The Castle Rock MARE-TERNITY WARD
Message Boards => General Discussion => Topic started by: Chanda on March 02, 2019, 01:15:19 PM
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We don't actually start calving for a couple more weeks, but thought I'd start something now. I'm not great at taking pics of the cows/calves, but do take some.
Thursday, we made sure all the cows had their number tags; I have a dozen tags to make for the girls that had lost one tag. We ran of time, and yesterday, we had to run for parts and groceries, and today is freezing, so will get the last of the job done when it's a bit warmer.
Here are a few pics of previous years calves.
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You're just teasing me! I'm so ready for the calves!!!!!!
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They are so cute!!
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They are cute :)
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First live calf of the season came after dark tonight, and out of a first time heifer; that's all I know.
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AWESOME! Can't wait to see!
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AWESOME! Can't wait to see!
50# bull calf; light calf but good size for a first time heifer.
Will try to get a picture, but may wait til there are a few more.
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For sure, especially with all the cold out there!
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A few pictures. Only two calves, so far, and one is in the barn. All kind of far away, so can't see much more than a red lump.
Pics of cows, first time heifers, replacement heifers and the first calf.
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What a little cutie! So small, but momma is "on guard" !!
Looks like a good herd of fat mommas-to-be. Best of luck this year! ;pray ;pray
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What a little cutie! So small, but momma is "on guard" !!
Looks like a good herd of fat mommas-to-be. Best of luck this year! ;pray ;pray
Thank you.
Live calf number two is on the ground now, another small one; but hopefully, it's not a sign of things to come, and just "is what it is", nothing more. Shayne is off to bottle feed the second, and get the first back in a smaller pen so he can catch mom (heifers can be dumb about their calves; they want to protect, and keep an eye on them, making it hard for the calf to catch mom and nurse).
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We're up to 10-12 calves, including a set of twins. No pics of the new ones.
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Congratulations! Sounds like things are improving!
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No new pics, but we're probably up to a couple dozen calves now. And, I'm bottle feeding one of the twins; while mom talks to her, she wasn't getting enough milk, so we pulled her and she's getting bottle fed.
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I know it's a lot of work, but so cute to know mom is talking with her while she eats!
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Bottle calf tried to find herself a new mom tonight... rolled under the fence and latched on to a new mom, but came away for her bottle, so she's in the barn entry 'hall' til I can get something rigged up so she can't roll under the paddock fence. Will probably just grab a mesh panel.
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And, she has a new mom as we lost a calf; well in the middle of grafting her on to a cow (she goes to town sucking when Mom can't move, but will take a couple days for the cow to accept her and claim her).
Another set of twins, means I still have a bottle calf to feed. A little slow to start, so bottle feeding is a good choice right now.
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Wow! You've had a busy weekend! ;pray
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3 bottle babes, now. 2 teeny tinies, and one normal size calf. Makes it interesting to bottle feed. ;)
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upto 4 bottle calves, newest from an older cow that had no milk.
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Hope the cow accepted the little one and I hope the weathers at least playing nice now :)
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DITTO that!
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Temps are nice, almost too nice for this time of year, so snow is melting fast causing mud and big puddles.
First calf and new mom doing well.
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Not exactly a calving picture, but this is what our driveway looks like today.
Shayne went to town and back yesterday, water was running over the road but it was passable, evidently overnight the frost went out of the road and so went the road.
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Oh my goodness! Another weekend project -- not what you needed. So sorry!
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Oh my goodness! Another weekend project -- not what you needed. So sorry!
Not til the water recedes or it won't stay fixed.
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Hope the cow accepted the little one and I hope the weathers at least playing nice now :)
I think the first one is going good, and now I have a second on a cow. We found a cow that had obviously just calved, but didn't find a calf. I don't know... Lost in the mud, stolen, just don't know...
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Oh boy! Hope it turns up okay.
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Another set of twins last night, so I'll be back up to three, again. :o
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And, a set this morning, so back up to four bottle calves. :o :P
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Oh no , I hope it wasnt stolen.
so if a set of twins is born , one stays with mum and the other goes onto the bottle ?
Hope your getting better weather now and your place is starting to dry up :)
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so if a set of twins is born , one stays with mum and the other goes onto the bottle ?
Yes. It's easier for us to keep track of pairs when they go out to pasture, and easier for the cow to only keep track of one.
Weather is much improved. A bit cold again, but most of the snow is gone. County road crew is working on fixing our roads where water run-off washed them out.
At the moment, I have no bottle calves, they have all been paired with a cow. That does mean that unfortunately, those cows have lost their own calf; but at least we had "spare" calves to pair them up with.
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I'll get back to you with a picture (pictures), but we have a calf with only one ear. Not frozen, born with only one ear "flap", the side without does have a tight ear hole, but no flap (or whatever the external ear is called).
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Pics as promised. The weird looking pic is a close up of the tight ear canal.
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Awesome!!!! Thanks so much!!
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And, I'm back to one bottle calf. The smallest one I was feeding before is going back to a bottle, just wasn't working trying to pair up with a cow. Calf is slow to nurse, doesn't follow the cow very well and well, just didn't work.
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Awwww poor little one. Glad it has you to love and care for it!
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And, that calf went on a cow a few days ago, and is apparently doing well on the new cow.
Today, I gained two bottle calves: one from an older cow that looks to have milk, but must not (he's thin); and the other is getting thin (took right to a bottle, so mom must be short, or he can't catch her).
Always something to keep us on our toes.
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You are certainly busy this time of the year :)
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Sorry, no pictures, forgot to grab the camera, but I would have been too busy to take pics, anyway.
We got half the calves branded today. They are in two different pastures, about 20 miles apart, so with the little help we have these days, it's now a two day job. I'm beat, and about ready to go jump in the shower.
Speaking of showers... We have had a light rain shower this evening. Not sure how much rain actually fell, but it dampened the yard. I left the barn aisle open for the mares to get in out of the rain. They have windbreaks, but I usually keep the barn aisle closed, or they just stand in there and crap and pull things off the wall and open stalls. [I have clips for all the stalls, so when I do leave them in, I can try to keep them out of the stalls.]
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It sounds as though you have had a busy couple of days Chanda, just wondering how many calves you have had this year and how do you decide who goes to market soon (or when) and who/how many do you keep to finish off or as herd replacements?? Really interested to know how things work for you over there (remembering my farming days).
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I'll try to remember to come back and answer when I'm not on my kindle, it's hard to type on this thing.