age to breed?

[Anonymous]

If you were to start with a September born heifer and wanted her to calve mid- spring, at about what age would you breed her?

We're seriously considering keeping this little orphan beef heifer and using her to produce our beef calves in the future.

Ann

 

[Anonymous]

Around the May 20 wouold give you a calving date of around Mar 1, but she shouldn't be bred to calve before she is two two, in other words breed her when she is 15 months old minimum. That means no spring calf till 2004

dunmovin farms

> If you were to start with a
> September born heifer and wanted
> her to calve mid- spring, at about
> what age would you breed her?

> We're seriously considering
> keeping this little orphan beef
> heifer and using her to produce
> our beef calves in the future.

> Ann

 

[Anonymous]

So in her case, being born in Sept, she would be approximately 20 months when bred?

That's feasible, after she's weaned and the other calf is butchered, she can keep the Jersey company.

The Jersey is becoming a handful as she is too attached to me! It's like she views me as her calf, she's gentle as a lamb with me and lets me do anything at all with her, but won't let hubby touch her. She even tried to "protect" me from hubby the other day! This is getting ridiculous! I can't even go visit my mother overnight because she won't let hubby catch her to milk her. I'm thinking about just putting her in a stall when I have to be gone, so that she's easier to deal with, and have contacted a woman friend who milks 100 Brown Swiss to do the milking, since this cow refuses to allow hubby near her. Any suggestions for getting her to warm up to him? Normally he's the one that all the animals cling to! This is strange that he's not getting anywhere with her.

Ann

> Around the May 20 wouold give you
> a calving date of around Mar 1,
> but she shouldn't be bred to calve
> before she is two two, in other
> words breed her when she is 15
> months old minimum. That means no
> spring calf till 2004

> dunmovin farms

 

[Anonymous]

If she wasn't milking it would be fairly simple, just stay away and have your husband feed her and be the only one she gets to be messed with by. With her milking, I haven't a clue. Now comes the but, we had a cow that my wife had raised as a bottle calf, did the majority of feeding messed with her etc. When she calved she would chase my wife and try to pin her against the wall, if I was around, other wise she just ignored her. That cow till the day she shuffled of this mortal coil was my pet. When I'ld come out of the house she would run up to the fence and bawl like she was in heat till I reached over and patted her. When I would leave she would run down the fence beside the lane till she reached the corner and bawl. When I came home she would be in that corner waiting, run up to the house and bawl till I patted her. I actually climbed on her back and rode her around the pasture. The moral of the rather too long story, you can never tell about cows. Don't let the September heifer get fat, cuts down on her milk secrecration capabilities, can make her harder to settle and can cause calving problems.

dunmovin farms

> So in her case, being born in
> Sept, she would be approximately
> 20 months when bred?

> That's feasible, after she's
> weaned and the other calf is
> butchered, she can keep the Jersey
> company.

> The Jersey is becoming a handful
> as she is too attached to me! It's
> like she views me as her calf,
> she's gentle as a lamb with me and
> lets me do anything at all with
> her, but won't let hubby touch
> her. She even tried to
> "protect" me from hubby
> the other day! This is getting
> ridiculous! I can't even go visit
> my mother overnight because she
> won't let hubby catch her to milk
> her. I'm thinking about just
> putting her in a stall when I have
> to be gone, so that she's easier
> to deal with, and have contacted a
> woman friend who milks 100 Brown
> Swiss to do the milking, since
> this cow refuses to allow hubby
> near her. Any suggestions for
> getting her to warm up to him?
> Normally he's the one that all the
> animals cling to! This is strange
> that he's not getting anywhere
> with her.

> Ann

 

[Anonymous]

She loves apples, I'm quite tempted to have hubby give her apple slices several times a day, so that if nothing else, she'll come to associate him with the "treats" and hopefully won't run from him.

The whole situation is quite funny, except for making it impossible for me to leave! You see hubby is the kind of person who bonds with all animals -- we've petsit for people and had their animals not want to go back home! We boarded 2 horses last year, both were "evil" animals, but within a few days they loved him and would do anything for him. Hubby just has a way with animals.

Thinking back though, my greatuncle was the one who taught me what little I remember about cattle (I started off with 1 angusX cow when I was 6 years old, and built a herd that I managed until I was 18) and I remember him telling his friends "she talks to those cows and they talk to her", and he was very upset when I got out of cattle, he thought I should have made a career out of cattle farming, instead of being stupid, marrying a bum, and starting a family so young.

Oh well, I guess you come back to the things that you really love eventually.

Ann

> If she wasn't milking it would be
> fairly simple, just stay away and
> have your husband feed her and be
> the only one she gets to be messed
> with by. With her milking, I
> haven't a clue. Now comes the but,
> we had a cow that my wife had
> raised as a bottle calf, did the
> majority of feeding messed with
> her etc. When she calved she would
> chase my wife and try to pin her
> against the wall, if I was around,
> other wise she just ignored her.
> That cow till the day she shuffled
> of this mortal coil was my pet.
> When I'ld come out of the house
> she would run up to the fence and
> bawl like she was in heat till I
> reached over and patted her. When
> I would leave she would run down
> the fence beside the lane till she
> reached the corner and bawl. When
> I came home she would be in that
> corner waiting, run up to the
> house and bawl till I patted her.
> I actually climbed on her back and
> rode her around the pasture. The
> moral of the rather too long
> story, you can never tell about
> cows. Don't let the September
> heifer get fat, cuts down on her
> milk secrecration capabilities,
> can make her harder to settle and
> can cause calving problems.

> dunmovin farms

 

[Anonymous]

When I was little, people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, (not that I've actually grown up, just got older) I always said I wanted to be a farmer, they wuld say you mean a cow-boy, I'ld say no, a FARMER. We've messed with cattle and goats off and on for years, bred horses, had a commercial rabbitry, etc. Now at 60 I can say, I'm a farmer, took a while, but I made it. The treat deal sure wouldn't hurt.

dunmovin farms

> She loves apples, I'm quite
> tempted to have hubby give her
> apple slices several times a day,
> so that if nothing else, she'll
> come to associate him with the
> "treats" and hopefully
> won't run from him.

> The whole situation is quite
> funny, except for making it
> impossible for me to leave! You
> see hubby is the kind of person
> who bonds with all animals --
> we've petsit for people and had
> their animals not want to go back
> home! We boarded 2 horses last
> year, both were "evil"
> animals, but within a few days
> they loved him and would do
> anything for him. Hubby just has a
> way with animals.

> Thinking back though, my
> greatuncle was the one who taught
> me what little I remember about
> cattle (I started off with 1
> angusX cow when I was 6 years old,
> and built a herd that I managed
> until I was 18) and I remember him
> telling his friends "she
> talks to those cows and they talk
> to her", and he was very
> upset when I got out of cattle, he
> thought I should have made a
> career out of cattle farming,
> instead of being stupid, marrying
> a bum, and starting a family so
> young.

> Oh well, I guess you come back to
> the things that you really love
> eventually.

> Ann

 

[Anonymous]

Ann, Something you can try is to wear your husband's clothes when milking and have your husband wear something of yours. A trick an old cattleman told me for graphing an orphan calf to a cow. He tied a cloth feed sack on the cow's calf to get the calf's scent on it. Then he tied the sack on the orphan and took away the cow's calf until the cow accepted the orphan. Would be interesting to see your husband milking this cow in one of your dresses.

[email protected]

 

[Anonymous]

ROFL!!!! That would be a sight!!!

Scent is something I hadn't even thought about -- I raise rabbits and scent doesn't mean much with them (they'll react to the smell of a possum or skunk, but that's about it). You can transfer same age kits from doe to doe with no problems at all.

I normally wear a big old flannel shirt while in the barn and around the cow, I'll have to have him wear it and see if that makes any difference for her. All this past week, I've been going out and catching her, heck she walks right up and tips her head to have the lead attached! Lead her out of the pen and hand the lead to hubby and let him take her in and put her in the stanchion, and part of the time wash her udder and put the milk bucket on -- so far so good, but it still doesn't tackle the problem of her bouncing around like a bucking bull when he goes in to catch her!

I do think I'll just put her up in a stall in the barn when I have to be gone this next weekend, at least she won't be able to take off at 90 miles an hour!

She tried the same thing with me the other night, but it was obviously a game. She took off bucking, if I followed she ran faster. I quit right away and went and stood by the gate with my back to her and ignored her and within a couple of minutes her big old head was under my arm begging for attention.

I must say, she's quite a character!

Ann

> Ann, Something you can try is to
> wear your husband's clothes when
> milking and have your husband wear
> something of yours. A trick an old
> cattleman told me for graphing an
> orphan calf to a cow. He tied a
> cloth feed sack on the cow's calf
> to get the calf's scent on it.
> Then he tied the sack on the
> orphan and took away the cow's
> calf until the cow accepted the
> orphan. Would be interesting to
> see your husband milking this cow
> in one of your dresses.