Erik Ks farmer

Well-known Member
The first calf of 2013 arrived safely into my arms about 4:30 this afternoon, 1st calf heifer. Wife and I got her in the head gate and I got ahold of the feet, my first time pulling one. No sweat, healthy heifer. Have them bedded down in the calving shed now. The last pic shows the fall calvers


15021.jpg
15022.jpg
 
Erik,
Glad the cow and calf are doing well. Nice looking cattle you have there too. I miss having the cows and calves around. I was too small operator to make a go of it. Now I just feed out weaned calves to market weight. Good luck with the rest of calving season 2013.
Kow Farmer (Kurt)
 
looks like the mothers instincts are right on.nice looking heifer.how many do you have to calve out?looks like the heifer should have ample milk for her baby.keep up the good work.
 
Nice caslf!
It"s always nice to get the heifers calved out.How many more to go? I haven"t started yet. Got about three more weeksto go, but only three first calvers this year.
 
The snowstorm brought it on. Or it seemed to be that way when we had stock cows. I was always amazed at how tough a little calf is. If mamma can get it licked off and dried it's good to go in cold weather. Jim
 

Tin was keeping the truck warm. Have 30 spring calvers, 11 of which are heifers. Funny you mention that, Jim, the last 3 years the first spring calf has been born in a snow storm.


15023.jpg
 
I have a 11 year old female blue heeler. She's a great dog. She was a handful when she was young but she had lots of competition from the older big dogs. It's just her now so she's always coming to me for attention. Do you have a hard time keeping him away from the cattle. Ozzy pushes anything or anybody that's in front of her.

About calving, a farmer friend of mine that use to have cattle told me once if you feed in the morning they calve at night and if you feed at night they calve in the morning. Another thing he told me was a full moon will make them calve early. Does this sound true.
 
One axiom of raising beef that I have found holds true. After many births around here, a good many of them arrive during the worst weather imaginable- rain, snow or hurricane. I hypothicize it has to do with a low pressure system causing the calf to be sucked out. But I realize it's probably just the mean streak inherent in most of the feminine psyche.
 
This one came this week. Posted this pic on FB and all the gals commented on how cute he is. Well, I think they're right, lol.
15025.jpg
 
Congrats! Gonna let Tin have the placenta if
momma cow doesn't eat it? My dog loves
calving and the cows don't mind her at all.
 
Looking good. But, why calve so early? I got away from it and now calve in april-may. It just seemed like we were fighting mother nature too much; cold, snow, wind, etc. No other creature in nature births in this kind of weather, so I thought why am I?
 
formenwhogrow: Where do you live? The main and No.1 reason we calve this time of year is because if we wait until July 15th (April 15th approx. calving) to turn the bull in, the cows won't settle. It's too dern hot that time of year for the bulls to be fertile, let alone be interested in doing their job. I've read for years, "We should calve in sinc with mother nature"...........all written by guys who live up north. Good for them, but it doesn't work where 100 degrees in July is the norm.
 
PA. Easy now. I wasn't trying to start an argument over husbandry. I just wondered what the reasoning was and you gave me an answer. Probably a bit milder in MO in February than in Penna. Besides, I didn't ask you, I asked Erik KS farmer not RandalinMO. Didn't know you were his speaking representative. :)
 
Sheep also like to lamb in snowstorms. Won't give birth in the shed, have to go outside in the falling snow, in the middle of the night to do it. Then momma ewe wouldn't care for it, I had to take it in the house and bathe it and get it warmed up. Baby lamb was also a ewe, so I named her "Ewe Too".
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top