Going on 8 years now. We only do it for our own meat. First one was a bottle fed bull. Hubby's birthday gift from my ex (good guy, just wanted to go different ways in life) he knew I would bottle feed it, he didn't have time. Comments were he was the size of a big dog. So my son called him A1, the big dog. Didn't even have a fence. He was a calf on a rope with a pop up tent. So fences started and as he got bigger, ex said he couldn't be alone, so he brought baby girl to us. Well, they beget Jethro. A1 went to the freezer just before Jethro arrived. She prolapsed pretty bad about 4 months later, so she went to the freezer. Jethro couldn't be alone, so along comes Cocoa. Those two steers went to freezer. Got some calves again, Rudolph and Chugger. Pit Bulls from who knows where got Rudolph early one morning. One dog is no longer with the world. The other got away as the bullet casing stuck between hubbies bare toes and it was hard to shoot as he hopped. So being he needed a friend, ex had one he didn't have time to bottle feed and he also was a little lame as he had been stepped on, so he would never stay up with the heard. Now Chugger and Charlie we have, well until this fall and in the freezer they go. After the dry weather on these last two, unsure if we are going to do it again. Yeah, that's what he says, but I bet he will. It gets into your life and is rather enjoyable, except that somehow calves seem to draw pit bulls. Cocoa had his ears ripped apart by one as a small lad too. I thank these boards for a whole bunch on knowledge during these years.