Two calves today

[lakeportfarms]

Today was a good day, in the morning we had a little tiny shortie heifer out of Michelle and Mike, dun in color.  She was a tiny thing, 25 lbs. or so.  We walked out to move their temporary hot fence and saw her in the early stages of calving, no hooves or anything, so we decided to roll up the wire in the meantime.  By the time we finished and started walking back she had calved.  Probably less than 5 minutes of pushing.  Michelle calved last year at the end of September, so she moved up a lot!  And in the afternoon a red, likely polled, non-chondro bull calf out of Tallulah and Jack (who moved to a new home early this year).  Sheril had checked on her 45 minutes before and not one sign of labor, and by the time we came out to roll up the temporary line she had calved and he was up and nursing, even partially dried off from the afternoon sun.

I love it when calving goes so quickly and smoothly!  Pictures forthcoming, though it's supposed to rain tomorrow...

[lakeportfarms]

 Mike almost always throws calves in the 25-30 lb. range, which has been really nice over the years.  Today one of our cows in with Mike was cycling, and he was having a hard time staying with her. I'm not sure how much longer we're going to have with him:-[  I hope he will make it through next spring at least.  It's hard to think about not having him around.  He still seems to get them bred on time and better.  Never would I have guessed that Michelle would move up so much, we didn't see him breed her at all, now I know why!

[lakeportfarms]

Haven't come up with a name for the dun girl yet, but here she is hiding around one of our trees as the calves here do.



She'll dine well for the next several months:



And the little red boy out of Tallulah.  We're pretty sure he's heterozygous polled, but the test will confirm along with A2 status (bull is A1/A2).

[Gorignak]

25 LBS...WOW, about half of our 45 lb calf. I take it the cows were non-carriers. That is about what the bulldog, allowing for the loss during sectioning, weighed.
Around here, the last week of March is the golden moment. I'm trying to hurry mine out of May, June, and July to a little earlier. Most of the beef cattle guys try for the beginning of March. My twin girls were born during a 40" snow on Feb 28 that made things miserable until March 14, 1984. Worst and latest until this years May 4.....24" + snowfall. Melted as fast as it fell and only 8" piled up....That still would have been a task to calve during.I don't envy your narrow window.

[lakeportfarms]

We calve in January too Mike, so there is no narrow window here.  Just make sure their tails and ears are dry after calving and they actually do pretty well.  I much prefer winter calving in the snow to spring with the mud and manure.  We have the cows in with the bull year round, so if the bull does his job well and the cows are fertile, it's not uncommon to have them move up a month or two every time.

If calving at a specific time of the year isn't an issue, I think leaving the bull in with the cows full time makes for a happier bull, and they're less likely to get cranky when they get older as a result.

[ctownson]

Congratulations!

[Fran]

Congratulations!!! They sure are cute.

[rudi9396]

I suggest Delilah and sampson

[wvdexters]

Congratulations!!!!!! We need a smiley with a big ole cigar on this site.