Backbone Ranch
Well-known member
It has been relatively dry here for the past 6 weeks or so. We got no substantial rain in February, but we have been blessed to get an inch of rain this week with more in the forecast for Sunday. The grass was starting to green up, but was not very tall. It should really start growing here in the next handful of weeks. Calving season started for us on February 24th this year, even though the first calf was not officially due till March 3rd. So far, we have 10 bull calves and 7 heifer calves on the ground with 11 more to go. Three of the bull calves and two of the heifers are AI sired and the remainder are sired by our herd bull, BB Uncle Tony. I thought that I would share some photos of the first calves of the year for us.
701 Bull- Pictured here at 18 days of age. He was 80 lbs at birth and is sired by BB Uncle Tony.
704 Heifer- Pictured here at 13 days of age. She was 84 lbs at birth and is sired by Balmoral Elation, an Australian bull that was born in the late 1970s. This heifer's mother is a full sibling to our herd bull, BB Uncle Tony, and comes from a line of very productive cows. I am excited to see how she grows out. She is quite docile and is already coming up to me in the pasture and allows me to scratch her behind the ears.
707 Bull- This bull calf is pictured at 17 days of age. He too is sired by Tony and was 78 lbs at birth. His dam is a 9 year old cow who has produced some great calves in the past. I am really excited to see how he grows out.
708 Heifer- This heifer is just 8 days old. She is out of our biggest cow who consistently throws heavier calves. This is another Tony calf, but she was 100 lbs at birth at 288 days gestation. Last year, when bred to a different bull, her mother had a 98 lb heifer. I really like the femininity and thickness that this heifer is already showing.
709 Bull- This bull is another calf sired by Balmoral Elation. He was 82 lbs at birth, and is already growing faster than the other calves. He is pictured here at 17 days of age.
710 Heifer- This heifer is a daughter of Tony, pictured at 5 days of age. She had a 68 lb birth weight and is out of an 11 year old cow. We have retained both of her full siblings from the past two years, one of which, will be our heifer bull and potential herd sire.
And for reference, Balmoral Elation and BB Uncle Tony are show below. Balmoral Elation is the top bull and is pictured at 3 years of age, weighing in at 2,660 lbs. Tony is the second bull and is pictured as a 4 year old. This photo was taken last May.
701 Bull- Pictured here at 18 days of age. He was 80 lbs at birth and is sired by BB Uncle Tony.
704 Heifer- Pictured here at 13 days of age. She was 84 lbs at birth and is sired by Balmoral Elation, an Australian bull that was born in the late 1970s. This heifer's mother is a full sibling to our herd bull, BB Uncle Tony, and comes from a line of very productive cows. I am excited to see how she grows out. She is quite docile and is already coming up to me in the pasture and allows me to scratch her behind the ears.
707 Bull- This bull calf is pictured at 17 days of age. He too is sired by Tony and was 78 lbs at birth. His dam is a 9 year old cow who has produced some great calves in the past. I am really excited to see how he grows out.
708 Heifer- This heifer is just 8 days old. She is out of our biggest cow who consistently throws heavier calves. This is another Tony calf, but she was 100 lbs at birth at 288 days gestation. Last year, when bred to a different bull, her mother had a 98 lb heifer. I really like the femininity and thickness that this heifer is already showing.
709 Bull- This bull is another calf sired by Balmoral Elation. He was 82 lbs at birth, and is already growing faster than the other calves. He is pictured here at 17 days of age.
710 Heifer- This heifer is a daughter of Tony, pictured at 5 days of age. She had a 68 lb birth weight and is out of an 11 year old cow. We have retained both of her full siblings from the past two years, one of which, will be our heifer bull and potential herd sire.
And for reference, Balmoral Elation and BB Uncle Tony are show below. Balmoral Elation is the top bull and is pictured at 3 years of age, weighing in at 2,660 lbs. Tony is the second bull and is pictured as a 4 year old. This photo was taken last May.
