Calving 2023

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Are you worried about a 3/4 BB calving? I was always told PB & 3/4 usually had caesarian.
I'm sorry - not being rude - but that is about the ugliest bull I have ever seen!!! LOL He is grotesque.
So sorry about the abortion. The only good thing, is you found it so you are not waiting for her to calve.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Are you worried about a 3/4 BB calving? I was always told PB & 3/4 usually had caesarian.
I'm sorry - not being rude - but that is about the ugliest bull I have ever seen!!! LOL He is grotesque.
So sorry about the abortion. The only good thing, is you found it so you are not waiting for her to calve.

That's okay I'm sure that for quite many people blues are awfully looking.
It wasn't hard to notice. The cow has been feeling off for the past couple days. In the evening of the abortion she had her belly drop, also had lost some weight and looked to be feeling terrible. Saw abit of membranes showing. So in the morning just went to check if she had already aborted or needed assistance. Had one occasion when aborting heifer couldn't abort her calves, they were very far down.
Would lie if I said that I'm not abit nervous. Done my honework on that, consulted with one farmer, which raises pure and crossbred blues. He has a very good % of natural calvings. Often those ceasareans are due to wrong presentation. So my sode I've done everything what I can genetics wise to get an alive naturally born calf wothout trouble.

 

[gcreekrch]

Our mature cows got bored and browsed on some pine needles. We had 8 abort over a three day period. Moved that herd to another feeding area with less pines in it. Fingers crossed.

Best of luck on the rest of your calving. I will agree with Jeanne about the bull's appearance!

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Weighed newborns today. Charolais heifer 90lbs, little bright thing.




Bull calf 142lbs...

 

[TCRanch]

That's a huge bull calf! Certainly hope your luck turns around.

That bulls butt - holy rump roast!!

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Yeah. 142#. Poor momma!
How do you weigh your calves?

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Yeah. 142#. Poor momma!
How do you weigh your calves?

Overbaked and got bone structure from the mom...

Using old sheep scales.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Late evening feeding. Needs some help to take the teat, but has good appetite and dam is quiet enough. Two quarters nursed until empty.

He is the 3rd calf for the cow.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Never saw a scale like that. Do you pick the calf up and place him on that rack. Or is it like a block and tackle, and you hoist him up off the ground? That's a lot of weight to pick up.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Never saw a scale like that. Do you pick the calf up and place him on that rack. Or is it like a block and tackle, and you hoist him up off the ground? That's a lot of weight to pick up.

One person lifts holding by the metal part and another person pulls the rope. Had placed calves on the hanging scale before when weighed them alone, but there's a limit to what I can lift, so usually it's two people work. Not the most practical thing, but still good enough to do it's job

 

[MurraysMutts]

That 142lb calf is WIDE at the shoulders! My goodness!

Do u have any blue calves at weaning pics of yours?? Does the double muscling come thru ok?

Always enjoy your calving season pics!

 

[lithuanian farmer]

That 142lb calf is WIDE at the shoulders! My goodness!

Do u have any blue calves at weaning pics of yours?? Does the double muscling come thru ok?

Always enjoy your calving season pics!

Sorry for late reply. The calf got bone structure from his dam. Will post a pic of her previous lim calf just born. Her all bull calves have very similar build. Except that this one got abit more muscles and also abit overall bigger in weight.

Have some photos on my other phone, so will post those abit later. Overall they do have more muscles one them than other herdmates. Also they are wider. Really like calves from 50% and 25% blue cows, as they also have blue qualities visible.

Here is the previous calf from the blue calf's dam. Was pictured at one day age.

That's limousine sired bull from bluexdairy cow.

That's the dam of the bull in the previous pic.

That's blue sired incalf heifer out of plain limxcharolaisx cow.
Will add a couple photos of weanlings today or tomorrow.
in his video there is one blue sired weanling heifer. Older her is in the previous pic.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Do u have any blue calves at weaning pics of yours??

This heifer was the only blue sired calf last year. Out of mainly Angus cross cow. Will be a good replacement for her dam, which is on the 287th day with lim calf now, actually.

Weanling from two years ago. Out of very plain charolaisx dairy cow.

Also from two years ago. Dam is 50% angus, abit of lim and all the other part is dairy.

Young blue cross bull from 7/8 lim cow. Same sire as the mainly white weanling bull.
There there mainly three blues we used for the past couple years. All were bred for use on dairy cows. This year blue calves will be by my sellected bulls, which are used in pure breeding. With an exception of 3/4 blue calf, which again will be sired by bull for dairy crosses. And on top of that this year will be the biggest number of blue calves born in the season. There were max 3 in one calving season before.

 

[MurraysMutts]

View attachment 25481
View attachment 25482
This heifer was the only blue sired calf last year. Out of mainly Angus cross cow. Will be a good replacement for her dam, which is on the 287th day with lim calf now, actually.
View attachment 25483
Weanling from two years ago. Out of very plain charolaisx dairy cow.
View attachment 25484
Also from two years ago. Dam is 50% angus, abit of lim and all the other part is dairy.
View attachment 25485
Young blue cross bull from 7/8 lim cow. Same sire as the mainly white weanling bull.
There there mainly three blues we used for the past couple years. All were bred for use on dairy cows. This year blue calves will be by my sellected bulls, which are used in pure breeding. With an exception of 3/4 blue calf, which again will be sired by bull for dairy crosses. And on top of that this year will be the biggest number of blue calves born in the season. There were max 3 in one calving season before.

They certainly stamp their calves with that big ol booty!
That's a lot of beef.

 

[Travlr]

View attachment 25481
View attachment 25482
This heifer was the only blue sired calf last year. Out of mainly Angus cross cow. Will be a good replacement for her dam, which is on the 287th day with lim calf now, actually.
View attachment 25483
Weanling from two years ago. Out of very plain charolaisx dairy cow.
View attachment 25484
Also from two years ago. Dam is 50% angus, abit of lim and all the other part is dairy.
View attachment 25485
Young blue cross bull from 7/8 lim cow. Same sire as the mainly white weanling bull.
There there mainly three blues we used for the past couple years. All were bred for use on dairy cows. This year blue calves will be by my sellected bulls, which are used in pure breeding. With an exception of 3/4 blue calf, which again will be sired by bull for dairy crosses. And on top of that this year will be the biggest number of blue calves born in the season. There were max 3 in one calving season before.

The bottom two look a lot like a couple of my blue cross calves back in the 80's. I got some really impressive blues from Limo cows. Wish I had pics from then.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

They certainly stamp their calves with that big ol booty!
That's a lot of beef.

Yes! And that's why I like them as a breed. They can be a good muscle injection for very plain cows. Only one generation can make a huge difference.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Some pics of blue bulls I've used and plan to use.

Will have three calves from this one. Should add some size.

Have in the tank, used on one or two, but none held, so left him for the new season. Calves at one farm are looking real nice from him.

Got him with the new straws delivery. Have a cow or two planned for him.

This one will be the sire of 75% calf. He is not as extreme as those above, so that's one of the reason why I feel abit safer with him.

This one is the sire of cow carrying 75% calf. The cow is in the video as a weanling and the one in the pic of incalf heifer. Amd also he's the sire of the dark weanling bull.

This one is the sire of young bull and white weanling.

The sire of last year's weanling heifer. Also have one first calver by him. She has really good calving capabilities, but smaller than her dam.

 

[coachg]

I agree with Simme Valley! I like a bull with good bone and muscle but that's ugly . I know you have huge cows and can have big calves but is 142 lbs a record for you ?

 

[MurraysMutts]

That Jefferson is looooooo-nG!

@coachg
I think I remember the record being 150 plus? I may be mistaken tho

 

[lithuanian farmer]

I agree with Simme Valley! I like a bull with good bone and muscle but that's ugly . I know you have huge cows and can have big calves but is 142 lbs a record for you ?

Biggest calf was 160lbs, delivered with slight assistance. Not sure if it was needed, but well. Second biggest was 146lbs, now would be this newborn, then 141, and the 5th biggest was 140lbs heifer. Had a couple other real close, but just slightly lighter by a pound or two.
This particular cow should be around 1800lbs, but our average should be something like 1600lbs. Have a couple around 1200-1250lbs in working condition, but they handle 110lbs calves themselves, so mostly it goes down to individual capabilities more than their actual size.
One pure charolais breeder once told me that she is very surprised how our tiny cows (by her words) can calve such big calves and her cows are huge! 1900-2400lbs... Actual weights as she weighs them sometimes.