Post by hoperefuge on Jul 29, 2013 13:12:28 GMT -5
We got my new Dexters home & all settled in their own private paddock last evening, after an uneventful trip. Here are the girls peeking through the fence at me this morning.
This is Mrald Isabella...she's the "prize". She's a 3yo polled Taco daughter out of Rose of Lone Oak. She's got a beautiful udder & was trained to milk last year with her first calf, and has been shown. She measured 39" tall at 2yo, so a nice small girl. She's ai'd to Rainbow Hills Comet for a fall calf.
Here is Grinde's Little Red Girl, a 5yo dehorned cow out of a Muirstead cow, by a Mr. McRed son. She's a nicely built cow also, and about an inch shorter than Isabella. Her udder is half decent, but she has bad "funnel" teats ...her one glaring weak point. I'm hoping we can breed that out in a couple generations. Otherwise, she's really nice. Oh, and she's a red that carries homozygous dun! She's ai'd to Taco for next spring.
And my little guy! This is Mrald Mr. Lincoln, 4 months old & polled. His dam is Ravenwood Madison, a Fred daughter out of Spring of Windy Acres (Beauty of Windy Acres daughter), and his sire is Mrald Ringo Fire, who is a son of Hillview Daren Jane (an excellent milker). So, lots of great udder & milk bloodlines behind him! I can't wait to see how he turns out!
Mr. Lincoln had not really been handled much at all yet, and at first tried really hard to kick me really hard when I would get close to him. So I had to make it known that I found that to be highly unacceptable behavior! When we unloaded them at home, I put him in a little "catch pen" we have set up inside the paddock for the girls, so I could be sure to get my hands on him again. He would get so upset when they wandered across the paddock away from his pen. So later in the evening I decided I would take him across the driveway to the barn for the night, where he'd be close to Tink & Zoie for company. (I know...breaking all those good quarantine rules , but have some pity!)
Well, we sure had an incredibly interesting first halter lesson, to get across the front yard!! Little guy sure put on a rodeo...I wish I'd had somebody video it because there are no words to describe it! He actually did a very good Dexter version of the dead Jersey flop a couple times, but I told him I was savvy to that! Then he made an impressive jump straight up in the air about 3-4 feet (NO joke...I couldn't believe it!) Another twisting leap, he somehow managed to throw himself on the ground & roll over onto his back, legs sticking straight up to the sky! (that was one very surprised looking bull calf!!) (haha) But he finally decided he could walk nicely with me a short way, and we eventually made it to the barn. And with somebody his size across the fence & gate from him, he settled down for the night.
This morning after I finished milking, I decided to see if he wanted some nice warm milk, fresh from the cow. I put a little in his bucket & set it down in front of him. He stuck his nose in & took a tentative sip to taste it, then gave me a little moo through the dribbles. Then it was like it all of a sudden registered in his mind, and he went to desperately sucking it down as fast as he could, then frantically head-butting the bucket when it got empty. I only let him have half a gallon, though...work him into it gradually. But at this point, I think I will go ahead & bucket-feed him milk for awhile...he's definitely interested! Besides, who can resist such a cute face?!
Kim
This is Mrald Isabella...she's the "prize". She's a 3yo polled Taco daughter out of Rose of Lone Oak. She's got a beautiful udder & was trained to milk last year with her first calf, and has been shown. She measured 39" tall at 2yo, so a nice small girl. She's ai'd to Rainbow Hills Comet for a fall calf.
Here is Grinde's Little Red Girl, a 5yo dehorned cow out of a Muirstead cow, by a Mr. McRed son. She's a nicely built cow also, and about an inch shorter than Isabella. Her udder is half decent, but she has bad "funnel" teats ...her one glaring weak point. I'm hoping we can breed that out in a couple generations. Otherwise, she's really nice. Oh, and she's a red that carries homozygous dun! She's ai'd to Taco for next spring.
And my little guy! This is Mrald Mr. Lincoln, 4 months old & polled. His dam is Ravenwood Madison, a Fred daughter out of Spring of Windy Acres (Beauty of Windy Acres daughter), and his sire is Mrald Ringo Fire, who is a son of Hillview Daren Jane (an excellent milker). So, lots of great udder & milk bloodlines behind him! I can't wait to see how he turns out!
Mr. Lincoln had not really been handled much at all yet, and at first tried really hard to kick me really hard when I would get close to him. So I had to make it known that I found that to be highly unacceptable behavior! When we unloaded them at home, I put him in a little "catch pen" we have set up inside the paddock for the girls, so I could be sure to get my hands on him again. He would get so upset when they wandered across the paddock away from his pen. So later in the evening I decided I would take him across the driveway to the barn for the night, where he'd be close to Tink & Zoie for company. (I know...breaking all those good quarantine rules , but have some pity!)
Well, we sure had an incredibly interesting first halter lesson, to get across the front yard!! Little guy sure put on a rodeo...I wish I'd had somebody video it because there are no words to describe it! He actually did a very good Dexter version of the dead Jersey flop a couple times, but I told him I was savvy to that! Then he made an impressive jump straight up in the air about 3-4 feet (NO joke...I couldn't believe it!) Another twisting leap, he somehow managed to throw himself on the ground & roll over onto his back, legs sticking straight up to the sky! (that was one very surprised looking bull calf!!) (haha) But he finally decided he could walk nicely with me a short way, and we eventually made it to the barn. And with somebody his size across the fence & gate from him, he settled down for the night.
This morning after I finished milking, I decided to see if he wanted some nice warm milk, fresh from the cow. I put a little in his bucket & set it down in front of him. He stuck his nose in & took a tentative sip to taste it, then gave me a little moo through the dribbles. Then it was like it all of a sudden registered in his mind, and he went to desperately sucking it down as fast as he could, then frantically head-butting the bucket when it got empty. I only let him have half a gallon, though...work him into it gradually. But at this point, I think I will go ahead & bucket-feed him milk for awhile...he's definitely interested! Besides, who can resist such a cute face?!
Kim