a couple more calves to pick at

[Kathie in Thorp]

Anyone know what the official name of that free-martin heifer test is called? I'm thinking it might be worth it with this heifer I have this year... she's a really nice girl

Nesi, I found this link on the internet, for a service that does the blood work: http://www.biogeneticservices.com/freemartin.htm

 

[Nesikep]

good to have... but since I'm only keeping 3 this year, I think I'm not going to risk anything on them... though I could keep her as a meat animal if nothing else, she certainly has that going for her. The also don't mention anything about the price... Wonder why

Thanks, I'm keeping that link

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

good to have... but since I'm only keeping 3 this year, I think I'm not going to risk anything on them... though I could keep her as a meat animal if nothing else, she certainly has that going for her. The also don't mention anything about the price... Wonder why

Thanks, I'm keeping that link

IF you inquired, they'd probably give you the price for the blood test (I think you need to draw it and send it). That aside, those are nice looking calves, Nesi !

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Here's a couple pics I took of the herd in general
Prada...

Her sister

Joules the steer, 18 months and about to go to a "new home"

and 2 more of the fat bred heifers

And since everyone likes it so much, here's some scenery
A rather fantastic morning

The invasion of the Jellyfish

Your background scenery is as least as nice as the cattle pics, Nesi . Gorgeous country up there, not too far N. of us.

 

[Nesikep]

No, we aren't that far north, we're about 100 miles from the border, at least as the crow flies. Some days the light is amazing, then others it's ordinary.... All the above pics got cropped by CT on the right side..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v153/Rx7man/ should get you to a place where you can see them fullsize

 

[Nesikep]

Just weighed most of the calves.. probably going to go to this tuesdays sale.. Here is the way they stack up
#1T ~ 640 lbs
#3T ~ 550 lbs
#4T ~ 688 lbs
#6T ~ 688 lbs
#7T ~ 650 lbs
#8T ~ 600 lbs
#9T ~ 650 lbs
#10T ~ 625 lbs

#2 and #5 are missing, they are too wild to let me near them
The big steers are from 650 to 725 or so, and the smallest is about 600, which I'm rather happy with

Hector, the late bull calf is about 390 and looks really nice, growing some winter coat on him now

I think I've decided on what I'm going to keep and get rid of, #2 (the freemartin) and her adoptive mother are going, #4 and her mother are going, as well as #5 and her mother, the first 2 pairs is because of upcoming problems, and the last pair is from plain poor performance.

The heifers I'm keeping are #1, 6 and 9...
#1 could be heavier for her age, but she looks good... she's a bit wild right now but she's making good progress, and 6 months of being in the corral will teach her to like me, and if she's like her sister, as soon as mother isn't around, she'll forget mother's teachings.
#6 is probably the last heifer I get from the old girl, and she's done a great job on her.. Only thing I'd change is getting rid of the white face.. Her sister is a bit meatier, but doesn't have her length, and won't have quite as good an udder (5 teats).
#9 is a month younger than #1 and has the same heart girth, so she's grown pretty well, and I find has a good build, the best colouring, and comes from a particularly efficient line... they eat hay for an hour, then go chew cud, and after that they clean up leftovers, and have competitive gains to the big pigs

 

[Nesikep]

Well, here's a vid of the 3 heiferettes in the corral... just weaned and more than a little upset about it... with the vid you can see them a little better and how they walk, etc

Judging by the calves I sold at the auction, my weigh tape seems to be pretty close (within 25 lbs) in the 6-700 lb range at least... I have to do more number crunching to see how it does on the lower weights, as well as cows.

[youtube]XaHAPtJMtuc[/youtube]

 

[gizmom]

The cattle all look good but jeeze the view you have from the pasture is to kill for!

Gizmom

 

[Nesikep]

your weather is a bit nicer though... we've been having frosts at night now.. .uuug... I'm not ready for winter

 

[Nesikep]

Just weighed my keepers, #6 topped the list at 750, as she had a very low stress weaning and was used to hay, #1 and #9 are at 690 and 670 respectively

 

[3waycross]

Just weighed my keepers, #6 topped the list at 750, as she had a very low stress weaning and was used to hay, #1 and #9 are at 690 and 670 respectively

Very nice girls Nesi. Like I have said before that is a great cross. How old were they at weaning?

 

[Nesikep]

#1 was 235, #6 was about 220 and #9 was 197 days
#6 is the daughter of my old girl who spent the summer in the corral eating nice hay and some grain, so when she was weaned mom was still just across the fence and not much fuss was raised. The other two on the other hand spent a week pacing the corral determined to find a way out.
#1 is perhaps a little light for her age, but I think she'll do well anyhow, her sister wasn't the heaviest for her age either and she's looking fine now.
I didn't keep #7U this year, who was sister to #6T last year, and the older sister, despite looking heavy, doesn't have the heart girth to match the looks,and has pretty much stopped growing since May. #11T and 8T grew 5 inches in heart girth, while she only grew 2...

I am very happy with the Gelbveih influence, the shorthorn I could perhaps think Limo or Saler, even Red Simm would do well as a substitute though, and the less Herf I have the better in my opinion. #11T from last year, the full sister to #6U this year is built like a brick S***house, she and her sister are the only 2 animals in the herd with no shorthorn, but have 1/4 Saler instead. I'd actually be really intersted in a bull who's a cross between any 4 of those breeds, I think I'll use this bull for one more season, then I might trade him with a neighbour's Red Simm bull for a year or two, they're about the same age so a straight trade (or maybe I pay a couple bucks for the heavier bull) would give me time to look for another bull, and try out a breed... I think both bulls are currently 6 or 7 years old

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

you will :heart: your Simmental calves :banana:
Kidding aside, you should be happy with them. If you like GV, you should like Simmies. The breeds have quite a bit in common "originally". Both are muscle & milk & maternal breeds.

 

[Nesikep]

That's what I figure... And they're from my old country as well. I will say I like the appearance of the original breed more than what it has become, and I think you call them Fleckveih... I posted pictures of them a while back, can't remember the name of the thread right now though