Calving season 2014 for me

[Nesikep]

OK here's some more

Caddy with her new little bull calf.. 14 hours old





Here's Lazyboy... 22 days old


And Mega, still putting up with milk donations to a good cause... it really helps if her calf is closest to her...

 

[Nesikep]

Finally I got youtube to cooperate... bloody phone uploaded it to the wrong account!

Here's Caddy calving... time? 3:38.. .I figure he's about 95 lbs
[youtube]4TaJv_nwqt4[/youtube]

 

[branguscowgirl]

:clap: What a fantastic documentary Nesi! Really a nice thread for people that don't have a lot of calves to learn from.
Your calves look great also! Thanks for sharing!

 

[branguscowgirl]

You sure are an attentive herdsman and know your cattle. I am impressed!

 

[Nesikep]

Tizia still holds the calving speed record in pounds per minute.

Thanks, yes, I know them, and they certainly know me too... the hand that feeds and gets that itch they can't reach

 

[Nesikep]

Well, Vispa just had her calf (unless there's a second coming along), it's a darned heavy heifer, at about 120 lbs, good and strong and found the teats on her own, Might consider her as a replacement if she's got a decent attitude, or if I'm desperate for heifers (I think I will be). She's the 6th out of 18 calves, 5 more to go, and none are promising cows.

 

[Nesikep]

And I quite missed Paddy calving... Went out to feed and heard the telltale "Mmm"s.. and she was laying down next to a dry calf.. an 80 lb heifer, quite nice, but I'm not keeping anything from that cow. I also heard her lose more water, and the placenta was still out, she wasn't particularly round, but I ran her down the chute and palpated just in case.. no other calf, which is good, the cow doesn't have all that much milk.

 

[nurseynicole]

Wonderful video! Doesn't matter how many I've seen, I still love it! Makes up for all the hell when everything goes right!

 

[Nesikep]

It's not the greatest video, I do have better ones, but that's a good demonstration of how it should be done!.. including the turning right around and getting to the licking part. I find calving out now, rather than february so much less stressful... you know that if you miss one, chances are pretty low that the calf is in danger, at least from the cold and muck... I always find it prudent to pull the membranes off the nose if I'm there to do it... Them bull calves can't afford to lose any brain cells or they'll be in debt. I'll try and post some pictures up on monday.. I haven't castrated that one yet, I'll see what you guys think.

Some city folk have a neighboring holiday property next to ours, and all the kids (20ish year olds) came over to see the baby cows. One of them remembered a calf from last year even (My replacement heifer Kama).

 

[Nesikep]

OK, here's some pictures.. again

Tina, Roma's calf.. a bit over 2 weeks


Replacement candidate Tifa (not tina)


Vispa's calf, probably a replacement as well.. shes the one I was wondering if she'd have twins.. no.. just this BIG girl.. Haven't found the right name yet


Paddy's calf, another heifer.. about 80 lbs.. not a replacement candidate.. Paddy has been nothing but late and given dinks all her life, as well as her sister.. so no go on this one no matter how she looks (she will be pretty though, and probably about 625 lbs)


And here's Lazyboy, Sharing a bit of milk doesn't seem to be hurting him any.. He's 4 weeks old here.. I think I might keep him as a beef steer whether my market for him is confirmed or not... I'd like to have a hundred steers like him. Big fat, MEATY and lazy, and 750ish lbs in 205 days. They're the kind paychecks are made of!

 

[Nesikep]

Well, the 20th calf is here, an 80 lb bull calf from Cenci, and I'm figuring a 302 day gestation time on that one... 294 was common for her family so I guess it's possible?

He's good and healthy anyhow

The one that had the scours now has navel ill, I think it may have started with the banding, as he was banded a week ago and was fine until then.. gave him 7cc LA200 and will keep a close eye on him.

 

[Nesikep]

OK, more pictures??? why not!

Here's Marko, the bull calf I'm keeping intact.. I think he's a bit over 2 weeks



Cenci's calf born last night, the one i'm figuring was gestated 302 days


Tina, having a good nap in the sun

 

[kucala5]

Such pretty babies. When do they get on grass?

 

[Nesikep]

They'll go on grass in about 4 weeks.. 25th of may typically is bull turnout. depending on how the grass looks I might keep them in another week, I have a lot of hay left over

 

[MikeBo]

I have really enjoyed the thread, love the animal husbandry, we have to many cattle for that...but it is nice to see. We pull or help on one or two calves per year or less than half a percent, and our calves average 60-70lbs. Love the white face momma and her calf..they are keepers!

 

[Nesikep]

I love Roma, the whiteface, and she love *everyone*... very sociable cow, and I think she will make good calves.. this one won't be the one though, she's going to be about 200 lbs off the mark by weaning time. The most recent cow that calfed (Cenci) is full sister to the whiteface, and a year older, and I have 1 a year younger, a brockleface named Kama, who is looking promising so far (LOVES people too).. I have a 4th maternal sister, and that one is the mother of the white footed bull calf I'm keeping intact.. She's proven herself well... Her youngest daughter was late breeding last year though (first timer), I have no idea why, so she's on thin ice, but really looks nice.
The mother of the big steer, Mega I kept a heifer from last year and is a spitting image of her mother.

Glad you enjoy it... I have threads like this one for the last 4 years I think, all titles the same.

 

[Nesikep]

Well, a couple months have passed... Got one more calf today!, momma's on the cull list this fall, but I got another steer now. Good and lively, just have to make sure he's got good shade as it was 95F today in the shade.
Here he is at 2 hours old


Caddy's bull calf... I'm on the fence about him, he's not quite as nice as his brother last year..


Caddy's daughter and granddaughter.. I think she's a keeper



Vispa's calf, which grows fairly well, but I'm finding throughly unimpressive now


and Here's Mega's Lazyboy... I like him, he's big, fat and lazy

 

[Nesikep]

And here's my yearlings...
A feeder steer... 600 lb WW from a first timer, I think he's looking decent


Lazyboy's full sister Sofa, I hope she performs like her momma...


My old cow's last daughter Kama, a *real* pest, looks promising, hope she does her job


And Kama's full sister, a year older... She is making a TINY calf this year, but she's also grown FAR more than her siblings, so I'm hoping she has more energy for milk next year


And the new bull Timo.. a very docile guy, We'll see how his calves look next year

 

[Williamsv]

Good looking calves. I know you are glad to be through.

 

[Nesikep]

Oh I'm not through, I have one coming any time, and another in a month. They're stuck in the corral until they calve, and it's really funny, I can forget to feed them, etc, and they don't say ONE WORD to complain.. they know being this late is a ticket to the sale barn. I figured even if the calf is only 400 lbs at weaning I'm better off keeping them.. Probably over $2/lb for the calf pays their hay