Caithness cattle enjoying being outside for summer

Around the county cattle are enjoying pastures new as they leave their winter housing to graze the fresh flush of grass.

Thousands of cows, calves and stirks in Caithness are now able to take advantage of the sunshine in wide-open spaces after having been inside cattle courts and sheds since last October.

Some heifer stirks, from a batch of some 85 in total, were pictured by Willie Mackay after they had been out for several days at Skinnet Farm, Halkirk. They are a mixture of Charolais, Limousin and Simmental crosses.

The stirks, weighing around 400kg and aged between nine and 14 months, will graze the pastures all summer before coming back inside for finishing at around 20 months.

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