- Thread starter
- #371
canesisters
Herd Master
I chickened out... maybe tonight?
Canesisters 2023 journal - turning my Disasters into Delights
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SageHill
Herd Master
It worked good for me
-- I did only use them for baking, I'm not sure how they'd turn out if I tried to fry them. The yolks, while breakable, were a bit firmer than when they were fresh.- Thread starter
- #373
canesisters
Herd Master
Can't believe I keep forgetting to update my own thread
When my hay guy delivered last week he asked if I still had 'that pretty little heifer'. I told him she was in the barn if he wanted to come see her. We walked in and he hand fed her some cubes and then he just went on and on about how he had lost some of his older cows last year, and how he had been so focused on the hay operation that he hadn't gotten around to replacing them, and that his herd had gotten smaller than he liked ......
I reminded him that Blossom was 1/4 jersey and wouldn't get real big. He said he didn't want big cows & seemed real impressed how tame & friendly she is.
Sooo.... maybe I'll lose out on a year's beef... but possibly get ... ?? a season's hay in trade???? Who knows, but it's fun to think about.
@farmerjan do you do anything to wean your calves or do the cows pretty much just wean them themselves? Eva will keep producing and will happily have a yearling still nursing. I've never worried about it. But.. I'm considering if I should look into weaning rings? Or trying some stall time to keep Blossom from nursing for half day to start weaning???
IF it should work out that Derrick (or anyone else) wants to buy her as a beef-making mama, I'd like to give her the best start possible & have her completely on hay/pasture/feed before toooo much longer (she's 7months old)
When my hay guy delivered last week he asked if I still had 'that pretty little heifer'. I told him she was in the barn if he wanted to come see her. We walked in and he hand fed her some cubes and then he just went on and on about how he had lost some of his older cows last year, and how he had been so focused on the hay operation that he hadn't gotten around to replacing them, and that his herd had gotten smaller than he liked ......
I reminded him that Blossom was 1/4 jersey and wouldn't get real big. He said he didn't want big cows & seemed real impressed how tame & friendly she is.
Sooo.... maybe I'll lose out on a year's beef... but possibly get ... ?? a season's hay in trade???? Who knows, but it's fun to think about.
@farmerjan do you do anything to wean your calves or do the cows pretty much just wean them themselves? Eva will keep producing and will happily have a yearling still nursing. I've never worried about it. But.. I'm considering if I should look into weaning rings? Or trying some stall time to keep Blossom from nursing for half day to start weaning???
IF it should work out that Derrick (or anyone else) wants to buy her as a beef-making mama, I'd like to give her the best start possible & have her completely on hay/pasture/feed before toooo much longer (she's 7months old)
Baymule
Herd Master
Trade is good, what does a years supply of hay cost and what is Blossom worth? At 7 months old, I’d think your hay guy could load her up and take her home.
farmerjan
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At that age we just take them off the beef cows, put them in a lot and yep... they will bawl for a few days, but if they are eating good then they "get over it". In your case with her just by herself, I would do the 12 hour off thing and MILK the cow BEFORE you let her back so she is getting very little to drink... make her more dependent on feed/grass...
But at that age, and seeing how he is aware she is NOT weaned... let him load her up and take her home. He probably has better facilities to keep her contained anyway if he has beef cattle and if he weans any of his...
She is worth at least 1,000.... we are seeing heifers in the 1.50-2.00 a pound range... and yes, I know she is part jersey... but she will make an awesome cow to raise an angus calf on as it will only be 1/8 jersey at that point and should look all beef.... and will milk good so the calf will have that advantage. I know the hay guy helps you out with the loading hay and all that... but don't give her away either in the trade.
But at that age, and seeing how he is aware she is NOT weaned... let him load her up and take her home. He probably has better facilities to keep her contained anyway if he has beef cattle and if he weans any of his...
She is worth at least 1,000.... we are seeing heifers in the 1.50-2.00 a pound range... and yes, I know she is part jersey... but she will make an awesome cow to raise an angus calf on as it will only be 1/8 jersey at that point and should look all beef.... and will milk good so the calf will have that advantage. I know the hay guy helps you out with the loading hay and all that... but don't give her away either in the trade.
Mini Horses
Herd Master
Plus, Eva will still be in milk, so you will have that!! 
. You could probably do 1x day milking & both be happy. I really like milking 
. You could probably do 1x day milking & both be happy. I really like milking - Thread starter
- #377
canesisters
Herd Master
I don't remember if I mentioned it first or he did, but we did talk about her not being weaned and he said that he's seen calves that are used to milk drop a good bit of weight when suddenly put on just pasture.
I'll have to put some thought into this.
The last calf left suddenly at around 5 months ( I think?? ) and Eva got mastitis despite my best efforts milking.
I've got time to do this slowly - no need to hurry.
I have to take into consideration the noise of their complaining (and Miss Eva has some PIPES!!!!) & if I would rather annoy myself AND my neighbors at night and get up an hour early to milk before letting them together all day - or annoy JUST my neighbors & separate them during the day.
If I go slow and start to see signs of mastitis again, everyone always says the best treatment is a calf keeping the affected quarter empty.
.. and I should add that with mastitis treatments being so hard to get ahold of now-a-days, I'm scared half to death of her getting it again.
I was considering re-vamping my milking area anyway, this is just the push I need to break out the measuring tape...
Now that the barn is clean and has so much empty space in the middle, I was thinking that I'd see where I can set up a dedicated milking area. In the past I've always milked in the stall but I've been very much dissatisfied with my ability to get it as clean as I want, and keep it as clean as I would like during milking.
With a dedicated area, she can come in, get her feed, get her peeing & pooping done and THEN be moved to an area with rubber mats for milking. There's some picts of my current stanchion/feeder setup on page 12 post 115. https://www.backyardherds.com/threa...-my-disasters-into-delights.43768/post-718103
I think the easiest thing might be to take the current setup apart, hang a 10' gate that spans that whole space, rebuild it at a 90* turn where the posts are still standing from the stall we took down
I'll have to put some thought into this.
The last calf left suddenly at around 5 months ( I think?? ) and Eva got mastitis despite my best efforts milking.
I've got time to do this slowly - no need to hurry.
I have to take into consideration the noise of their complaining (and Miss Eva has some PIPES!!!!) & if I would rather annoy myself AND my neighbors at night and get up an hour early to milk before letting them together all day - or annoy JUST my neighbors & separate them during the day.
If I go slow and start to see signs of mastitis again, everyone always says the best treatment is a calf keeping the affected quarter empty.
.. and I should add that with mastitis treatments being so hard to get ahold of now-a-days, I'm scared half to death of her getting it again.
I was considering re-vamping my milking area anyway, this is just the push I need to break out the measuring tape...
Now that the barn is clean and has so much empty space in the middle, I was thinking that I'd see where I can set up a dedicated milking area. In the past I've always milked in the stall but I've been very much dissatisfied with my ability to get it as clean as I want, and keep it as clean as I would like during milking.
With a dedicated area, she can come in, get her feed, get her peeing & pooping done and THEN be moved to an area with rubber mats for milking. There's some picts of my current stanchion/feeder setup on page 12 post 115. https://www.backyardherds.com/threa...-my-disasters-into-delights.43768/post-718103
I think the easiest thing might be to take the current setup apart, hang a 10' gate that spans that whole space, rebuild it at a 90* turn where the posts are still standing from the stall we took down
Mini Horses
Herd Master
You know, there's a good herbal product from either Hoegger or caprine supply and probably jeffers or valley vet, that might be a consideration. Mastitis starts as a bacterial element. Believe it's called Mastoblast. Added to feed. Anyway...cattle may be a little different than goats.
@farmerjan ... What's your input? This is your area
@farmerjan ... What's your input? This is your area
SageHill
Herd Master
Ah - but your grinchy neighbor -
if he complains just say you knew he wanted her gone so you are weaning to be able to sell her and get her out of his hair!
Baymule
Herd Master
Can you Pen them next to each other overnight, then together during the day?
