Herd Profile – Ravelglen
The Ravelglen herd is based in the scenic uplands of the Glens of Antrim.
First established in 2004 by Brian O’Kane who bought his first two foundation heifers from Richard McConnell of the Glenfield Herd in Glenwherry
These 2 animals were the foundation cows for what has become a herd of 40 pedigree Irish Moiled Cattle.
Brian cites several reasons for keeping Irish Molies and singles out stocking density as one of the biggest advantages for keeping the breed
He buys around 40 bales of silage and grazes on average 35 head of mixed aged cattle over the summer months on little more than 20 acres.
The present herd predominantly consists of breeding females and their progeny with several females kept as replacements.
The aim in the past has been to replace about 20% of the herd per year. This has become more difficult to regulate as the year’s pass.
The main reason is the quality of the older cows in the herd and their ability to produce a calf and rear it with comparative ease. This has presented a nice problem when it comes to selecting females for sale.
Brian has a lot of pride on the docile nature of his herd and this has served him well. He has built up a number of repeat customers for his Bulls and females.
Genetics from the Ravelglen herd are available through AI from the IMCS where you can find Ravelglen Owney and Rocky both high performing bulls.
Over the last few years, he has introduced some carefully selected genetics to further enhance his breeding programme. His main stock bull is Woodbine Casper sourced from the White family in Co Wexford.
Casper has left some fantastic calves on the ground this year.
The success of this bull has lead to release of 3 young bulls that had previously been selected as potential stock bulls for the Ravelglen Herd.
These will be available to purchase at the Magnificent Moilie Spring Sale taking place from Thursday 6th May to noon on Saturday 8th May through H & H, Auctioneers, Carlisle. For further details please visit the Irish Moiled Cattle Society Facebook page and website or Harrison & Hetherington, Auctioneers website.
