West Ilkerton Farm in the 1930s
|
West Ilkerton is a 240-acre hill livestock farm with grazing rights on Ilkerton Ridge, an adjoining area of moorland.
Our aim is to blend modern knowledge with traditional sustainable farming methods using local breeds.
The farm is a family-run business, with no employees. Contractors are used for major jobs like shearing and silage-making.
West Ilkerton is managed under an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) agreement. The welfare of our animals, and the conservation of our beautiful farm and its varied wildlife, are very important to us.
|
Exmoor Horn sheep and Devon ('Red Ruby') cattle have been farmed in an unbroken line at West Ilkerton for centuries. These old-fashioned, slow-maturing breeds are ideally suited to the robust Exmoor environment and our traditional style of farming. The livestock eat grass in the summer and home-grown hay and silage in the winter. Occasionally some animals (for example the ewes before lambing) are fed carefully selected cereal-based feed when grass alone can't supply the energy they need to stay healthy.
With the exception of rams and bulls (which have to be bought from elsewhere to prevent in-breeding) all the sheep and cattle on the farm are born and raised at West Ilkerton. The animals are kept in stable social groups, and have minimal stress throughout their lives.
Making round bale silage at West Ilkerton
|
Carting hay from Church Close, August 2007 |
Cattle
We keep a herd of pedigree North Devon (“Red Ruby”) suckler cows. The cows calve from January until May. The calves stay with their mothers until they are about nine months old, when they are weaned and kept in social groups with others of a similar age. The cattle are housed and fed home-grown silage during the coldest winter months. They are allowed out into the fields again as soon as the weather permits.
A new bull is brought into the herd every couple of years, to prevent in-breeding, but all the other cattle in the herd are born and raised at West Ilkerton, ensuring a life which is as stress-free as possible. The herd is BSE-free and, touch wood, TB-free.
Our herd bull for 2006 and 2007 was Whitefield Millennium (Dam: Whitefield Orange 123rd Sire: Kerr's Rupert).
Our herd bull from August 2007 to January 2009 was Lee Manor Winston (Dam: Whitefield Orange 141st Sire: Whitefield Comanchie).
Our current herd bull is Wellshead Duke (Dam Wellshead Dolly Sire: Wellshead Charlie
The best female calves are kept as herd replacements and the rest are sold — usually to other farms for breeding. Please contact us if you are interested in buying breeding stock. In future we may also have one or two young bulls for sale each year.
The male calves are kept at the farm, and are destined for the prime beef trade.
For more information about Devon cattle please see www.redrubydevon.co.uk |
|
Ilkerton Lovage with her newborn calf, Jan 2008 |
A 16-month-old steer by Whitefield Millennium
Cow and 8-month-old calf, September 2008
|
 |
|
A proud ewe with her newborn twins |
 |
Sheep
Our foundation flock consists of around 140 Exmoor Horn ewes, which are run with a flock of approximately 50 Exmoor Horn X Border Leicester ewes. We are gradually converting the flock to 100% Exmoor Horn ewes, which will run with Exmoor Horn and Blueface Leicester rams.
Lambing takes place during April. The ewes are housed in the sheds for lambing. When the lambs are about four days old, and if they are strong enough, they are taken out to sheltered meadows with their mothers.
The sheep are kept for wool and meat. The lambs are grass-fed on the wildflower-rich traditional pastures of West Ilkerton. We like to think our animals appreciate the wonderful and varied views from their fields.
Exmoor Horns are famed for the quality of their wool, but unfortunately the value of wool nowadays is much less than the cost of shearing the sheep. The best ewe lambs are kept to join the flock or sold to other farmers for breeding. Please contact us if you are interested in buying Exmoor Horn or Blueface x Exmoor Horn breeding stock. The other lambs are destined for the table, as prime lambs or hoggets.
Please see www.exmoorhornbreeders.co.uk for more information about Exmoor Horn sheep |
We hope the animals appreciate the views! |
Exmoor Ponies
We have a herd of eight free-living mares and a stallion, who spend some of the year on Ilkerton Ridge and the rest of the year on the farm. Please see the Exmoor Ponies page for more information about the ponies.
Farm Photo Gallery
|
|
Ram Raid! |
Shearing |
|
|
Sarah repairing the yard |
Hay turning |
|
|
Sarah and Bernie ('Number One Shepherd') with two lambs born on the same day. The brown stuff is iodine! |
The lambing team (Chris, Bernie and Sarah) feeding the expectant ewes in the yard at lambing time |
|
|
A ewe licking her newborn lamb |
Ziggy, our Exmoor stallion |
|
|
Sarah topping the grass |
Cow, calf and ram |
|
|
Beetle rounding up some sheep on the moor |
Beetle, our 'Borderline Collie' |
|
 |
Chris selling lambs at Blacmoor Gate Market
|
David Kennard filming our ponies for a 'Mist' story
|
Meet the Eveleighs
|
Victoria (Tortie) and Chris Eveleigh
|
|
| Anne, Tortie's Mum, lives in The Tallat |
Sarah is at Cirencester, studying agriculture (some of the time!)
|
George is working on the Glen Kinglass Estate on the west coast of Scotland.
|
|
