larryshoat
Well-known member
Here is the latest group of calves .
Larry
hillsdown":3vbn2w6e said:Larry Mr. HD and I were always partial to the red and white Holsteins especially when they were a surprise. One of the best gifts I ever got for my birthday was a set of twin Ruben daughters ..Hubby woke me up at 5:30 am and said come out to you calf barn ASAP. I went out as fast as I could and waited ,,well he walked in with a red and white gal in each arm..They were the cutest things I have had ever seen..He said happy birthday ,these are for you..It was a great day..
They are weaned now, we just turned them all together today, so it shouldn't be too bad from now on .Keren":21e0acvy said:That speckled calf looks mouldy, Larry! :lol2: I never thought of that, but he does .
I'm with you hills, I love the red ones :heart:
Bet they are keeping you busy ...
I enjoy it too, especialy when things are going good . Right now here calves are about $50 each and fat steers can be contracted in the 80s, so that leaves some room for profit .Keren":9t6axt6b said:Larry, do you have many problems with navel sucking? I notice that red calf sucking on his buddy on the right there ...
Yeah, with 2 in a pen they do suck each other some . The reasons I stay with the 2 in a pen are 1. less penning 2. the calves seem to be less stressed at weaning time since they're already used to sharing feed and water with another calf .3. I only have to climb in half as many pens to work on the calves .
I'm always sad and relieved at the same time when weaning rolls around :???: Cant help it, I love feeding the little boogers but at the same time its a lot of hard work and time and a relief when you get a break for a while
Ha! I saw the pic and thought "LOVE that speckled calf!" Didn't even notice a red til I read hd's response. :lol2: As they say around here "Shoot into a flock and you are bound to hit a couple!" :lol2: ;-)larryshoat":25b1pamu said:Thanks HD, you know I thought all the girls would like that little speckled calf in the first pen, but all the women have liked the red calf . That shows what I know :lol2: .
Larry
Keren":1wh0m3dy said:I've never had a problem with navel sucking, mind you I have not reared calves on a large scale. I bottle feed or use calfaterias etc. and I had a lady tell me the other day that I am doing it all wrong, that bottle/teat feeding will cause navel suckers and later or self suckers or heifers that nurse each other, and that one should only ever bucket feed and that way they dont suck navels or anything.
Your thoughts?
Jeanne - Simme Valley":xjbdetbd said:Larry - great looking group. Lots of work! I love the speckled one!! Not "moldie" - "muted". :banana:
angie":u7g40dnb said:Ha! I saw the pic and thought "LOVE that speckled calf!" Didn't even notice a red til I read hd's response. :lol2: As they say around here "Shoot into a flock and you are bound to hit a couple!" :lol2: ;-)larryshoat":u7g40dnb said:Thanks HD, you know I thought all the girls would like that little speckled calf in the first pen, but all the women have liked the red calf . That shows what I know :lol2: .
Larry
Barn looks great, is nice to see all so clean, not tied, clean bedding, pairs instead of one or two large pens and barn fans. It isn't any wonder you have a high rate of healthy calves. As much as I like babies, I am sure more than glad I am not mixing milk for that crew though!
I had a lady tell me the other day that I am doing it all wrong, that bottle/teat feeding will cause navel suckers and later or self suckers or heifers that nurse each other, and that one should only ever bucket feed and that way they dont suck navels or anything.
Your thoughts?
MO_cows":2x9kjziv said:Nice setup, and the calves look happy and healthy. One person taking care of all those??? :tiphat: