New year- new season

[lithuanian farmer]

That little bull with the heifer momma is going to be a beast!

Hope so!

 

[lithuanian farmer]

It's a slow start here with the calving season. Had one more calf born a couple days ago. But now waiting for 13 calves in April, so there should be more movement this month.
Here's the newborn. Heifer by the same sire as the heifer's calf. Born at 288th day, mom is the 2nd calver, small, but calved unassisted, calf's bw was 92.5lbs. Pretty short legged, but very round calf.

Other two cows are due on the 5th of April. Heifers, which were synchronized last year will start calving at the end of the month.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Still 10 girls left to calve this month. Some already over their due date. They probably are waiting to calve on the same day!
Had three new calves born.
Limousinex bull calf, 108lbs bw. He had some serious trouble coming to this world.

Saw his dam like this since early morning, no pushing, tail down and calm, but no calf. Around midday decided to check if she even has calved and it appears that not... The calf was inside in the uterus and alive. After some work to move him closer to the outside had some job to pull him out without any pushing, but his dam stayed up all the time. It was the 3rd calf for her.

The calf wasn't very bright, managed to stand up on his own only the next day. Fed him with colostrum, and he finally started nursing on his two days later. Now he's doing really well.

Had the second cow calving at the same time as the first calf. Cow calved on her own with 128lbs heifer, which to my surprise was very strong and active since her first hours. She did have swollen head after birth, as her front part is very wide for a heifer, but thankfully she's alive and well.

That's her at 3days age.

Her dam actually got the second chance from us last year. It's her 4th calf this year. Last year she most likely had some issues with her health, so she wasn't able to calve 95lbs heifer, had retained placenta and had very little of milk, so had to put her calf on another cow. This year she seems fine and her calf is growing well.

Here's the third calf. Probably around 115lbs bull calf. Cow is 9years old, so no problem calving such calf.

Previously born limox heifer is looking well already.

 

[A.J.]

Nice looking calves. Good thing you were keeping an eye on them to help out.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Got more snow today and two new heifers were born.

283 and 288days gestations. Around 90lbs or so.
Three more cows should be calving any time now. Two are on the same gestations as these two and one on 286th day.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Took a better photo of the red heifer yesterday. No snow left by the evening.
The black girl seems to be around 90lbs, but this one is more likely to be ~100lbs. She's bigger and has more flesh on her. The mom is 2nd calver now, not loads of milk, but should be enough to grow a fine calf.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Three cows calving today almost at the same time. One has calved already with a small, not more than 88lbs bull calf, and other two are just metres away from her and doing their own work to deliver their calves.

9 days old bull calf, which had problems coming to this world. Seems that he'll be a true beauty.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Pics taken the next day new calves were born. From other two cows got charolaisx bull calf, over 110lbs, and shorthorn heifer, over 110lbs too. The first shorthorn calf for us ever and the only one, which was due this year too!

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Two new ones this morning. Both by piedmontese bull, one heifer- 281days gestation, one bull- 291days gestation. Both small calves.

 

[frieghttrain]

Very nice! It'll be exciting to watch them develop.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

The new one! Heifer born at 281st day out of second calver, maybe around 85lbs.

Several girls are preparing to calve already too.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Love that time of the year, when you get newborns almost everyday. Born today at 282nd day, from the second calver. She's one from few double muscled cows we have and has calved unassisted this year. Should be somewhere in 90-100lbs range.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Had 5 new calves born since the last post. 4 heifers and one bull calf. One morning have found three newborn heifers !

Here are the little ones. All sired by different sires of different breeds!

Limx bull calf, 282days gestation.

Three heifers from the same morning:

Blondex, mom is three years old and that's her 2nd calf, 284@.

Piedmontesex, mom is also three years old with her 2nd calf, 277@.

One I'm very happy about. Simmentalx heifer from our the easiest calving cow, which is 9 years old now, 281@.

The heifer from this morning. From my own cow. She had a bull calf from the same sire last year, but it was pretty big and dead. She took a heifer calf, which mom didn't had any milk and raised as her own very well. Took the risk and used the same bull in hope for a heifer and we succeeded! 284@

 

[lithuanian farmer]

This year all calves except for one are sired by AI bulls and have to admit that it seems to be one of the strongest group of calves we've ever had. Many promising heifers are growing and bull calves are showing good growth and shape. And I know that there still will be some strong calves born soon. Here are just a couple young ones:

Blondex and limx heifers, one month old.

Blondex heifer, 20 days old.

10 days old limx bull calf.

With his mom.

Later will take more pics of other calves. All were sleeping this morning...
Almost all cows have calved unassisted this year. Had to assist only one heifer with a backward bull calf and one second calver, which had the first water bag out, but no more straining or any calving activity for several hours were seen, so had to interfere.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Long waited charolais heifer! Finally! Only three from 12 AI charolais calves are heifers...
This cow is 10 years old and already have her four daughters in the herd. Good family...

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Here are some photos of calves growing. Very nice group and very promising one.

Here's the one, which had trouble being born. Worth every effort. Almost 2.5 months old.

Very nice 2 months old Piedmontese cross bull calf.

Very plain heifer with her 4 months old calf. Doing a pretty good job, the calf has a nice shape too.

3.5 months old bull calf. His dam is already 2 months incalf with another calf.

Two lovely heifers, both around 1.5months old.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Some other calves.

The youngest calf from the herd yet. Simmentalx heifer.

An accidentcalf. Dairyx heifer.

This heifer is a tank.

A bit of an exotic cross, by Gasconne bull. Lovely bull calf.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Finished calving for now a couple days ago. Will have some rest until the end of December.

The last boy.

This year calves are looking nice. Going to have some very strong replacement candidates and nice bulls for fattening.

Six months old gasconnex heifer from limxcharx cow behind her, Looks promising. Mom is 9years old and going strong, very easy calver, always does everything by herself, but very gentle by nature. Have her two daughters as cows, and one last year born heifer will be left as replacement.

Really like this heifer.

Parthenaisex heifer from the first calver, 4 months old.

Really like the bull calf on the right. He's from the first calver, 3 months old. His mom was AI bred again one month after calving this year. Seems that she'll make a fine cow.

6 months old limx bull calf, from very plain first calver. My mom was very sceptical about this heifer, but I insisted to keep her, as her mom was an extremely easy calver. You could give her any bull and she would calve without any bother.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Here's a pic of our recent bull doing some clean up job after AI. This year all except one calf are from AI, next year there should be half of AI and half from the bull.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Love the silver white face !
And that parthenaise is really kool!