Smallest calf yet!

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

We had a cow calve tonight...
She is a half blood Upgrade cow, Stocky bought her first calf, a really nice bull that was 68 pounds at birth and 689 pounds at weaning at 6 months (he is a 3/4 blood), he is running on White Park cows. Her second calf is in our show string, a May that was 58 pounds at birth, 686 pounds at weaning and is now 954 pounds (not quite a year old yet, a double half blood)). The calf she had today, was sired by our Steel Force embryo bull we have pictured here often. I have recorded that she was bred to him on 7/29, then again 18 days later on 8/16. So, she is either 280 days gestation by todays date, or 261 days gestation. This calf is vigorous, sucking, and doing great. I brought the cow up, thinking there was a twin, since she was just 44 pounds, but there is not another calf in there! No signs of being a preemie. Her hair is normal length, and she is up and running. Her heifer calf last year was small, and the cow had her standing up. This one we saw right after she was born, she had not sucked yet and was wet. So I know there was not a twin.
So, this cow has small calves, and raises them big! But, was this a really early calf or did the cow have a false heat the second time around? Either way, I am happy for a healthy heifer calf. This was the last calf out of our Steel Force bull we raised from an embryo. For us, he produced 8 heifer calves and one bull. We sold two bred heifers, and both of those heifers had bulls (Inyati bought one). All of his calves looked good. I am glad we used him before he left, and I still have 50 straws of semen from him in my tank to use. I am just surprised we got so many heifers!

After bringing her up and weighing her...

 

[branguscowgirl]

Wow she is tiny! Glad all is well.
Nice cow!

 

[torogmc81]

Wow! Congrats.

In the second picture .... if you didn't know the back story someone might think either that cow is freaking massive or that calf is tiny :lol2:

 

[inyati13]

And that would be Mulan. BTW: She is a big cow even by my standards. Kris tell the story on that ugly udder. Otherwise users will assume it is genetic.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

And that would be Mulan. BTW: She is a big cow even by my standards. Kris tell the story on that ugly udder. Otherwise users will assume it is genetic.

Not an ugly udder by most standards, but my standard is high on our Simmental girls. Her front teats are a little big at the top, which is because, as a heifer calf (long yearling), she was being sucked on by a calf we had just weaned, unbeknownst to us until we took Mulan (this cow) to the state fair to show. While at state fair, she kept bawling like she was missing a herd-mate. We could not figure out what was wrong with her, since we knew she was bred and not in heat. 12 hours after our arrival, I noticed her udder filling, and she was still bawling. 24 hours later, her udder looked like a cow that was getting ready to calf! Come to find out, she was allowing the recently weaned heifer to suck on her, and she developed milk! So her teats, just when she gets ready to calf, get big at the top, from being sucked when she was dry. That tiny little heifer calf has no problems getting the teats in her mouth, and her entire face fits into my hand! I am going to reweigh the calf tonight before I kick her out... she does NOT look 44 pounds, nor feel it. The kids weighed the calf while I was keeping Mulan busy, since she is acting very protective with the calf.
Guess what the kids named this new little girl? Cinco de Maya! Since she was born on May 5th, and they are calling her Maya for short... I thought that was pretty cute. She was up and running this morning, so I will let her back out with the herd tonight once I get home from work.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

An updated pic of the new little heifer tonight, Maya:

We kicked the cow back out, since it seems the calf is doing just fine. She walks for a bit, then lays down and sleeps. Not as active as most calves, and I will keep a close eye on her for heat issues, since she is so small and it has gotten warm out here. Here is a pic of the cow's udder tonight, her teats have been sucked down just fine.

Not a bad udder.... especially since the little calf is using it just fine!

 

[Till-Hill]

Kris is approval for AI as expensive as DNA for donor cow? I sent for card other day and it's expensive! I wanted to collect bull of ours this year but jez asa gets a nice cut of that pie just to keep an eye on us!

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Kris is approval for AI as expensive as DNA for donor cow? I sent for card other day and it's expensive! I wanted to collect bull of ours this year but jez asa gets a nice cut of that pie just to keep an eye on us!

I ran a donor a few years ago, $95 if I remember correctly. You would think a bull would be the same? What bull are you collecting? It gets expensive doing that also, with all the blood tests and such they have to do one the bull before they can collect him. It is a wonder they can make money on semen at $25 a straw,..

 

[Till-Hill]

Kris is approval for AI as expensive as DNA for donor cow? I sent for card other day and it's expensive! I wanted to collect bull of ours this year but jez asa gets a nice cut of that pie just to keep an eye on us!

I ran a donor a few years ago, $95 if I remember correctly. You would think a bull would be the same? What bull are you collecting? It gets expensive doing that also, with all the blood tests and such they have to do one the bull before they can collect him. It is a wonder they can make money on semen at $25 a straw,..

I want to say that's what donor was but bull we can get collected for $2.50/straw. It's probably a good thing ASA makes us DNA a bull even for in herd use but if that's $95 too and I only wanted 50 straws like you it makes it start to get spendy.