Murrays projects 2021

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Yup, that udder is a dandy. It's pretty much how the dairys try to breed their cattle, front of udder even with the belly and straight back and up with no sag in the back. High and tight, like a Marine haircut.

BTW, isn't this a 2024 project? I kid, you do you.
 
Peace said:
Yup, that udder is a dandy. It's pretty much how the dairys try to breed their cattle, front of udder even with the belly and straight back and up with no sag in the back. High and tight, like a Marine haircut.

BTW, isn't this a 2024 project? I kid, you do you.
Click to expand...
Yep! Actually 2023.

I gave thought to starting a new thread just for her. But I've went to putting all my project stuff in here....

I'm fairly certain she was a 4 yr old heifer. Because the bag she had when I got her was almost nothing. Heifer type bag.
When she started really getting close, that's when I decided she had plenty of dairy in her to raise at least 2 calves. She might even be able to handle 3. Babies today were 325 and up. The 325 was a runt lil heifer that looked awful poor. Good babies were 400 plus again today. Right off the cow.
Here's a pic or two of before she started bagging....
20230902_101658.jpg20230902_101538.jpg20230902_101436.jpg

And now....
20231227_174026.jpg
Edited....
She went home today with her two calves. We got some arctic air a coming and there's a barn and plenty of trees for shelter. The 2 have bonded well and she's attentive to both. She's turning into a real sweetheart of a cow!
 
MurraysMutts said:
I was just going to say simular to what @farmerjan just said!

My plan tomorrow is take both calves away for the day. Tmrw evening I'll release them both.

This is what I've been trying to say all along...

When u need a calf, u NEED A CALF! A week or two later is always more work. Had I bought that holstein 2 weeks ago for 50 bucks, this would've been much easier I'm sure of it. I fully expected at least 3 days work here.

Only calf available this week, was yesterday.
And I gave 400 DOLLARS for her!!!!
Click to expand...

Another..."last" update.

Nurse cows and calves are work... especially in the beginning... Every cow is different... but it normally takes about 1-2 weeks to get a cow to fully accept a grafted on EXTRA calf. Once that is accomplished, then they can be turned out with the calves full time and you don't have to milk or...
www.cattletoday.com www.cattletoday.com
And you said no way would you pay $300 for a good beef calf! :)
 
Last edited:
Warren Allison said:

Another..."last" update.

Nurse cows and calves are work... especially in the beginning... Every cow is different... but it normally takes about 1-2 weeks to get a cow to fully accept a grafted on EXTRA calf. Once that is accomplished, then they can be turned out with the calves full time and you don't have to milk or...
www.cattletoday.com www.cattletoday.com
And you aid no way would you pay $300 for a good beef calf! :)
Click to expand...
Yep.....

Times they are a changing!

I'll be prepared next year for this one as well.
Had I known, I'd have probly already had one on a bottle.

When ya need one, ya NEED one now!


Edited to add...
The profit was not near as crucial to me on this project. My priority was saving/not destroying her udder. I don't want to milk a cow twice a day. The second calf solved that. As long as prices hold, she will still make good money.
 
Last edited:
MurraysMutts said:
Yep! Actually 2023.

I gave thought to starting a new thread just for her. But I've went to putting all my project stuff in here....

I'm fairly certain she was a 4 yr old heifer. Because the bag she had when I got her was almost nothing. Heifer type bag.
When she started really getting close, that's when I decided she had plenty of dairy in her to raise at least 2 calves. She might even be able to handle 3. Babies today were 325 and up. The 325 was a runt lil heifer that looked awful poor. Good babies were 400 plus again today. Right off the cow.
Here's a pic or two of before she started bagging....
View attachment 39399View attachment 39400View attachment 39401

And now....
View attachment 39403
Edited....
She went home today with her two calves. We got some arctic air a coming and there's a barn and plenty of trees for shelter. The 2 have bonded well and she's attentive to both. She's turning into a real sweetheart of a cow
Click to expand...
I believe you said already but I'm too lazy to read back through the thread when I can just ask, is she Hereford x Jersey?
 
I mentioned in my thread about having a grandkid on the way that my son and daughter-in-law were wanting to move on our farm. They plan to homeschool their kids and her be a stay at home mom, she was raised that way as she is 1 of 8 kids, they milked cows and such to make money. She wants to do the same and wants to get some Jerseys. I'm not sure if she would really want to have to milk twice a day everyday so I was thinking maybe I could buy the cows and let them raise 2 calves at a time and her milk the cows as well and us work out a deal on her raising the calves for me and she could keep all of the milk and sell what she wants to of it, that way if for some reason she couldn't milk that day the calves could have it all. @MurraysMutts and @farmerjan would that work? Would 2 calves on a Jersey be enough if she was getting milked most of the time? Sorry to hijack your thread Murray, just thought I could insert this quick question in here since it was on topic.
 
Little Joe said:
I believe you said already but I'm too lazy to read back through the thread when I can just ask, is she Hereford x Jersey?
Click to expand...
Well...
She came in with a bunch of holsteins. Wish I could've talked to the owners.

the consensus here is she is jersey/hereford
Little Joe said:
I mentioned in my thread about having a grandkid on the way that my son and daughter-in-law were wanting to move on our farm. They plan to homeschool their kids and her be a stay at home mom, she was raised that way as she is 1 of 8 kids, they milked cows and such to make money. She wants to do the same and wants to get some Jerseys. I'm not sure if she would really want to have to milk twice a day everyday so I was thinking maybe I could buy the cows and let them raise 2 calves at a time and her milk the cows as well and us work out a deal on her raising the calves for me and she could keep all of the milk and sell what she wants to of it, that way if for some reason she couldn't milk that day the calves could have it all. @MurraysMutts and @farmerjan would that work? Would 2 calves on a Jersey be enough if she was getting milked most of the time? Sorry to hijack your thread Murray, just thought I could insert this quick question in here since it was on topic.
Click to expand...
I'm sure it would work just fine!
@Double R Ranch is doing similar.
They have a thread about their cow under the milk section I think.
 
I think that red/white might be a holstein/hereford or a jer/hol/hereford. Had a few hereford/hol crosses that were red and white... if the holstein has any red in her genetics they come out red... and if there is any cross with some jersey in it, then the brindle almost always comes out. So the possibility of her dam having been a hol/jer and then bred by a hereford would give you a calf like her coloring. There are also some dairyman that did some crossing with Swedish and Norwegian Reds and Montebeliards... the Mont crosses almost always gave some of the brindle color and they milk good, stay fat on pasture, and had good butterfat... why there weren't more that used it, I don't know. That is my preference for a cross on Holsteins... But the Swedish reds and the Norwegian reds gave some brindling too...Least favorite cross is a jersey/holstein..... like the jersey/guernsey crosses.

@Little Joe ; that would probably work with the jersey(s)... all depending on how good they milked and that is something you/she would just have to figure out as the cow was fresh and making milk. I like 3 calves on a cow most time if she is pure dairy... not an angus or hereford or beef cross to where she is half dairy/half beef... they handle 2 calves usually very well..
It also depends on the amount and QUALITY of the hay and how much grain the cow is getting. I pushed mine a bit when I was trying to get 6-8 calves a lactation off a cow, 8-12 weeks and switching them out one at a time so that the cow never had to get used to 3 on and then off and 3 new ones... you switch out the biggest for a smaller one gradually... so the newest one does not get too much all at once... and the other bigger ones can take up some slack in the beginning.. it was like a well orchestrated dance in the barn when I was doing that... but I raised alot of calves on the cows back then... Now I just get 2 or 3 established on them and let them raise them out to weaning as it is easier... and the calves really get some growth... if she is milking once a day then the calves will get to stay with the cow 12 hours and off for 12 so she can milk...or whatever schedule she sets....12/12, 11/13, 10/14 .... what she wants.... then turn the calves back in... it might work out better for her with a new baby too, to only milk once a day... the cow will hold the milk a little when first doing it as she wants the calves, but they soon get used to the routine... keep it consistent... even if she is not going to milk one whole day for some reason, the cow should still get brought in and given her normal grain/alfalfa hay/ or whatever she would get while milking... then let her back out with the calves.. I would think that 3 would be better if she is feeding any grain or good hay... I used to feed some grain and give the nurse cows some alfalfa hay in the bunk that they would clean up.... they had decent free choice hay out in the field in a roll... but the high quality/ better protein/nutritional hay in the bunk... they were in for about an hour total from coming in, to getting milked and finishing up the hay... I had the hay in there before I brought them in so they could work on it and then as I got to each one to milk, I would give them grain in front of them... then they could go back to finish up the hay when I went to the next one. It was the routine that really made the difference.... they all had neck chains and got clipped to a short chain at their place in the barn as there are always "pigs" that want to get all they can and push the less aggressive ones out to steal their grain... or even their hay even when there is the same stuff in front of them... so they all got clipped to stay in place... Stanchions would have been better but never could get son to get them put up for me.... lots of things would have made it easier, but there was never time to "do for mom" when I asked... still hasn't changed... now I hire it done because I am not going to wait years for something... I am getting too old and will be dead before he gets to some things... it gets "old" waiting on promises to be kept...
The road to he// is paved with good intentions... I am tired of "good intentions" that never materialize. There are other things that are good, but sometimes I wonder what it would like to be near the top of the list for things that need doing...
 
That brahma cross I got a while back is super puffy back there. Shouldn't be along for a bit tho. No bag yet. Pregged to be due in March. Maybe end of February. We all know how accurate some folks arms are tho. Much prefer an ultrasound!
20240123_175744.jpg
Super excited to see what's she's carrying!

There's Dapples adopted heifer too..
 
Got a couple animals today.
My first ever char/angus. Smokey bull calf. Now sporting a green cheerio. He's a fiesty lil guy. Almost escaped the chute. So I worked him in the alley. He was so cute trying to be a big manly bull ramming me and what not. I got them nads tho!

Mama is an 8 year old20240201_151712.jpg
20240201_151635.jpg
This lil hereford heifer is 160lbs coming off a bottle. Eating feed well the gal said.
Undecided on straight weaning or cutting her to an evening bottle and morning feed.
Lil mouse ears...
20240201_155847.jpg20240201_155931.jpg
 
She was hollaring her head off this evening. Didn't take much to convince her I'm a cool dude and she downed a bottle like nothing. I had to guy buy a bag of milk! Sheesh.....
20240202_175421.jpg
She eats anything ya put in front of her!
Glad I've got still got some super premium square bales left! Has eaten all the feed I've given her since I got her. She gonna be a pretty good one I think.
20240202_175837.jpg
I'll give her a few days to get used to me and then I'll get the brush out and clean her up. She's got kind of a shorthorn frosty hair coat. And LOTS of hair.
Also has near full pigment in both eyes. Something hereford breeders are trying hard to keep around. Supposed to help with pinkeye issues. Meh. Who knows..
 
MurraysMutts said:
She was hollaring her head off this evening. Didn't take much to convince her I'm a cool dude and she downed a bottle like nothing. I had to guy buy a bag of milk! Sheesh.....
View attachment 40399
She eats anything ya put in front of her!
Glad I've got still got some super premium square bales left! Has eaten all the feed I've given her since I got her. She gonna be a pretty good one I think.
View attachment 40400
I'll give her a few days to get used to me and then I'll get the brush out and clean her up. She's got kind of a shorthorn frosty hair coat. And LOTS of hair.
Also has near full pigment in both eyes. Something hereford breeders are trying hard to keep around. Supposed to help with pinkeye issues. Meh. Who knows..
Click to expand...
She looks pretty skinny under all that hair.
 
Travlr said:
She looks pretty skinny under all that hair.
Click to expand...
I agree. Not near as thin as some I've had tho. I'm kind of surprised really. The gal who sold her takes pretty good care.

I've been accused of maybe spoiling a bit here. I'll get some wormer in her and yall know she will sure get plenty to eat!

I'm gonna keep her on one bottle in the evening. And feed in the morning and evening as well as that premium Bermuda hay to nibble on thru the day. She will come along I think.
 
Dapple seems to be holding up ok raising 2 babies with hay and cubes 3 times a week.
20240203_113033.jpg
And her calves are doing well!
20240203_112314.jpg20240203_112300.jpg
New girls char steer. Pretty good calf really!
20240203_112251.jpg
Lil shorty no tag. Just been calling her shorty. Shes 4 months bred. Should calve soon! They missed her by a mile. I've come to expect that from the arm that check em at that place. 😆
Shes a nice little cow. About 900lbs or so. Bred to a black bull.
20240203_113026.jpg
O yeah. Almost forgot this ol gal. They called her 8yo. She's filled out nicely. Ain't really due til next month sometime. Larger cow with a lot of capacity. Can't seem to get a good pic of her for some reason.
20240203_113423.jpg20240203_113430.jpg
No idea what she's bred to.
 

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