Our Spring bulls and some calves

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

We have been super busy over here, but I thought I would take a few minutes to post some pictures. We are actively calving, and except one recip (who is cystic), all fall calvers are well past 42 days bred now, and I am excited about our matings!
This first picture is a January 3/4 blood bull, sired by Built Right and out of a Macho dam. We weighed him last week, 1340 pounds! He is a tank...

This is an embryo March born bull calf, sired by Macho, purebred. He has not been weighed... but I am guessing over 1000 already, or pretty close!

Here they are side by side on the hill..

This is an October bull calf, sired by Monopoly (so half blood) out of our good Built Right cow. We weighed him a few weeks ago, 360 pounds. Not bad for 90 days and only on milk!

This is a favorite of mine, an HPF Optimizer sired heifer calf, out of a Steel Force first calf heifer. Her dam just turned two this month (January), and is 42 days bred to American Pride and raising this November born heifer calf.

This is a December half blood, sired by Final Cut and his dam is a Pioneer angus cow

A May 5/8 blood heifer, with LockNLoad as her grandsire (Aubry Black Blaze in there also)

Another 5/8, this one is a Feb born sired by Shockforce, embryo heifer, dam is HPRP LadyPrime. She is a little early maturing for me, I hope she grows some more.

Another February purebred, sired by Mo Better and her dam is a Lucky Dice x Hummer cow

This one we will have to DNA, because two straws of semen were used in the flush, but she is an October embryo, either Built Right or Combustible sired heifer out of a Macho cow. I am guessing she is a Combustible... We have another embryo from the same flush that looks more like a Built RIght.

I'll upload some more maybe later... but thought I would share what is on my computer right now. We are pretty happy with our calves.... We have been blessed.

 

[jscunn]

awesome as usual

 

[uplandnut]

they look good.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Thanks!

We weighed the spring heifers yesterday, and I am pretty impressed!
They May 5/8 blood with the white face above was 870 pounds
the Feb 5/8 blood pictured was 790 pounds (she is early maturing, and one of the smallest in the group)
The Feb Mo Better heifer was 950 pounds
Our biggest was a March purebred at 990 pounds, the rest were 800 or higher.

This is our steer for the carcass contest this year. We participate every year with a home bred steer. This steer is a March born steer, out of a three year old and an embryo bull we raised and sold. Inyeti had a calf by that bull this year that brought him the most money at the sale barn, and several of our spring heifers are sired by him (I collected semen on him, wish I would have gotten more).
Anyway, he weighed in at 840 pounds, large frame, 1 muscle, 5.0 frame score. Here is his picture today:

He is smaller framed right now, with a huge rib cage on him. It will be fun to see how he grows and finishes out compared to the other steers.

 

[Craig Miller]

Looking good as always

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Both of those spring bulls loaded on a trailer this week, now residing in KS. I have no bulls around now, which is nice. They tend to get destructive as they hit the yearling age bracket since they have nothing to do. I took them in on Friday to get the BSE and both passed with flying colors (13 months and 11 months). Again, a Craigslist sale. I have good luck there.
We branded all the spring calves last week, which is always a fun family event.

Here is an updated picture of the October calf that sure is coming on.

We were really warm last week, enough to turn the grass green, but with no water since early January (a total of .31 so far this year), nothing will grow. Last night a cold front came through, dropped the temps back to freezing and left two tenths of an inch of rain... almost an insult but I will take it. I sure hope this is not a prelude as to what kind of Spring we are in for... it will be a crazy year to find hay for the next winter! :cry2:

 

[Jake]

Is the macho bull really that posty or is it just the picture?

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Is the macho bull really that posty or is it just the picture?

He is standing on the hill, so looks straighter than he actually is. If I was to change him, I would add more flex to his pasterns and hocks, but he is not bad. I will see if I can find a picture of him on level ground. Kind of hard in that pen... lol