By Rebecca Stuart, ECV Nutritionist
Denhead, Dunlugas near Turriff in 1988, they were visited by a financial adviser who was trying to sell them pension plans.
Whilst they were impressed with the salesman’s pitch, upon reflection, it seemed like a lot of money to be putting away every year. Around the same time, Hamish had seen a Suffolk sheep flock that had grossed £300,000 at dispersal. The Sclaters did the sums and concluded investing in pedigree livestock would be their pension plan, creating a more fulfilling return and a better way of life than simply paying into a pension fund.
The Sclaters considered starting a Suffolk sheep flock, or breeding Charolais cattle, but after growing up with Aberdeen Angus, Hamish knew his real passion was for this breed.
The Deveron Aberdeen Angus herd was established in 1995 and has increased to 150 head of cattle, with achievements over the years including 22 championships at the Black Beauty Bonanza, winners at the Aberdeen Angus Summer and Winter National Championships, and successive wins as the North East Aberdeen Angus Club Large Herd and Overall Herd of the Year winners in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Now, over 30 years after establishing the herd, as the Sclaters prepare for their dispersal sale in October 2026, Hamish says that attention to detail and looking ahead have been key to consistently improving their cattle.
Hamish and Margaret have focused on the high health status of their herd, good nutrition, correct conformation and Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) to make consistent improvements. The Deveron Herd are also BVD, IBR and Johnes accredited.
“The aim has always been to maximise growth on the young animal because that’s when they preform most efficiently in terms of feed conversion,” says Hamish. He adds “if you are supporting the calf’s growth by creep feeding, there is less pressure on the cow to feed the calf. The cow then benefits from not having as much work to do and will come inside for the winter in much better condition.”
The Sclaters started working with East Coast Viners 10 years ago. Having previously fed a coarse mix. They were looking for a compound feed to stop the calves selectively feeding. “The East Coast Viners’ calf nuts have been very successful for us, giving the calves the nutritional support they need and importantly, the calf nuts ensure the calves can’t select out feed stuffs.”
The 17% protein Second Stage calf nuts were recommended to the Sclaters. Using high-quality compound creep feed, sets stock up for a strong lifetime of performance while making the most of home-grown forage. The mineral content ensures calves and growing stock receive this important nutrition that is often lacking in forage alone. The carefully selected ingredients make this ration both palatable and highly digestible.
Second Stage calf nuts are produced using cereals sourced from farms local to Drumlithie. With the inclusion of a combination of essential minerals and vitamins to support bone development, immune function and overall vitality.
The feed conversion efficiency of calves pre-weaning is the highest it will be in any subsequent period so it’s important to concentrate on nutrition at this time. Calves have a feed conversion efficiency up to three times that of a cow making it more cost-effective to feed the calf rather than the cow late in her lactation. Dark grains and beet pulp contribute digestible fibre, supporting rumen health and steady intake. Soya adds high-quality protein to promote frame and muscle development.
The quality of our ingredients is very important, but it’s also tailoring nutrition to suit each stage and each farm business. It’s not a case of one size fits all and making sure it arrives as it’s needed.
“East Coast Viners sell a good product, and if they say they're going to deliver on a certain day, they always do. They have been great to work with,” says Hamish.
Hamish and Margaret have also invested in Quiet Wean, a Canadian system to reduce stress at weaning. “Every calf will someday stop suckling milk and be away from their mother, but they don’t necessarily expect it to happen on the same day. The Quiet Wean is a plastic flap you put into the calf’s nose for five days, and this stops them suckling milk, so when they're weaned off milk while still at grass with their mother’s. There's far, far less stress. We wean our calves in October and November, it's often changeable weather and there is a big risk of pneumonia. The fact the calves have a much less stressful time at weaning means we have noticed a reduction in pneumonia.”
The six-year average weight for weaning heifer calves at 200 days is 328kg, and 371kg for bull calves. Once weaned, the heifer calves are fed silage and urea- treated barley with a balancing blend, before they go back to grass in the spring. The bull calves are fed silage and a urea-treated barley-based blend.
The cows calve in March and April to work in with the grass growing season. The Sclaters have focused on encouraging good clover growth to produce quality hay and silage, meaning they have not needed to apply fertiliser over 10 years. Their baled silage won first prize at the Royal Northern Spring Show in 2024 and second prize in 2025.
Hamish, who has judged at over 30 shows across the UK and Ireland, including The Royal Highland Show, The Royal Welsh Show, The Royal Ulster Show and The Great Yorkshire Show, acknowledges that everyone has their different priorities but for them it’s been about improving EBVs and producing a good-looking animal.
“It’s not an either-or scenario. This approach has served us well when selecting breeding cattle for our herd, and for selling onwards to clients.”
The Sclaters keep around 12 bulls to sell on for breeding each year and the remainder are sold for beef. Their highest priced bull was Deveron Jasper Eric, who sold to Ireland for £20,000 privately. This year’s auction average was £8,925 at Stirling and Carlisle, winning the Senior Champion at Stirling Bull Sales in February 2025, and the Senior Champion in the May sale in Carlisle.
To maximise productivity, the herd moved to calving at two years old, something which the Aberdeen Angus breed can do very successfully. “It’s a year of extra income per breeding female, which can potentially generate £1400+ per head, after costs,” expands Hamish. “I think you are missing a trick if you don’t do this. It does need a bit of management, as you need to separate the in-calf females by the age groups, so there’s not competition at the feeders. Otherwise, the first calvers can be bullied away from feed by the more mature cows.”
The Sclaters recently hosted the National Final of the Aberdeen Angus Society Youth Development Programme (YDP) in October 2025. The YDP has been a highly successful way of encouraging and supporting youngsters from all over the UK and Ireland to learn and develop showing skills.
Hamish was the inaugural chair of the YDP, as the programme was celebrating its 25th Competition, it felt appropriate for the Sclaters to host the National Finals at Denhead. Still buzzing from the event, the Sclaters say it was both the most challenging and the most rewarding event they have hosted on farm during their farming career. The preparation was intense, with Hamish, Margaret and their team breaking in 40 calves for use by the competitors on the day of the final.
“The 36 finalists were so capable. It was so impressive to see their clipping, dressing and show ring skills on display. They were so focused and they all came here to do their best. It was a brilliant day,” adds Margaret.
When asked what advice they would give to a young person, Hamish says: “If you really have a passion for either cattle or sheep, try to get into pedigree stock as soon as you can. Keep attention on the details and always be thinking of the longer game – what will I need to be selling in three or five years time, and what do I need to get there? Get the feeding plan and efficiencies right and keep the genetics young. Farming can be tough and there is often disappointment in equal measure with the highs, you need to make sure you are doing something you love.’
Hamish and Margaret have made friends all over the world through their cattle and are immensely proud of all their achievements. They have thoroughly enjoyed working with their cattle, but with a tenanted farm and their two children having built their own careers in agriculture and the oil industry, there is no family succession afoot at Denhead. On 19th October 2026, the herd will be dispersed at United Auctions in Stirling. Speaking of the dispersal, Hamish says “Our biggest ambition when we established the herd was to breed the best cattle we can. Leaving a legacy of quality animals that will go on and be influential in the development of other herds would truly be our greatest achievement. A successful dispersal would be the highlight to complete our farming career.”
