Post by sunburst4 on Nov 3, 2019 20:31:55 GMT -5
I've had Bisket, my beefmaster 2 year old former show heifer with her steer(current show calf) born 3-27 in my yard where I walk around to feed all the animals and have my trailers. I also had Ayla (3 year old jersey) with her two foster beef calves and a yearling red Angus show heifer. Earlier today I put the 2 cows out in the pasture to wean the calves. The steer is 600 plus pounds and eating 15 pounds of grain a day. The foster calves could use milk longer but should be ok as they are each eating 5 to 6 pounds of grain daily. The bull is about 3.5 months and 350 pounds. The heifer was born early may but she had been weaned then got sick and got very thin she has been back on milk 2 months. She is about 375. With the 6 of them it was very nasty mud where I need to walk. I was tying up the cows twice a day so the fisters could nurse Ayla. I put the show calves in a stall in the barn twice a day to let them eat their grain. The 2 fosters would nurse then go in a pen in the barn I have set up like a creep feeder. They would eat their grain pretty fast. I decided it would be better to do this before we have ice and snow. I dont want to stress them too much but I dont need the extra challenge of the mud with ice and snow. So tonight Bisket was screaming. I led her back and tied her to let her calf nurse once more ( the fosters stole the rest) so she would be empty bagged hoping she would quiet down. So now an hour later she is screaming for her calf. The calves aren't bawling. Ayla couldn't care less about those fosters. But Bisket is going to make it hard to sleep. Have any of you had a heifer this dramatic over weaning? She can see him. He can come in the backyard and touch noses through the fence. It is a horse wire fence so zero chance of nursing. When I weaned calves last year there were a few moos but not like this. I wonder how long this will go on??? I'm not going to let him nurse again.