically 'ruby red' and it has long been known as the Ruby of the West. Originally the breed was used as a draught animal as well as for producing both milk and beef. Today the Devon Ruby has become a beef breed and is larger than it was a century ago. The size of its neat, rectangular, compact body is deceptive: the Devon Ruby can weigh more than a Hereford. Mature cows range in weight from about 430kg to 590kg, so you don't want one standing on your foot. The typical Devon Ruby calf weighs about 40kg at birth. The cows calve easily and are good, protective mothers. When the Pilgrim Fathers set sail from Plymouth in 1623 for the new world they took Devon Rubies with them and descendants from these 3 cows and 1 bull are still farmed in America. Despite its Exmoor origins the Devon Ruby has proved as tolerant of hot climates as it is of cold, wet ones and is now reared extensively in Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Brazil and Jamaica. They thrive as well in the wet savannah climate of Kenya as they do in the bitterly cold Canadian Rockies.

We sometimes have breeding stock for sale so please enquire.