1st Calving Heifer and her Stetson heifer Baby

[FlyingLSimmentals]

Our 1st of 2014. Calf is six days old.

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[Ohrmundt Simmentals]

Nice looking calf. Great start to the season.

 

[branguscowgirl]

Congratulations! Nice calf.

 

[FlyingLSimmentals]

Thanks, the calf is really a fiesty little girl. She's up and constantly moving and playing with her ears perked. Her mother has a hard time keeping an eye on her. We've had a many of calves that would nurse and then lay around and sleep for hours, some that you could kneel by and still not wake them. Dad would say that they were just laying around sunning and growing until it was feed time again. Haven't found this one asleep but once and of all places on top of the hay roll. When I approached she quickly got down and started playing and posing for some photos. I'm really liking the Stetson calves better than the Bettis calves. I'm thinking on trying Shear Envy another Shear Force son maybe next season.

 

[branguscowgirl]

Always a good sign when the are so active!

 

[Ohrmundt Simmentals]

Thanks, the calf is really a fiesty little girl. She's up and constantly moving and playing with her ears perked. Her mother has a hard time keeping an eye on her. We've had a many of calves that would nurse and then lay around and sleep for hours, some that you could kneel by and still not wake them. Dad would say that they were just laying around sunning and growing until it was feed time again. Haven't found this one asleep but once and of all places on top of the hay roll. When I approached she quickly got down and started playing and posing for some photos. I'm really liking the Stetson calves better than the Bettis calves. I'm thinking on trying Shear Envy another Shear Force son maybe next season.

We had a nice Bettis son for a herd bull for 3 seasons and got some nice calves from him. Didn't use him on hiefers though. His epds were a little high on the BW. Didn't pull one calf from him either. Just curious how the 2 sets of calves compared to each other. What do you like about the Stetson calves over the Bettis calves. I really like Stetson. Looks like a nice bull.

 

[FlyingLSimmentals]

I had seen some Bettis Progeny that I really liked and our AI rep works for Accelerated Genetics so we tried him first on heifers. Didn't have to pull any and they sold alright at the sale barn being black but they were just too average for me. Were not attractive enough to consider keeping as replacements. Too moderate of a frame, and slow growing, just not eye appealing enough or sexy, lol. For us Stetson has sired more eye appeal or facial expression, a little taller frame I think that several of our herd members need, and a little quicker grower. Put it this way the Bettis calves wasn't as nice as my herd bull's and the Stetson's are a little better, but at the same time we buy nice pedigree herd bulls. Our herd bull is an Invasion son out of Triple C Miss Wisconsin. I'll probably use Bettis again but differently.

 

[glacierridge]

Expecting anymore Stetson calves?
I like that little fart. I'll bet it'll grow up nicely.

 

[Ohrmundt Simmentals]

Thanks for the reply. I would say the best thing I liked about the calves from our Bettis son was the vigor. I've never seen calves as aggressive at birth as these. To get up and start eating. Like it was almost a race.

A little better look and better growth, can't complain about the that.

 

[creekdrive]

Nice looking calf. I love the fiesty ones!

 

[glacierridge]

Oh. And would you mind sharing pics of his development?
I've always been curious about him but haven't taken the plunge.

 

[FlyingLSimmentals]

No, I'm not expecting anymore this season. Only AIed our heifers that we retain, just kept a couple for this season. I have one straw left of him that I plan to use on a Reg. Black heifer in the spring. I'll try to keep a few pics and follow the progress of this one. Yes, the Bettis and Stetson calves showed plenty of vigor. Had a nice heifer calf born today from a clean up bull I raised and sold as a herd bull, the cow had lost her baby last year. Anyway this one today is missing some of that vigor, it's nursed and walks around a bit not wanting to be fooled with. The Stetson baby keeps wanting it to bounce around and play. Guess I'll get them out of the front lot into the herd with some other calves here in a day or two. Thanks for the replies everyone and good luck too all.

 

[glacierridge]

Thank you for all the info and continued updates.
I hope all goes increasingly well for you this season on calves

 

[inyati13]

Very nice calf. I like to watch what personality comes out of each calf.

 

[FlyingLSimmentals]

Here is a update pic of our Stetson calf this season. She is 8 days from being 6 months old. I think she has done well considering being from a heifer and on our dry pastures. We need some rain here or the hay fields might just become pasture fields this fall.

 

[Kingfisher]

Looks nice and slick! What are you using for mineral supplement?

 

[FlyingLSimmentals]

Thanks, Kingfisher! Right now they have free choice loose mineral. It's a Triple Trust 4% Mineral for beef cattle. It's manufactured by Ridley Block Operations Mankato, MN. These Triple Trust minerals have really done well for us and they are a lot less expensive than some others. A good dose of Dectomax dewormer I think really helps in shining and slicking that hair coat up as well. Ours get Dectomax in the Spring and or Summer and in the Fall or Winter Ivermectin.

 

[inyati13]

Mike the heifer looks nice. Very dry here. Got an inch of rain over the week end but it is not enough.

I switched to Vitafirm in late winter. My cows came out of winter fine but I swear that mineral has improved them.