Think she will make milk?

[MurraysMutts]

Here we go. They be bonded now..

Poor lil red ain't got a clue...

Don't wanna fool with chuting Bessie and trying to force this calf. I think I'm gonna try a bottle til she's following me nice. Then reintroduce...
I usually get calves that still have a dry umbilical. They are just so much easier to handle.
We will see how the day goes

 

[Lee VanRoss]

Here we go. They be bonded now..
View attachment 13479
Poor lil red ain't got a clue...
View attachment 13480
Don't wanna fool with chuting Bessie and trying to force this calf. I think I'm gonna try a bottle til she's following me nice. Then reintroduce...
I usually get calves that still have a dry umbilical. They are just so much easier to handle.
We will see how the day goes

I have always appreciated those who had time for the less fortunate. Keep up the Good Works!

 

[puzzled in oregon]

Here we go. They be bonded now..
View attachment 13479
Poor lil red ain't got a clue...
View attachment 13480
Don't wanna fool with chuting Bessie and trying to force this calf. I think I'm gonna try a bottle til she's following me nice. Then reintroduce...
I usually get calves that still have a dry umbilical. They are just so much easier to handle.
We will see how the day goes

Scottish Highlander or Highlander x ?

 

[MurraysMutts]

Scottish Highlander or Highlander x ?

Funny you should mention that! I've been trying to figure out what she is. The other calves in her group were mostly black. But there was one red that was 250lbs or so. She looked similar.

The story I got was, the small ones were off first calf heifers that weren't making much milk. But heck they were all thin and hard calves. None of em appeared to be getting much milk!

I'll check for horn buds when I get her started on the bottle tonight. One of the bigger black calves in her group looked like a nice black blaze faced Simi but with pretty good horns coming on already.

 

[MurraysMutts]

@puzzled in oregon I'm just as puzzled as you... shorthorn mix maybe? Heck, who knows!
Smooth polled. No horn buds. She likes hay!
This pic shows her lack of milk. She needs milk!

 

[puzzled in oregon]

@puzzled in oregon I'm just as puzzled as you... shorthorn mix maybe? Heck, who knows!
Smooth polled. No horn buds. She likes hay!
This pic shows her lack of milk. She needs milk!
View attachment 13494

She will be getting good square meals now

 

[Hpacres440p]

@puzzled in oregon I'm just as puzzled as you... shorthorn mix maybe? Heck, who knows!
Smooth polled. No horn buds. She likes hay!
This pic shows her lack of milk. She needs milk!
View attachment 13494

I just can't fathom how someone who took the time to tag a calf could let it (and apparently a lot of others) get so poor. There's a guy down the road from me, probably has 20 pair on 15 acres of pool-table grass. All cows are tagged (not that it means diddly). He rolls out a bale or two daily, and the cows look like walking spines. He's on the main highway, I know the sheriff goes by regularly and can see the condition. Just don't know what purpose a starved herd serves.

 

[MurraysMutts]

I just can't fathom how someone who took the time to tag a calf could let it (and apparently a lot of others) get so poor. There's a guy down the road from me, probably has 20 pair on 15 acres of pool-table grass. All cows are tagged (not that it means diddly). He rolls out a bale or two daily, and the cows look like walking spines. He's on the main highway, I know the sheriff goes by regularly and can see the condition. Just don't know what purpose a starved herd serves.

That's my tag. I work em all at the sale barn b4 they come home. I don't have a chute, and the barn allows me to use it to work bought animals.
None of the calves had tags from that group.
But I certainly understand what your saying.

I'm pretty much running at full capacity now. The kool thing is this, my calf crop will sell soon. Debating selling a couple older colored cows, and moving these projects to spring grass after it comes on. Let em graze and sell in the fall. Should be in really good shape by then.

Pretty sure Big Sexy has everyone bred over there btw

 

[MurraysMutts]

Ope! I like pictures!
Mr. FORD just had to have some scratches!

Bessie just had to get up and come tell me about it! What the heck you doing to MY baby!

 

[MurraysMutts]

One more and I'll quit padding my post count for the night...
There's that white udder I was talking about !
Bound to be oodles and gobs of milk in a couple years!

Well look at that! I got back in time to edit and add this!

That belly is happy now!!
Shes been eating creep feed and hay today too. And STILL took a bottle with a minimum amount of trouble...

O yeah!
Shes quit that incessant bawling too!

 

[Cattlelow]

I love a happy ending or beginning in this case.

 

[MurraysMutts]

The plan is to get her taking a bottle well, and following me good.
Then I can shove her under Bessie when she ain't looking!

Otherwise she's gonna be a bottle calf and pet for a while.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Dear Diary,

Gonna have to see how things go here. These 2 calves are tugging on Bessie pretty good! I can tell they are not emptying her but they dang sure work on it. She's fully accepted both as hers. Gets a lil huffy when I go to pet Mr. FORD.
All mooing at him/me n stuff...
And lil Val! My GAWD she's cute! Slender lil thing just like all of Dicks calves have been. But they seem to grow pretty nicely. And she's got ears! I was hoping for just a lil more ear, but I'll just have to accept it.

The lil red bought heifer is eating feed and hay pretty dang good. I got that bottle in her last night, almost a full bottle. No bottle this morning.
Tonight she only took half a bottle. (Obviously whoever her mother was, had very little milk) But her tummy was full! She's been eating good all day apparently. Gave her a flake of hay and half a scoop of feed. It's mostly gone. I really wanted to let Bessie have her, but I think she may do just fine on feed and hay.

 

[puzzled in oregon]

@puzzled in oregon I'm just as puzzled as you... shorthorn mix maybe? Heck, who knows!
Smooth polled. No horn buds. She likes hay!
This pic shows her lack of milk. She needs milk!
View attachment 13494

My Highland cow always had polled calves from angus, only had one with horns from the shorthorn (others were polled), Swiss cross had horns, Hereford cross was polled

 

[farmerjan]

Sometimes when a calf has been shortchanged on milk because the cow didn't have much, and they get to eating hay and feed good, trying to get them to go back on milk causes problems. The true stomach that absorbs and processes milk will shrink as the calf starts to eat other feed and the microbes for the rumen develop. To try to "go backwards" to milk may cause more "stomach" upsets. If they do it on their own that is one thing. The best quality feed is better for them at this point if they are eating good. There will always be some "stunting" but they will do better going forward if they just get plenty of good quality protein in the feed. Not saying that offering milk isn't good, but just don't expect them to go back to being a milk fed baby... this calf is probably older than you think, and has been surviving on the solid feed it is eating.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Sometimes when a calf has been shortchanged on milk because the cow didn't have much, and they get to eating hay and feed good, trying to get them to go back on milk causes problems. The true stomach that absorbs and processes milk will shrink as the calf starts to eat other feed and the microbes for the rumen develop. To try to "go backwards" to milk may cause more "stomach" upsets. If they do it on their own that is one thing. The best quality feed is better for them at this point if they are eating good. There will always be some "stunting" but they will do better going forward if they just get plenty of good quality protein in the feed. Not saying that offering milk isn't good, but just don't expect them to go back to being a milk fed baby... this calf is probably older than you think, and has been surviving on the solid feed it is eating.

Thanks Jan!
Shes a good little eater!
I said heck with milk, and am feeding her 14% creep and 9% honey grain. Kinda like a high grain sweet feed.
And fresh Square bale flakes.

I think she is gonna do just fine too. Seems pretty happy/content. And tummy seems good. She got a lil loose after a couple evening bottles so I quit. Seems to be processing feed/hay well

 

[MurraysMutts]

Couple updates..
Lil red will go out with my feeder fishies this weekend. The black one seems to be getting the hang of it already now that he ain't bawling so much for mama. Red has settled down on the bawling too.
So! Bessie only has the 2 for now.

That may change in the morning! Ellie Moo's baby will be in there with Bessie and Val n Mr. Ford.
He's out of the bathtub (by himself) and seems pretty vigorous/thrifty now...
I havnt decided exactly what I wanna do. So plans may change by the minute.
In the mean time.... he's no longer a bathtub baby. I'll update a lil in the other thread as well for continuity

 

[Hereford2]

Love the pictures!

 

[MurraysMutts]

So Bessie ended up with 3 after all.
Just gonna drop this here, Toodles the bathtub bull calf is hers now. He's out of Ricky from the "brahma cross bull prospect" thread.
As long as we have no more issues, Bessie is good. I think 4 calves is too much. But 3 will suffice.
Can u imagine this lil bull breeding cows with his tongue like that??


He got banded yesterday...

 

[MurraysMutts]

Allllll snuggly