Play mates

Emma and Emily playing together.

Another heifer!

This heifer was born yesterday morning to our super friendly first-calf heifer, Bridgette.  We are still trying to decide on a name for her.  I'm hoping that she will have beautiful brindling as she gets older... time will tell. 

When do you call them cows versus heifers?  We use the term first-calf heifers when they have their first calf.  Then they are a cow when they have their second calf.   

More baby pictures....

  

Emma, 2 days old 

It's a girl!

The first calf of the season was born late Thursday night.  We were suspicious of Mama cow being in labor that evening and when we went to check on her about 10pm there was a new calf being licked clean.  Everyone was doing good, so we kept our distance.  Yesterday she was up and running around between naps, so last night she got her vitamin A&D and Bo-se shots once they had settled down.  Mama Agnes is one of the calmest cows we have, but she's being a very good protective mother, so we haven't got much for pictures yet.  She wasn't too thrilled that we were giving the baby shots and when hubby picked her up to get a weight estimate.  I think we've decided on a name for her, Emma.

Squeeze chutes for horned cattle

One challenge with raising Highlands, with their beautiful horns, is to get them in a traditional cattle chute.  We've heard that they can learn to turn their heads to go through them, but we've only tried it once with a hoof trimmer (and it was a big NO GO for her).  Problem number two is I just can't justify spending the money on a traditional squeeze chute with our small fold.

When we first started out, we used 'redneck' ways to squeeze them when we had to, with some rope and a couple of panels (or a good ol' lasso tied to something sturdy once or twice).  I kept eyeing the swinging style squeeze made for large horned cattle, but still couldn't bring myself to spend the money, even though they were much cheaper.  Luckily my husband is pretty handy with tools, which has saved us a lot over the years in building fences, barns, etc.  My list of projects just keeps growing... I know he wishes it wouldn't. 



Here's the swinging chute that he built for our cows.  It's bolted to a post at the edge of the barn and it works for our needs.  We use panels and a small gate to corral them through the end of the barn and right into it.  The cost for materials was probably $500-600, much more manageable price to swallow.  Of course we can't include a price for the time he spent on it or I might have been better off buying one... thanks Hubby!

Here's the squeeze shoot in action as one of last year's bull calves gets banded.  We use a board behind the smaller animals so they can't move around, but the squeeze is large enough for our bull too.

Waiting... it's so hard

Last Saturday was the estimated due date for our first calf of the season.  I try to keep a good record of when the bull is introduced back in with the ladies, and when he's paying lots of extra attention to each one.  Well, the weekend has come and gone, the cow has a nice large firm udder, but still we wait (impatiently).  Meanwhile all I can do is Google calf pictures, walk the pasture, pet the ladies and do daily udder inspections, and worry.

Here's a good website for what to expect while calving, LEA-White Farms.  They also have lots of other useful articles on other aspects of raising cattle.  Enjoy, and hopefully we will have new calf pictures to share soon.

Highland fabric

I'm a sucker for cute Highland things, and I'm a fabric-aholic.  Combine the two and I have no self control.  I found this quilting fabric today and had to buy a yard of it.  I'm not sure what I'll make with it yet, but that's never stopped me before while at the quilt store!