Calving season 2012 for me

[Nesikep]

Oh, and anyone recognize this calf?


Absolute spitting image of her full sister from last year, and even the same number. born at 100ish lbs, strong as an.. well.. an Ox, and was already bunting my legs and playing at 4 hours old

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

"Yep, I do, we've kept one before and she's a great cow, her sister was adopted by another cow "
You are confusing me. A heifer born twin to a heifer is a normal good breeding female. A heifer born twin to a BULL is a freemartin - non-breeder - at least over 90+% of them are non-breeders.

[Nesikep]

The cow we kept was a freemartin, she does great, milks well and breeds well... I find her heifer calves are a little light in the rear end, but her steers look great... I don't think I've posted a picture yet, but she had the first calf this year, the #55 steer.. at some point I'll get a pic up

Meanwhile Maddy, who lost her calf, is losing the battle against me to adopt the starving steer calf, she's warming up to him slowly and not kicking as much when he comes around... I actually found them laying down together this afternoon. I figure by the end of the week they'll get along well.

Mega *still* hasn't calved, in fact none have since friday. Mega is looking like if you'd hang her by her front end the calf would fall out of the back. Udder is full. Rosie the oldie is getting close too, she was due on saturday, but she always carries a week longer, particularly if she's got a bull calf.

[Kathie in Thorp]

The cow we kept was a freemartin, she does great, milks well and breeds well... I find her heifer calves are a little light in the rear end, but her steers look great... I don't think I've posted a picture yet, but she had the first calf this year, the #55 steer.. at some point I'll get a pic up

Meanwhile Maddy, who lost her calf, is losing the battle against me to adopt the starving steer calf, she's warming up to him slowly and not kicking as much when he comes around... I actually found them laying down together this afternoon. I figure by the end of the week they'll get along well.

Mega *still* hasn't calved, in fact none have since friday. Mega is looking like if you'd hang her by her front end the calf would fall out of the back. Udder is full. Rosie the oldie is getting close too, she was due on saturday, but she always carries a week longer, particularly if she's got a bull calf.

You have a freemartin cow (twin to a bull calf) that is productive? Did I read that right? WOW! Aren't you a lucky guy! How often does that happen? And that new calf is precious. Roans are so pretty. Congrats, Nesi!

[Nesikep]

Here, foreground cow and calf are the freemartin and her bull calf
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v153/ ... G_5980.jpg

BTW, if a heifer is a non-identical twin to another heifer, is that still considered a freemartin? This heifer's twin was another non identical heifer

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Nesi - you are still a bit confused. A freemartin is a heifer born twin ONLY to a BULL. Twin heifers are normal good breeders.
Your heifer born twin (even if non-identical) to a heifer is NOT a freemartin.
Your new twin heifer/bull combo will both be feedlot cattle (well, unless you keep the bull as a breeder). There is a very slight chance a heifer born twin to a bull can be a breeder - but very slim - like maybe 5%. If you are so attached to her, you can have her tested for about $45

[Nesikep]

Thanks for the clarification... Is there any explanation to why freemartins don't usually breed?

Anyhow, we had 6 calves in 3 days last week, which is quite a bunch at a time for a small herd. I am very glad to say MEGA HAS FINALLY CALVED. She had a 110 lb bull calf, I had to help a little bit, but compared to last year with the heifer who had a 120 lb'er, it was a piece of cake. She was a great mom, got up right away and licked well, and has so much too much milk it's not even funny, as soon as the calf goes nosing, all 4 teats start to leak like fountains. For the first 3 days, the calf only wanted the front two quarters, and didn't even finish them off, after fighting him for some time, I got him to accept the others, but I had to milk her out a couple times a day for a while.
We also had an experienced cow have a 110 lb bull, and that was a pretty hard birth, had she let me, I would have lent a hand, but she's not so smart. Next came a 110 lb heifer calf from a very large framed cow (frame 8-9) which was an easy birth (water to calf born = 25 minutes), and both of the last 2 calves had really blocky heads. Mega's bull calf on the other hand has a very long and slender head, which is much better.

The rest of the calves are all doing well, Maddy has given up fighting her adopted son, and his mother has stopped making a fuss when he goes elsewhere for milk.

[Nesikep]

And here are some pics

Rosie and her 15th, a 90 lb heifer... Really was wishing it didn't have it's white face


Mega and son in the morning


Mmmm


I had given Mega a shearing job a week ago... I was only going to her belly since it was dirty, but she loved it so much she was trying to rub on the shears, so I (she) decided do do everything except her head, I think she'd look too weird. I gave her a "Jersey" cut, then she nearly got the Jersey udder.

[Kathie in Thorp]

Is there any explanation to why freemartins don't usually breed?

Because they don't have the right parts, Nesi, if the heifer is a twin to a bull. They aren't physically built/capable/able. Happens in utero with the bull twin -- long before that heifer twin hits the ground. So if you have a cow (that was born a twin to a bull calf), and that cow has calved, you have a very unique situation!

[Kathie in Thorp]

And all the rest of it sounds good, Nesi! Glad your calving is going well. Mega/baby look great. Happy Spring!

[Nesikep]

I've got 3 of the little heifers really well tamed and boy are they ever playful, all three of them come hopping around me grunting and attacking my legs. That's one of my favourite parts of calving time..

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Nesi - I posted a thread "Twins - information" and it explains that the hormones from the male calf affect the development of the heifer calf, giving her too much male hormones, so she does not develop all her "parts & pieces" properly. Some freemartin heifers are VERY easily identified at birth. They will have very strange looking vulva, some with a small penis looking part (actually I believe it is an elongated clitoris) showing.
This was a crude explaination, but it is explained in the article I posted.

[Nesikep]

Thanks I'll look it up

[Nesikep]

Grr,.. I thought I had posted something.. it disappeared

Well since monday we had 2 more calves, one just as I pulled into the yard that evening, a nice all-brown heifer, and the other yesterday evening, Caddy is the mother, and she's a fullblood sister to #8T (Chroma) of last year. She's 80-90 lbs, and it was one of the quickest births I've ever seen. I saw from my window that she was seriously thinking of calving, so I went and check, she had laid down and I just saw the feet, She got up and the feet slipped back in, I went for a walk about 100 yards away, told my mother that she was getting to business, and walked back, the calf was there getting licked. Like Mega's calf, this heifer has a very slender head (They've got the same great-grandmother, and it's a trait from that line), which probably helps the quick birth. A few of the other calves we've had this year have had really blocky heads.
This is "Prada", at about 18 hours old



Mega, leaking milk



Excluding one cow due in august, we've got 2 left, and in about a week they should both be done. It's been a pretty tight season, 75% in first cycle, and 4 of the 6 of the second cycle were in the first week of it. There's just Tizia who's way out of whack with August. I'll have to watch that guy for heat stroke when it's 104 in the shade

[Nesikep]

Well, We still have 2 to go, they're taking their time about it. All the others are doing well. I have never seen a year with SO MANY MILK THIEVES!!! As the cows are around the manger, it's just a smorgasborg for the calves, and the playful little heifer 3T makes her rounds, though, on the 16 cows that are there, I've seen up to 4 calves stealing at once, and in some cases there were 2 side by side stealing from each other.

Mega's calf is finally drinking all the milk, and her udder has wrinkles in it now, I bet she's really happy about that, her calf is growing really well


Here are some of the heifer calves shortlisted as replacements, though the ones with white or brocklefaces probably won't be kept

Volga, Full sister to #6T from last year, Stocky build, meaty, but a heck of a blockhead. I might be able to sell her to a good home as we're not keen on the brockleface.


Roma, Full sister to #11T from last year, doesn't look like she'll be as meaty. The white face doesn't fit in with the rest of the herd, I might find her a good home, she'd make a great and productive pet. Mother is now 16 years old.


Kenya, Full sister to #4T from last year, Identical, though may turn out a bit stouter in the fall, which is good, great looking calf but I know the history well and probably won't keep this one either. Sister LOVED people, but was a witch with other calves, far too pushy, this one looks like she's not going to be any different. Also, despite great milk, poor teats and udder form as well as bad hooves.


Durga, Full sister to #1T from last year, pretty much identical, seriously consider this one if she's not a complete meathead and wild as be nice. Her sister turned out to be really friendly after weaning, Fairly pushy with other cows, acceptable udders, very good milk, good hooves. MEAN A$$ED MOTHER


Saga, she has no maternal sisters, 5 year old mother has great milk, OK udder, decent hooves, nice temperament. Her brothers were all pushing 675+ lbs at weaning, she should look nice in the fall, I hope she puts some meat on though. Most likely keeping.


Prada, Full sister to #8T from last year, Sister is a doll to work with and was CT's favourite pick to keep. Excellent udder, hooves, milk and temperament. Most likely keeping. Once she's eating hay and playing I'll take a better pic, she's only 4 days old. Granddaughter to the 16 year old cow.