Think she will make milk?

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TCRanch said:
You know they won't. Mine aren't supposed to start calving until the 28th but at least a few of them will. Got the bred heifers moved to the barn and will bring over the cows that are looking ripe. Predicting up to 8" snow with the brutal temps. If we can just make it through this week . . . . .
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The heifers are visible out my living room window and it's a short walk to the barn. Not supposed to start til March 2, but I can count on some being up to 14 days early, which is today. The single digit weather sets in Tuesday-Friday, so I hope they wait til at least Saturday. Time to start the checks every two hours.
 
GoWyo said:
The heifers are visible out my living room window and it's a short walk to the barn. Not supposed to start til March 2, but I can count on some being up to 14 days early, which is today. The single digit weather sets in Tuesday-Friday, so I hope they wait til at least Saturday. Time to start the checks every two hours.
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This! And yet, good mamas know what to do to keep their calf alive. Bart was born in -20 wind chills in a huge pile of hay. Named the calf Bart because I seriously thought I saw 'nads and no way was I taking my gloves off to cop a feel, plus it was huge and (let's be honest) kinda ugly. Watched it nurse, mama got it completely cleaned off and bedded down. All good, right? Except when I took a good look AFTER I tagged the calf and, um, where's his junk? Okay, so it was a heifer. But a big, strappin' farm girl, so the name stuck. Bart's due with her 3rd calf and I retained her 1st (Bevo), currently a first calf heifer. And Ore Ida was born a couple years ago in deadly negative temps. But her mama (Spud) had her down in a draw and she was completely dry and covered in a bed of leaves. Little frostbite on the tips of her ears but you can barely tell. She's due with her 2nd calf 2nd week of March.

In a perfect world, they would have calved in the nice, warm barn. But I don't live in a perfect world. I check the calf's temp, make sure it's nursed, and if all seems good, I generally don't gank it and haul to the barn - hoping mama will follow. And sometimes it just isn't possible to bring one in. You do what you can!
 
Heifers seem to vary on how well they lick off their calf, so if I can catch them and put them in the barn in bad weather it saves a few steps and sometimes the calf. The little 3-acre lot next to the house doesn't have very good wind protection except a few spots. I like having the heifers walking some before calving. They have hay in the big pen next to the barn and a ring feeder out in the lot by the calf shed and wind breaks. Prefer decent weather and calving on pasture - calves are more healthy and the pair is more "with it" as far as paying attention to each other.
 
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Warren Allison said:
Long-legged little thing ain't she? What bull was the sire?
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She certainly is long legged. Slender too. PeeWee was the sire. I'm sure that came from mama. I hope this little calf sprouts like Sevens baby has done. I got her tagged day before and she's really gotten big already.
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farmerjan said:
Are you going to be able to get a 2nd calf to put on her? She certainly has enough udder for at least raising 2....
Cute little squirt...
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This is her 2nd calf. I'm certain she can take another calf. I didn't buy any Thursday. There was a bunch to be had around 500 bucks. Aside from bringing Dapples to town and putting her in my back yard, I'm having a difficult time figuring out how I'd get another one on her. We will see. Working on a couple things.
 
Didn't you used to use your trailer for some calves for a few days??? Could you make a small pen, with the trailer for the shelter, get Dapples in the pen and get the 2nd calf on her while she was eating? Then keep her calf and #2 calf in the pen/trailer, and have Dapples come to it for feed and let the calves in the pen on her... then put her out again... in a couple days the new calf would be bonded to her along with her calf... and if she will let them nurse in the pen without a big deal, then be able to let them out together?
 
farmerjan said:
Didn't you used to use your trailer for some calves for a few days??? Could you make a small pen, with the trailer for the shelter, get Dapples in the pen and get the 2nd calf on her while she was eating? Then keep her calf and #2 calf in the pen/trailer, and have Dapples come to it for feed and let the calves in the pen on her... then put her out again... in a couple days the new calf would be bonded to her along with her calf... and if she will let them nurse in the pen without a big deal, then be able to let them out together?
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I timed myself this evening. Drive time out, feed/call up cows, tag the new one, and back home. Just about an hour.
I figure I'll need 2 hours. So I'd have to leave out about 530am and leave no later than 730 am to get to day job on time. Then do it again that evening. That'll probly last at least one week. I think I can hack it.

Dapples is making a tremendous amount of milk. This is her 2nd lactation I believe. While I was tagging the lil heifer, Dapples is dripping milk from 3 quarters and the calf is FULL!

It's gonna be a good time tomorrow if there is any baby calves to sell. Last week I could've had a few around 475. I'm liable to get silly tomorrow and hope prices hold thru the fall....

I think she'll raise 3 pretty easy. If I can get 3 babies bought, that'll do. I can put 2 on Dapples. Bottle one til Bessie calves and do it all again after Dapples are grafted successfully.

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Bessie is coming along too. Might calve next week.
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I've also given thought to getting one for Seven. She will also take anything I give her. That'd be seven calves on 3 cows. I could live with that....
 
Good ol Bessie. Right on time!
Dripping milk once again. Where your calf gurl?? She always runs off and leaves it for feed. Jeez...
She sure ain't wide anymore!!
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There it is!!
By the time I drove all the way around, mama had come to check on it. At quite a brisk pace. I had a little video but it won't work.
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I'll get it up and tagged and checked out soon enough.

No babies to be bought anywhere today either. 😪
 
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@Travlr I'll explain....

Right on @farmerjan !
The heifer is on Bessie as of a couple hours ago. The bottle bull I'm gonna try on Dapples. BOTH cows are still dripping milk. Bessie now has 2, so that'll stop.

@GoWyo Actually a good friend of mine went north to Blackwell Oklahoma today and hauled back in her lil Hyundai!!!
I'd have taken the calf crate myself.

Soooo! On to the pics and explaining to do Lucy!

My friend wanted 2 heifer babies. And I needed 2 as well. I got a bottle broke black bull. First picture... 600 bucks.
The big heifer I got for Bessie was 700!

All calves averaged 650 bucks roughly.
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The two little heifers below are 45 and 60lbs. They are hers.... shes slowly building a herd of bottle raised heifers/cows.
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Bessie got the big (85lb) heifer. And took to her like a duck to water as always! Black one nursing is the new baby. Reddish heifer is hers. Got both tagged as well. My buddy stood in disbelief as I got in that alley with Bessie and her 2 babies and worked with them. (Alley is probly 6ft wide, maybe 20ft long. Had to get that black heifer in the correct place. She was pretty lost.
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I had to show her where the spigot was, and then it was on like Donkey Kong!!
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