Post by Selden on Nov 28, 2004 10:41:26 GMT -5
Hi Everyone:
I live in the High Peaks of the Adirondacks, where farming, never robust, has almost completely expired. A.I., which is common an hour north or east (in the Champlain Valley) will not come this far up into the mountains. My vets do not do it. With the breaking up and development of farm ten miles away, it has been very hard to even find a local bull. I ended up trailering my heifer, Katika, 45 minutes (twice!) to a bull this fall. That was an adventure in itself and I still don't know for sure that she is pregnant, but the second time I left her for 6 weeks, so here's hoping. Katika would be due in mid/late July.
There is a small Jersey dairy about an hour away. (His is a closed farm so Katika could not go there to be bred.) The farmer there told me last summer that he gives away his bull calves in December. I wondered, would it be possible for me to get one of these bull calves, raise it with Katika all winter, and then have it breed Katika when she comes into heat again after freshening -- say in September/October? The bull calf would only be 9-10 months old. Would this be too young to accomplish the job?
And, would a Jersey bullock be dangerous by this age? I handle all my animals daily, brush, etc. so I wouldn't be just turning it out in a field safely on the other side of a fence. I also understand that intact males raised as pets (ram lambs on up) can be the most dangerous of all. My plan would be to sell the bullock or slaughter him after Katika was positively bred.
The bottom line is that I am trying to brainstorm a system that would work better for me than the one I used this fall. Would the above work? Anyone got any ideas?
Thanks.
Selden
I live in the High Peaks of the Adirondacks, where farming, never robust, has almost completely expired. A.I., which is common an hour north or east (in the Champlain Valley) will not come this far up into the mountains. My vets do not do it. With the breaking up and development of farm ten miles away, it has been very hard to even find a local bull. I ended up trailering my heifer, Katika, 45 minutes (twice!) to a bull this fall. That was an adventure in itself and I still don't know for sure that she is pregnant, but the second time I left her for 6 weeks, so here's hoping. Katika would be due in mid/late July.
There is a small Jersey dairy about an hour away. (His is a closed farm so Katika could not go there to be bred.) The farmer there told me last summer that he gives away his bull calves in December. I wondered, would it be possible for me to get one of these bull calves, raise it with Katika all winter, and then have it breed Katika when she comes into heat again after freshening -- say in September/October? The bull calf would only be 9-10 months old. Would this be too young to accomplish the job?
And, would a Jersey bullock be dangerous by this age? I handle all my animals daily, brush, etc. so I wouldn't be just turning it out in a field safely on the other side of a fence. I also understand that intact males raised as pets (ram lambs on up) can be the most dangerous of all. My plan would be to sell the bullock or slaughter him after Katika was positively bred.
The bottom line is that I am trying to brainstorm a system that would work better for me than the one I used this fall. Would the above work? Anyone got any ideas?
Thanks.
Selden