New calving season

[lithuanian farmer]

Getting quite a nice group of cattle.
I agree on BW - I like the 80-95# range myself. Rare (very rare) to have one under 70#.

Yup, very happy with the AI group. Now on grass, calves started "blooming".
Ideal BW for me is ~90lbs for heifers, 100lbs for cows. They sure can calve bigger calves unassisted, but these weights are the safest. Not afraid to challenge some cows if I know that they can handle it well. You never know what can go wrong, but small BW isn't 100% safe either.

Have found that one AI station has a nice looking simmental bull's straws. Really like the way he looks. He has 121lbs BW thought. His numbers shows that he'll add some growth and his daughters will be easy calving. I'm quite tempted to try him out on 2-3 easiest calving cows...

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Just a month since cows went out on grass, but it sure made a great impact for calves.
Here are some:
This one is looking better almost every day. It was a good decision to use his sire for his dam. I had a feeling that it should make an excellent cross.

Elder bull calves walking with cow inheat.

Two weeks old heifer. She'll be a nice one in the future. Four daughters from her dam are already in the herd.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Those are "your money making kind". Very impressive muscling. Nothing "I" would like in my herd for a female, but everyone has to admire those butts!!! Really growing leaps & bounds!

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Those are "your money making kind". Very impressive muscling. Nothing "I" would like in my herd for a female, but everyone has to admire those butts!!! Really growing leaps & bounds!

Thanks. I don't want something too extreme as a cow, but I'm sure what I'd consider perfect for many it wouldn't be suitable for breeding. Sure, double muscled cattle have very big risk at calving. I'm not against having them in the herd, as long as cows can calve well without c-section. Even if we can keep a closer eye on them at the calving time, I don't want any which would struggle to calve a normal size calf.
That one cow, on the left in the pic with elder calves, is 1st calver. She looks very impressive in reality, pure muscle beast. Her first calf weighed 97lbs and she needed some assistance. She has grown alot now and she should have her second calf from an easy calving AI limousine bull. If she won't have trouble, she should stay for quite a while. But I wouldn't want to have many like her. She carries alot of risk.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Yes, females with heavy muscling tend to be "tight" in the birth canal. Always potential problem.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

The new family should return to the herd tomorrow. Calf has no problem nursing a cow and the new "mom" is calling and licking the calf. Seems that both have bonded well and we'll have less work to do. Will take a pic when both will be with the herd. It's nice to see them doing well.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Congrats. That is always a great feeling!

 

[lithuanian farmer]

The new family has returned to the herd. Both knows each other well and cow is very attentive. Both are happy to be out in the field again.

The heifer has challenged every calf! :lol:

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

such a great site & feeling, knowing you "fixed' a problem. Good job.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

such a great site & feeling, knowing you "fixed' a problem. Good job.

Yes, and it actually were two problems. A cow without calf and an extra calf without her own dam. Sure a nice feeling... For both...

 

[Nesikep]

such a great site & feeling, knowing you "fixed' a problem. Good job.

Yes, and it actually were two problems. A cow without calf and an extra calf without her own dam. Sure a nice feeling... For both...

and it's really nice if you don't have to fight for that to happen

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Just a couple random pictures while waiting for a few summer calves. One charolais calf is due in 5 days(285days).

Girls sure not very happy about the dry grass and heat, but they look pretty decent. The yellow is nursing a fine heifer from a herd bull and been AI'd with Charolais. The white is dry at the moment and due with Blonde calf in August. The third one is the one, which didn't had milk after calving and her calf now is with another cow. She put on more weight and been AI'd with Blonde recently.

Just chilling...

5 months old charx bull calf with his 10yo charxdairy dam. He should wean at a pretty good weight. AI'd his dam with Charolais again.

5months old Piedmontesex heifer. She actually was inheat yesterday... Thankfully no bull in the herd at the moment, just young bull calves. However, still wrote down the date of her heat and will watch her on the next term.

And here is the newest formed family. Heifer started putting on more weight and she is a little tank now.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Just said that we're still waiting for calves... Just found a newborn charolaisx bull calf this afternoon. Calved unassisted, the 3rd calf for the cow, ~95lbs.

So far have 5 bulls and only one heifer from Charolais... That's what happens when you want more heifers...

 

[gcreekrch]

Why would you rebreed a cow that didn't milk?

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Why would you rebreed a cow that didn't milk?

She had milk with her two first calves. With this one she didn't. I assume she had some malfunction with her body. She had many falls heats last fall and complicated calving. If she won't be back to normal with her next calf she'll be gone.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

She would have been gone after no milk incidence.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

A video from today. She is a very nice girl.

[media]https://youtu.be/SqbO5SWCZFA[/media]

 

[lithuanian farmer]

She would have been gone after no milk incidence.

We'll cull quite many cows this year, so trying to avoid any unnecessary culling. If she'll breed back she'll stay until she'll make another mistake. This time her calf hasn't added much of extra work and actually was very helpful.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Very impressed with the last Charolais calf. He's just 11days old, but how nice he looks... Can't await to see him after a couple months.

Heifer doing a nice job with her first calf. Calf is 3.5months old. Heifer should be back incalf from AI. She's not the prettiest one, but I'd like to have a whole group like her.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Just an ordinary day...
[media]https://youtu.be/1VeD9x8NtsE[/media]

And her calf using my leg for her own pleasure :lol: