Post by mrskk on Nov 3, 2008 6:07:19 GMT -5
We finally got a call on Saturday that a local dairy farmer had a bull calf available. He was apologetic about the price - $30 - as it was higher than he's been asking, but he said this calf is a really big one. It sounded cheap to me, as we paid $70 for Mr Moo!
We picked him up yesterday and are keeping him locked in Buttercup's barn, which means she is without a run-in shed. She'll be fine, though, without it. She was very interested in him, not aggressive at all, just wanting to sniff him over. He tried to find the right place to suck, but he's never had a teat before, so he was acting like a brand-new calf. He's a week old and has been fed from a bucket - colostrum at first and whole raw milk from the bulk tank since.
He's been kept in a very small crate - about 2 feet wide by four feet long - and got tired really quickly while we were trying to push, pull, and drag him to the barn. We had to let him take a couple of rests.
Buttercup allowed him to suckle on her while she was eating, but otherwise showed no interest in him. I only allowed him one teat, as he's been getting a scant quart of milk twice a day. I'm glad I've been tracking how much milk she's been giving me, as I was able to know that he probably got right around a quart of milk off that one quarter, as my milking was "down" by that much last night.
His name will be either Horton (as he is a small elephant!) or Pepper, after the black flecks on his otherwise pink muzzle. It all depends on his personality once he settles in here - calm=Horton, rowdy=Pepper. He is a Holstein, so really leggy and almost as tall as Connie already, though he looks awfully scrawny next to her.
Oh, and BTW, Buttercup has been letting down for me for the past two days, witout having a calf start her. I've got the best cow in the world!
We picked him up yesterday and are keeping him locked in Buttercup's barn, which means she is without a run-in shed. She'll be fine, though, without it. She was very interested in him, not aggressive at all, just wanting to sniff him over. He tried to find the right place to suck, but he's never had a teat before, so he was acting like a brand-new calf. He's a week old and has been fed from a bucket - colostrum at first and whole raw milk from the bulk tank since.
He's been kept in a very small crate - about 2 feet wide by four feet long - and got tired really quickly while we were trying to push, pull, and drag him to the barn. We had to let him take a couple of rests.
Buttercup allowed him to suckle on her while she was eating, but otherwise showed no interest in him. I only allowed him one teat, as he's been getting a scant quart of milk twice a day. I'm glad I've been tracking how much milk she's been giving me, as I was able to know that he probably got right around a quart of milk off that one quarter, as my milking was "down" by that much last night.
His name will be either Horton (as he is a small elephant!) or Pepper, after the black flecks on his otherwise pink muzzle. It all depends on his personality once he settles in here - calm=Horton, rowdy=Pepper. He is a Holstein, so really leggy and almost as tall as Connie already, though he looks awfully scrawny next to her.
Oh, and BTW, Buttercup has been letting down for me for the past two days, witout having a calf start her. I've got the best cow in the world!