Time to dust the cobwebs off the old blog. Things are busy, busy on the farm. It's calving season again!
Al turns the bulls out at a specific time so that the calves are due in February. The idea is the snow will keep the calves out of the mud (full of bacteria) and they will be healthier and also larger this fall. We had a few first-time heifers so this spring's deliveries have been interesting so far.
Right off the bat we had a cow, Leah drop a still-born calf. Unfortunately the calves's legs were folded backward and she was unable to deliver on her own. The waterbag did not show until it was too late and we didn't know she was in active labor that long. A day later, a first-time heifer needed help delivering a breech calf. Al basically had to pull. It was a huge bull calf! Thankfully, he made it!
Due to the circumstance of Leah not having a calf to raise, rather than sell her, Al opted to buy 2 Holstein calves for her to adopt and feed (rather than not having a job for the summer). She adopted the black and white, while the red and white calf with a perfect heart on his forehead was left for us to bottle feed. The kids named him "Fiery Flynn" after a character on Thomas the Tank Engine.
So far we're about 1/2 done with the calving. All the babies are doing fine, still more to arrive.
Also this winter, Al sold some young heifers he raised last year and bought back some bred cows. They will bring in money right away this year while a heifer needs to be fed for 1-2 years before producing a calf.
When you buy cattle at the sales barn, you never know what you might get, but we got Lucky! First a set of 3 red Angus types from a lady in WI. She even called our house to see how they were getting along in their new home. One of the three who our kids named "Rainbow" is so tame that she loves to be scratched on the neck. She will actually push other cows out of the way for attention.
Another cow purchased on a separate sale is Harriet the Hereford. Hereford cattle are my favorite, I love their markings. Harriet's old owner also got our number and told us basically her entire life story from her being a sick calf to favorite family cow. She is also fond of attention but not quite as much as Rainbow.
So here's to spring and some more baby calves!
