# DWBONFIRE (pics added 10/9/2011)



## redtailgal (Oct 7, 2011)

She left a little while ago, and the lil heifer is in the barn talking to the goats.(plotting against me no doubt)

Lil no name heifer is a pretty chocolate calf and is full of herself.  She was putting on a pretty good show while the goats were eating, lol.

Dwbonfire says that she will check up on the calf ont his forum while she is gone, so I'll keep this thread with updates for her.  and maybe a few pics..................

I havent fed the calf (she gots to get a name) yet, but will let you know how she does later.


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## elevan (Oct 7, 2011)

Waiting on pics!


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## Roll farms (Oct 7, 2011)

How about "Nacho" b/c she's "not yours"....

....waiting for pics w/ Emily....pass that popcorn....got any extra butter?


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## redtailgal (Oct 7, 2011)

lol Nacho!  love it!  If she was mine it would stick. (might stick while she is here)  I ended up calling her "fireball" a couple times tonight.

Anyway,  she was hollering for her supper, so I went ahead and fed her.

After I talked with her "mom" this afternoon, it was agreed that I could bucket train and halter train her while she was here, so we started tonight.

Nacho did great!  I put on a soft starter halter and she buck it for a min, the dug in her toes when I gave her some pressure on the nose, but a tap on the hiney got her head back up.  She quickly learned that forward movement got that pressure of her nose and then walked to where I was going to fed her.  

She will be haltered and led to her milk, haltered and led to go out and back in, so the halter will be a happy thing by the end of tommorrow.

Well, once we got over to where I was going to feed her.......she was what I will call "energetic and enthusiatic" about eating, lol.  She definately likes to headbutt.  I had to give her a little bit of milk in the bottle to settle her and then we went to a bucket.  There was a moment of confusion while she tried to find that nipple, and then EUREKA! zShe sucked it down,(I put a little at a time in the bucket cuz she was "energetic" lol) and then had a bloody good romp around the inside of the barn.  She led back to her stall without a problem, no digging in and no tap on the rump needed.

I gave her a little hay for the night and a handful of grain to play with.........she was very interested in the grain now that she sees that a bucket can give her food.  She may be chowing on some grain, before you get back, DWbonfire!


It was dark and my son was taking pics, excuse the quality.

Now, where is that nipple? um HELLOOOO, where is the nipple?  NO NIPPLE!!! ??????







WAIT A MINUTE!!!! There is MILK in here!  MILK without a nipple? who woulda thunk it?






nom nom nom.  I'm a big girl now.......dont need no stinkin nipple!






She is doing fine Dwbonfire, enjoy your trip!


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## elevan (Oct 7, 2011)

She is ADORABLE!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 7, 2011)




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## Ms. Research (Oct 8, 2011)

What a sweetie!   Absolutely love her coloring.  

Really sweet of you Redtailgal to do this thread for DWBonfire.  So that she can see how her calf is doing under your care.  Already drinking out of a bucket and interested in grain.  Along with accepting the halter.   

I'm looking forward to see the progress of your teaching as well.


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## redtailgal (Oct 8, 2011)

Well, "notmine" ate well this morning right out of the bucket, no bottle!  She didnt even look for that old nipple.

She did fairly well on the halter, until she decided that she wanted to go left when we needed to go right. When I didnt give in, she bucked, she pulled, and kicked, and laid down, but, in the end we went right, not left and she was ok with that. lol

Afterward, she went out to the pasture for an hour or so and she had fun running and bucking..............that is until the three lil snot-goats came in.  Then, no body moved for half an hour.  Literally, they just stood and stared at one another.

Then lil "notmine" walked over to sniff a goat, but this scared the goats and they took off for the barn which scared the calf so SHE took off to the barn. LOL The goats were confused.

All is well so far today!


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## elevan (Oct 8, 2011)

In 2 weeks that calf may think that she's a goat    Didn't take my goats long to teach our calf that he's really a goat at heart.


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## redtailgal (Oct 8, 2011)

lol,  Im just curious to see if my snots will warm up to her


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## redtailgal (Oct 8, 2011)

My lil snots were more tolerant today. Tolerant does not equal friendly.  They ruthlessly IGNORED her, lol.  She offered to play, but nooooo, my goats are MUCH to cool to play with the likes of a calf.  I mean, honestly.

DW,

She is doing great!  She drank all her milk from the bucket this morning and again this evening.

She also ate 2 full cups of her grain today, and wanted more.  I will ease her up a little at a time so I dont stress her little tummy.  I have some calf starter here, so we are fine on grain.

Hubby and I worked on fence today, so she spent quite a while outside playing and napping in the sunshine. As for the halter training, she is doing well.  She still needs some encouragement to move forward at first, but by the time you get home she should be walking pretty for ya!

Have fun!


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## redtailgal (Oct 9, 2011)

Hi Mom!  Are you having fun on your trip?  I'm just hanging out here at the lounge.







I drank up my milk this morning, and then I went outside to play.  I looked hard to find SOMETHING to get into.






Just so you know, the fences here are not so cool.  They BIT MY NOSE!!!! So I ran away and kicked my heels at them.  I wont bother those nasty fences again.






I met this really ugly cow called Plato and I thought I was gonna be his friend.






But he wont share the concrete block with me, so I kicked him and he ran away.  He is a wuss AND a jerk.






Anyway, that lady that brings milk in a bucket says I have to go back inside now.  Have fun on your trip!


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## elevan (Oct 9, 2011)

Too stinkin cute!


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## Royd Wood (Oct 10, 2011)

yep x 2 on cute factor 

I remember this calf on a earlier post and mentioned about that bloody awful ear tag and DW mentioned she would try and remove it
Go on redtail at least take a look to see if you can remove it with DW permission


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## redtailgal (Oct 10, 2011)

I looked today, should just be a simple snip.  I will talk to DW bout it when I speak with her.


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## 5Jerseygirls (Oct 10, 2011)

Thank you for this! This is going to keep me smiling all day.  I can't wail to see pictures without that awful ear tag.


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## Ms. Research (Oct 10, 2011)

He's just too cute!  Still say he needs a hat.  He reminds me of Louis out of St. Louis!


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## dwbonfire (Oct 10, 2011)

I havent been able to check on here since I dropped the little girl off, and what a pleasant suprise!!!!  this is awesome I LOVE the pics!
I am so glad she is in good hands and I feel like I dont need to worry a bit, what a relief and good feeling it is to know your animals are in good care while your so far away!
RTG I cant say thank you enough, and for this thread too what a neat idea so I can see her 

I have to cut this short and run right now but I will be on later tonight and chat with you all! Thanks everyone!!


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## redtailgal (Oct 10, 2011)

lol, I am glad that you enjoyed them.  Sorry I missed your call, too.

Can I take off that tag? puh-leeeeze, can I ?  lol.  It would be sooo much easier to halter her without it.


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## Bossroo (Oct 10, 2011)

Just to let you know...  I would seriously reconsider removing ANY identifyng ear tag from  any cattle... if there possibly  may be any cattle in your area with a serious communicable disease, the state Animal Health Dept ,in accordance with NAIS protocals  will confiscate and destroy all animals in the affected herd as well as any animal without any ID ear tag within a certain distance of the outbreak. Also you will need an id ear tag if you are to transport any cattle or any other livestock for show, Vet, auction  or slaughter. Cattle rustlers are still well and about and still in business. You want to prove ownership.  You don't want to become the guest of the State , I wouldn't think. (One of my neighbors is a brand inspector).  Enjoy your calf.


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## redtailgal (Oct 10, 2011)

Its easy enough to tattoo, if needed, or brand or put a tag on the collar of an animal.

I dont like seeing large tags like this on small or young calves, they play, get into things etc and tags get ripped out, leading to injury and possible infection, not to mention torn up ears that will be very difficult to tag when they are older. And with the size of this tag......its an accident waiting to happen.



I dont want to sound ugly, but you have been given some incorrect information.  There are no tagging law for cattle in NC.  We are not required to tag our cattle (or tattoo or brand for that matter), even for sale barns, as the sale barn assigns each cow or calf it's own non penetrating id ear clip. There is no risk of having cattle confiscated in NC.  If there is a disease outbreak, local farmers may not be allowed to transport animals until after dianostic testing is done or until after a certain quarantine time.

Participation in NAIS is still at the voluntary level, and is NOT law or regulatory.

You can calidate what I have stated here by calling our Ag extension office at the following number:


(828) 632-7533


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## dwbonfire (Oct 10, 2011)

i would like to remove the tag, but i have a couple concerns before i do so!

does it close up like say a human piercing? i would rather remove that tag and put a much smaller tag in it for identification and whatnot. i dont really know where to get a tag like that tho? my sheep have really small tags on thier ears that are tight and small so they dont worry me at all about getting caught. id like to do that for the calf too.


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## elevan (Oct 10, 2011)

Please keep in mind that laws / regulations vary from Country to Country - State to State - County to County - Town to Town.  For all members it is important to know the laws of your local government up to your federal government and every level in between before making management decisions.


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## redtailgal (Oct 10, 2011)

It may close up as she grows, but yes you can put in a smaller ID tag. 

I'll look and see what I have here, I may have one that you can use.


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## 77Herford (Oct 11, 2011)

redtailgal said:
			
		

> Its easy enough to tattoo, if needed, or brand or put a tag on the collar of an animal.
> 
> I dont like seeing large tags like this on small or young calves, they play, get into things etc and tags get ripped out, leading to injury and possible infection, not to mention torn up ears that will be very difficult to tag when they are older. And with the size of this tag......its an accident waiting to happen.
> 
> ...


Yes, it can be very different.  I just cold brand my cattle, but tags are used alot as well.


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## Royd Wood (Oct 11, 2011)

Ours have a ear tattoo and a radio frequency disk


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## Stubbornhillfarm (Oct 11, 2011)

She is just beautiful!  Thanks for sharing your time with the little one through pictures and commentary.  What a special treat for everyone involved!


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## redtailgal (Oct 11, 2011)

HI DW,

She is doing fine.  (forgot to post about her last night, sorry)

She has the halter and lead figured out pretty good now.  The only time she balks at pulls backward is when I make her go back to her stall, lol.  When you get her home, she will regress and pull again, but I will show you how to get her to stop.

She is eating great, doing wonderful with the bucket and really starting to eat some grain.  To measure out her grain, I use the platic cup inside the bag of milk replacer.  Yesterday, she got two cups full.  She didnt quite finish it, but came very close.  She hasnt really touched the hay that I put in (we are still on the first flake).  SHe has been spending most of her days outside in the sunshine and pasture with the goats.  She is becoming quite the little forager, grazing all morning, then coming into the run in at noon to chew some cud, then back out to graze some more.

It is rainy here today, so she wont get any pasture time so I expect that she will eat her hay then.  I will let her loose in the barn to stretch her legs a little this afternoon.  Is there a stopping point on how much grain you want her to have?  I pretty much let my calves have as much as they want while they are on the bottle, but I work them up a little at at time, adding only a handful or so at a time, until they cannot finish it in a day.  I would expect her to be eating 4-5 of those plastic cups full of grain by shortly after she is weaned.

 I know that I have some smaller eartages around her somewhere.  If I ever manage to find one, I'll show it to ya and see what you think.


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## Pumpkinpup (Oct 11, 2011)

Sounds like everything is going great! Redtailgal, those are some of the most adorable pics!!!! Thanks for sharing  Looks as if she is really having a blast at the baby sitters


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## dwbonfire (Oct 11, 2011)

Hello everyone!

RTG, I am glad to hear shes doing good with the halter and enjoying herself out in the sun  I miss her and I will only say this here- I cant wait to get back to my farm and animals  as much as I love visiting my family and spending time with my nephews and watching my son play with his cousins, I still miss all my critters back home and I have gotten so used to my daily routine caring for all the animals that I feel lost without them all. I know you will all understand.

I bet she is going to be noticeably bigger when I see her. Though I will miss feeding her a bottle I definitely think she is better off drinking from the bucket because she was getting quite strong and head butting alot, which right now might not be a big deal but when shes older it sure will be.

As for her ear tag, I think for now I will just leave it be, and when I pick her up and get a hold of a smaller tag we can snip that big ol one off and put the smaller one in.

Give her a big hug from me, and of course thank you so much!


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## redtailgal (Oct 11, 2011)

Hey there!

It is hard being out of routine, lol.  

If I come across that darn tag I am looking for, I'll lay it aside for you and you can use it when your ready if you want it.

Her head butting has gotten much better over the past two days. SHe learned pretty quickly that there was no lovin from me if she was being rough. I can go pet the goats and make her jealous, lol.  She is still a fireball and when I take her out to the grassy paddock.....she just explodes and runs laps, lol.

Today was pretty nasty weather, rainy and pretty chilly so she had to spend the day inside.  She was going a little crazy when I went out to feed the goats.  Hollering and squealing, and bucking in the stall, so I gave her a basketball to play with.  She was pretty funny, head butting that ball and kicking it.  She was even trying to stand on it.  When I went back out to feed her, she had settled down and was ready for her supper and some sleep.  After her milk, she went straight to her pile of hay, laid down and starting working her cud.  

She ate her grain very well today and did eat a little hay as well because she wasnt out on any grass.

Your right, she will be bigger when you get back.  Today, I had to let out the halter that I've been putting on her.

I'll try and get you some more pics when the weather clears up........

Enjoy your family.  Chores and routine wont go anywhere, but family is a limited time offer.  

OH, I hope your dad is feeling better!


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## dwbonfire (Oct 12, 2011)

"Enjoy your family.  Chores and routine wont go anywhere, but family is a limited time offer."

That is very true! I will just keep reminding myself that when I feel homesick.

My dad was so so sick the whole way up, so I drove the entire way straight thru without a nap, therefore I was run down and now I have the cold! Not nearly as bad as him thankfully.

I cant believe you already had to adjust her halter!!! I hope she will fit in that same crate for the ride home! :/
That picture of her with the goat is too cute. Are they still out together? Has she given up on trying to make friends with them? lol

Are most of the calves you had as wild as she is? I know that bag of milk she is on (the open bag) said it was a high energy formula so I didnt know if that had anything to do with it, or if shes just naturally spunky!? Did you open the new bag of milk yet? Im curious if she will calm down a bit once shes off the high energy stuff. Shes that way at home too, running laps and kicking up her heals, too funny!

I hope you have better weather today, I know the rain is headed this way for tomorrow.


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## redtailgal (Oct 12, 2011)

I'm sorry that you have the cold!!  Isnt it wonderful how family shares?


Halter training is incredibly easy when they are on a bucket or bottle.  They just about teach themselves.

I dont leave her out with the goats at night.  She goes in her stall by herself at night.  But the goats do look for her, and they all are "Talking" thru the window.  They still will not play together, but they have starting playingnext to each other.  The goats will run a lap around the paddock, kicking it up and bucking while the calf watches, then the calf will make the run while the goats watch.

Most of the calves that I have raised do play hard when led off the lead, she is pretty normal as far as that goes.  As far as her headbutting etc, to people, I've never seen a calf that agressive about it.  I dont mean aggressive in a bad way, maybe persistant is a better word.  I think I know why she was head butting so, and I will show you when you get here.  Its nothing terrible, so dont go gettin all worried about it.  

We are almost at the end of the old bag of milk, so I will be opening the new bag tongiht and givng her a mix of the two.  lol, you can hope if you want, but she is still gonna be bouncy on this new bag of milk.

Its still yucky here, but I let her out for just a few minutes while I clean the stall.  She came back in limping a little, but when I looked...........she had a small stick wedged between her toes.  She just would NOT let me get to her feet.  She bucked, she kicked, she put on a big show.  I told her that I always win, she said "moo".  Soooo, I pinned her up against the wall, and picked up her foot, got the stick out and checked for a wound (there was not a wound), while she hollered at the top of her lungs, calling all of our herd to the barn (they hadnt figured out there was a calf in the yet).  LOL,  they could with in 50 feet of the barn, the whole herd (40 of them) of pregnant momma cows that started hollering to this baby.  You calf, got real still and listened to them for a minute..............then she let out a tremendous "MMMAAAAAAAAAAAAA".  I took  her over to see them, but she freaked out at the site of 40 mommas and ran to put herself in her stall.  lol


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## Stubbornhillfarm (Oct 12, 2011)

redtailgal,  it sounds like you are having sooo much fun!  It amazes me sometimes the sound that a little one can muster up when they put their full lungs into it.  She sounds like she has quite a little personality.


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## redtailgal (Oct 12, 2011)

lol, she is a trip.


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## Royd Wood (Oct 12, 2011)

What on earth are we going to do with you when this calf goes back home - Perhaps I should send you a freshly weaned Galloway to keep you company


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## redtailgal (Oct 12, 2011)

HECK YEAH!  Royd, I would love a Galloway.............. make it a heifer. (or two)  

  OOOHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I have tears running down my face!    

I could just SEE my FIL's face......  

See, several of his Registered Polled Hereford heifers are about ready to calve........within the next two weeks.  If I could somehow get a little wee belted one out there in that pasture with those heifers early one morning........................ 

That would be HYSTERICAL!!!!!!


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## 77Herford (Oct 13, 2011)

redtailgal said:
			
		

> HECK YEAH!  Royd, I would love a Galloway.............. make it a heifer. (or two)
> 
> OOOHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I have tears running down my face!
> 
> ...


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## Royd Wood (Oct 13, 2011)

redtail

I know a family that wound up their father by sneaking into the field just before him and wrapping kitchen towel around a solid black Galloway calf as their dad only liked blacks and had no time for belted cows.

How long before the calf returns


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## redtailgal (Oct 13, 2011)

Maybe two weeks before she goes home Royd.

Calf and I had a fight last night.

The rain cleared up enough for her to go outside awhile, so I took her out.  She ran and played and carried on.

LOL, when it was time for her to come back in, she didnt want to.  I had to get her in a corner and holder her there while I got the halter on her.  Then she just flat out refused to walk............she bucked all the way back to the barn.  She put her nose to the ground, roached up her back and played rodeo bull ALL THE WAY, lol.  Then when I got her to the barn, she kicked me.  twice.  and tried to bolt back out to the pasture. lol


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## Bossroo (Oct 13, 2011)

redtailgal said:
			
		

> Maybe two weeks before she goes home Royd.
> 
> Calf and I had a fight last night.
> 
> ...


Veal sounds pretty good right about now !!!       The calf suddenly succombed accidently somhow, just can't figure out why !


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## redtailgal (Oct 13, 2011)

No no no..

Her momma would kick you, lol.  This sweet lil girl is not for beef, I dont think.

I couldnt help but laugh at her, I didnt want to go inside either.   I think that this afternoon, I may throw a fit and buck and kick.  We'll see what happens.  lol


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## daisychick (Oct 13, 2011)

redtailgal said:
			
		

> I think that this afternoon, I may throw a fit and buck and kick.  We'll see what happens.  lol


Please have someone take pics of this.


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## redtailgal (Oct 13, 2011)




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## dwbonfire (Oct 13, 2011)

I cant believe what a little trouble maker my girl is!!! RTG must want to  me lol
shes lucky shes cute huh 

nope shes not for eatin, thats not the plan anyway. I am so sorry shes been a handful, she never seemed so bad at home!! She did kick me once, but I accidentally tickled her behind thats why she kicked out.

I will check back in a little bit I must run and have brownies for my nephews bday


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## redtailgal (Oct 13, 2011)

She is not being bad, lol.  She is being a calf. And she is not any trouble, so please dont worry!!  I am enjoying having a baby to play with.

She's just been cooped up because of the rain and has to get the boogers out.  I wont let her kicking become a habit, though.

She did fight the halter pretty hard tonight, again.  She does fine when she is going OUT, but doesnt want to come back IN. She will figure it out though.
See, if I have her head, her head will have to go where I take it........and since the body has to follow her head I WIN! hahahahaha.

I'll try to get you some more pics tomorrow if I can.  

Wish I could have a brownie.........


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## dwbonfire (Oct 13, 2011)

aww lol I would've saved you one but it might be a little old by the time it got there! 

I guess shes not acting much different than a young horse acts when starting out with halter training. When I get her home I am going to start walking her up on the horse trailer just in case I ever need to in the future when shes full grown. Is there other things I should do to "sac her out" as they say in the horse world. Like with foals we just pick up feet, tie them, put blankets on them etc etc. Being my first cow I cant really think of much I will NEED to do with her in the future, obviously not like a horse. I suppose the picking up of her feet is something I should get her used to. Should I tie her? How would I go about that without her hurting herself since shes so feisty? Same way as with a foal?

Well I'm glad you are enjoying her and that shes not being too troublesome for you!


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## redtailgal (Oct 13, 2011)

I've been messing with her feet some, she does good on picking up the front feet, but is still not comfortable with the hind feet, but has shown some improvement.

I havent tied her any, but if that is something you want her to learn, I can start tying her when I have the goats tied for their dinner.  Many of the same training techniques used for a foal will work with a calf.

Leading her onto the trailer would be helpful, but if you could feed her on the trailer a couple times, she would quickly learn to love it!

Right now, the most of her training should be on basic manners.  She is getting very pushy, which is typical of her breed and typical of a bottle calf.  She is sort of rebeling right now, not a problem or a concern, very typical, but must be dealt with.  She knows and understands the halter, so now she is checking to see what she can get away with.. She is still pretty aggressive when it is feeding time, but is quickly learning that I will not feed her until she stands calmly.  When a calf gets too rough with mama cow, mama cow pushes them away, so this is what I have been doing.

She is doing great for me, but you need to be prepared when you get back.  She is growing, and learning, and is ready for more independance. She will likely try to push you around at first, so you will need to be firm.

She is a rambunctious little girl, for sure, lol.  But she is a sweet girl and is learning.

Do you want me to start teaching her how to be tied? or would you rather do it when you get back?


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## dwbonfire (Oct 15, 2011)

I appreciate everything you have been doing with her so much, I dont want to make more work for ya by asking you to tie her lol. I can probably tackle that when she gets home. I cant wait to see how shes grown, I feel like I havent seen her (or any of my other animals) in weeks!!! And its only been one lol. 

Is she still headbutting during feeding time? Is she headbutting the bucket or your legs? She always did it to my legs and of course the bottle. I couldnt believe how strong she was after the first week, she was so fragile and weak at the very beginning but that didnt last long! Im still not really sure what to expect as she gets older and much bigger. I'm hoping she wont be too much of a wild child!

How is she doing with the grain? I hope she doesnt run out of it before I get back. If she does and you end up giving her some of yours just let me know how much she eats and I will reimburse you of course.


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## redtailgal (Oct 15, 2011)

LOL, I ended up having to tie her today.   We were having romper room, and I needed to check the goats hooves.  Everyone was acting crazy, and then the big cows came down to the barn to cheer them on.  SOOO, all the goats ended up tied and she did too, until I got my work done.  SHe did great, not a problem. She cried for a minute, but I ignored her and she settled down.

She has quit headingbutting me, sort of.  SHe will fake me out, getting up close and headbutting the air near my leg, but knows not to make contact with me.  She does headbutt the bucket some when she is feeding, but I take her food away from her for a few minutes when she does, so she is learning that headbutting has a negative reaction, and is doing it less and less.  You will have to reinforce it when you get home, but she is already much better about the headbutting.

As for the grain, lol.  We used up what you brought a couple days ago.  I had some here that needed to be used up, so we are finishing off my bag right now.  I will buy her some more grain if we use that up before you get back.  Right now, I am pretty much letting her have as much grain as she wants, within reason.  She is eating about a quart of grain a day right now, so I am putting in a quart and a half.  When she starts finishing the whole quart and a half, then I will up her to three quarts.  This way, she gets as much as she wants, with no drastic increases to upset her belly.  

I have been feeding her two quarts of milk at 10 am.  She then goes out to the pasture with her grain (the goats go to the brush pasture).  At about 4pm, I take up her grain and let the goats into the grassy field with her.  At 6pm, she goes into the stall with her grain, and I feed the goats.  At 10 pm, I feed her another two quarts of milk.

The bag that I am using was about half full, so it's only worth about 7$.  

Dont worry!  We are fine, and I am enjoying having her.  I showed her the magic hairbrush today............she likes getting brushed, lol.


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## redtailgal (Oct 16, 2011)

GEEZ LOUISE!

 Your calf was FULL of it this morning.

She drank her milk without butting at all (I was so proud of her).  Then I led her out to the pasture and she walked along like proper lady (I was even more proud of her).

Then I took the halter off and......

SHe let out a BELLOW and took off like she was a 2500lb rodeo bull.  She RAN as fast as she could around the pasture (five full laps), stopped to catch her breath and then BUCK the full length of the pasture and back (grunting the whole time).  She manage to run over Freezerburn, so he had to get up and chase her, which only agged her on..........and she had to chase HIM, lol.

THen, I had to beat one of my goats. severly. about the head AND shoulders.  and your "sweet" little heifer proceeded to buck and holler and gallop about while I am fighting with my snot of a goat.

So then, after all that I stopped to catch my breath, and she decided to take a break from rodeo-ing for a minute.  She walked over to me, all sweet like, and stuck her head out for me to scratch her neck.  It lasted all of 30 seconds, and she was off again. FULL THROTTLE, lol.  Galloping, bucking, hopping, kicking imaginary goblins, bellowing.  A total and complete wild child. 

So much for your theory on taking her off the high energy milk.  

She is growing.......I think you will be surprised!  It may be harder to get her back up in that truck!  

Hope your having fun.  Sorry I didnt get any pics for you yet, I am trying!

Maybe I can get some after work today!


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## dwbonfire (Oct 18, 2011)

I cant believe she is so spunky, she was at home too but she sounds like a crazy girl.

Sorry I havent been checking on here as much as I'd like, this computer is so slow and someone here is always on it so my time is limited!

Im glad she did well being tied, that will be helpful in the future. Thats great that shes minding her manners with the headbutting and walking like a lady! 

Do you think I should figure out another way to pick her up? Im worried she will be too jammed in that crate. I also didnt like how she was sliding around in there on the tray, I tried to put the hay in there to help but it didnt really


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## redtailgal (Oct 18, 2011)

I am brainstorming on that.  She will still fit in the crate, but we do need a way to keep her from slipping.

Perhaps an old blanket in the bottom of the crate?


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## Pumpkinpup (Oct 18, 2011)

redtailgal said:
			
		

> I am brainstorming on that.  She will still fit in the crate, but we do need a way to keep her from slipping.
> 
> Perhaps an old blanket in the bottom of the crate?


A rubber door door mat works great with hay on top. It gives some grip


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## Royd Wood (Oct 18, 2011)

Pumpkinpup said:
			
		

> redtailgal said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 good idea Pumpkin


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## dwbonfire (Oct 19, 2011)

good idea! if i cant find something like that i will put a big ol blanket in there for her.

how has she been? is she still behaving herself? i cant wait to see her


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## redtailgal (Oct 19, 2011)

She is doing good.  She "helped" me clean the barn this morning.

First, we cleaned her stall and put in some fresh bedding.  She liked this so much she ha to do the happy bouncy dance........and knock over her water bucket.  lol, she does NOT like having wet feet.

Then we went out to clean out the goat area,  so now I had her help as well as all three goats.  They helped by running in big circles around where-ever I was trying to clean.  I put out fresh bedding in the goat area, but I moved the water buckets BEFORE they all did the happy bouncy dance. lol

Then I trimmed feet on the goats, and she helped by licking my ear.

SHe is eating like a cow, and playing like a goat.  lol

She is doing well with the halter and lead, but still has her moments where she just insists that it is not possible to walk on a lead.  There is dramatic improvement on the head butting, but she will occasionaly headbutt.  This is good because it will give you opportunity to work with her when you get home. 

I've been calling the heifers down toward the barn, to get ready to bring them in for calving, and she LOVES to talk cow with them.

She did get her butt smacked this morning though..........she kicked me!  I was trying to fix a fence issue and she kept sticking her nose in the way, so I pushed her away. Not rough, but firmly.....and the little turkey turned around and KICKED me!  I smacked her hiney, and she ran around bucking.  Then she came back, and ever so gently stuck her nose in my face for a "kiss".  lol,  so we "kissed' and made up. She went on to graze a little and everything was fine after that. lol

Yeah, she is doing good and behaving like a healthy calf should, lol.  She is really growing, she has filled out some since you left.  Lemme see if I can get you some pics.


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## redtailgal (Oct 19, 2011)

Remember how big she was when you dropped her off?  
These first two pics were taken the day after you left.....











Now I just took the next two last night:


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## elevan (Oct 19, 2011)

She's such a cutie patootie  

But   on her acting like a goat!  I've got a calf that thinks he's a goat and it's kind of scary at times...


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## redtailgal (Oct 19, 2011)

YEAH, but did you see how much she has grown, lol?

Her mom is gonna freak..........


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## Stubbornhillfarm (Oct 20, 2011)

redtailgal, after all of your stories and pictures of this little beauty, her momma would have a hard time getting her back if I were the baby sitter!    I'm sure momma is going to be super excited to see her and what you have taught her.


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## dwbonfire (Oct 20, 2011)

i cant believe how filled out she is!!! wow! and i also cant believe she kicked you!!  what a little brat lol i remember she kicked me when she was a week old and i couldnt believe the power behind it, i can only imagine theres more where that came from now. i hope she didnt hurt you! thats funny she came over to kiss up after. shes got such a personality.

im going to get a rubber mat for the crate today, hope i can find something that will work. shes going to have to "suck it in" to get in that crate lol. i hope she doesnt get too stressed this time, she seems to do alright on the ride there.

did you want me to buy a bag of grain to replace the one you have used or i can just give you cash? whichever is better for you let me know. and also we plan to be getting home on sunday but of course its hard to judge the time, we are trying to time it right so we can pick her up on the way. i will keep you posted, and ill be on here before then of course. thanks for the pics!!


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## redtailgal (Oct 20, 2011)

It wasnt too bad when she kicked me, lol.  No bruising.

She is a sweetheart, but she has these "mood swings".  I can go out to the pasture to catch her, and she will take off running away from me, bucking and carrying on.........but when I turn and walk away instead of chasing her, she runs me down and attaches herself to my hip.  LOL, this morning, when I was leading her out to the pasture, she was walking along, all right proper, then suddenly she got a wild red hair up her butt and cat hopped and bucked and squeal for a minute.  Then, she went back to walking like a lady.

You dont have to buy replacement grain, I wont be needing any of this kind for a couple months. I will let you take what is left when you get here.  It was half a bag, so about 7$ should cover it.


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## redtailgal (Oct 21, 2011)

DW, She wasnt feeling well today.

I noticed her being a little less playful this afternoon (she was fine this morning), so I havent let her have any grain today.

When I went out to feed the goats, she obviously didnt feel good.  Her belly was starting to bloat and I could see her trying to poop but not succeeding.

I drenched her with some Bloat-ease and gave her a mineral oil enema.  She immediately belched in my face (   ).  Then when she started trying to poop again, I saw an impaction, so I gloved up and went in sick   )  It was a wad of acorns. ACORNS. sigh.  Anyway, once the wad of acorns was out she proceeded to blast me with green diareha sick        )

She felt so much better that she kicked me. 

She is still a little "off", so I am going to hold her grain tomorrow and keep her up off the grass.  I will not give her any milk tonight, but if I see any more runny poop, I will give her a bottle of gel-ing electrolytes, and dilute her milk to half strength tomorrow.  I will drench her with some more bloat ease tonight just to be safe.

Now, listen...........dont go gettin all upset. I started not to tell you, but I figured that if she was mine, I 'd want to know.  I dont think this is a big deal.  I expect her to be rearing to go in the morning, but if not, that's ok, we will deal with it.  

If she is back to normal tomorrow, then it would be fine for you to pick her up on Sunday.  If she is still puny (I dont think she will be), it would be better for her if you'd let her stay until she is feeling better.

She is warm and dry.  She is ok. Please dont panic. And dont feel bad either, I am not bothered or put out in anyway.  She is a baby, and babys get puny sometimes, I knew that when I agreed to take her for you.  You can call me if you need to, I will be up until midnight.

Quit worrying and enjoy the rest of your trip.  I've got it under control.


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## redtailgal (Oct 21, 2011)

OK She is scouring.  Not bad, but scouring.  I gave her gel-ing electrolytes and a hearty dose of probios. No milk and no grain.

I'll go in the morning to the farm store and pick up some more elctrolytes, the treatment for coccidia and some scour-ease.  I already have B12........I need to get this stuff anyway since we will be having calves of our own soon.  I dont think she will need all of this.  This is a dietary scour (stupid acorns) and should pass pretty quickly.  

I will continue the elctrolytes until she is not having runny poop any more, and then build her back up to full strength milk, then slowly add grain back in to her diet.  I will keep her up and off the grass until her poop is normal again.  I dont think it will take but a couple days, since we caught the scours early.

BUT............She was back to bouncing around, and being silly.  She was very disappointed that I didnt let her out of her stall for her bedtime romp around the barn (didnt want poop everywhere, lol).

DW, she already looks better and is already showing improvement.  She is fine.

I will keep you informed of everything, and I will tell you when you need to worry. RIght now, you dont need to worry.

I named her Booger.  You can change it when you get home, lol.  But, she is most definately a booger! (and a slightly green booger at the moment)

Again, if you will feel better calling me go ahead.  I have free long distance, so I can call you right back and there wont be any charges.


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## dwbonfire (Oct 22, 2011)

oh jeez, i wish i had checked this earlier! i wasnt able to until now  when i should be sleeping!

poor baby i hope shes okay, i wont panic but i am worried of course, mainly because i dont know much about treating these things with cows. i cant believe she ate so many acorns! luckily we dont have any that i know of at home so she wont be tempted to do that again, but im surprised that made her sick. :/

i will give you a call tomorrow morning sometime, or you can call me anytime of day/night too. of course anything you spent on her i will take care of. im glad shes in good hands and i hope she feels better


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## elevan (Oct 22, 2011)

Acorns are high in tannins and if she had a wad of them get stuck - it really makes sense that her tummy would be upset.  I really wouldn't worry, like RTG said.


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## dwbonfire (Oct 22, 2011)

thanks elevan, i will just wait and see how she is later on today. hopefully once they are out of her system she will be feeling much better.


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## redtailgal (Oct 22, 2011)

She is feeling much much better this morning.  She wanted to buck and play, lol.

Her bowels are still loose, though not bad.  I didnt feel that she needed any electrolytes, but I only gave her milk that was half strength.  She was MORTIFIED that I wouldnt let her outside with the goats this morning.

I may still treat her with a little scour ease because I expect that her intestines may be raw after acorns, and that scour ease will help coat and sooth them.

She is fine!

RIght now your bill is a whopping 10$


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## dwbonfire (Oct 22, 2011)

oh good im so glad to hear it!

we are planning to leave about 5:00 this afternoon which will get us around there tomorrow morning sometime. never can say for sure with traffic or any other hurdles. what is your schedule for tomorrow? i dont want to put you out at all so whatever is going to work best for you i will try to work around. if you'd rather call me to talk it over thats fine.


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## redtailgal (Oct 22, 2011)

What time in the morning?



We will be leaving for church in the morning at 9:45, and are supposed to go to dinner afterwards.

So you will need to be here before 9am or after 3 pm.  I can skip dinner if you need me to, but not church.

I'd pack her stuff up and let you go ahead and get her while I was at church, except the mastiff thinks she is ours.  That probably wouldnt work out so great for you, lol.

Give me a call and we will work it out.


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## dwbonfire (Oct 22, 2011)

ok, we got stalled a bit so we are just leaving now. again, not sure what time we will be getting in the area but i will definitely keep you posted and do my best to get there in that time frame, if im not able to get there before i will make a separate trip to get her, i dont want you to change your plans! i wont be able to check this again so if you could call me in the morning anytime and i will let you know where we are. (i ask you to call me because i dont want to call you too early/late and mess with your plans!) i am going to PM you my cell number again and you can call that anytime and find out where we are in the morning.

thanks a ton!


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