Good morning, I am new here (swung over from byc) . I have spent several hours last few days reading posts here. Great info, nice folks and awesome pictures here.
I live in central florida, I have Lots of chickens, 2 Yorky Pigs, dogs, cats and bunnies. My horse died about 2 years ago, so I have a beautiful pasture just sitting there, green grass with noone eating it. My dh came home the other day and said a lady he has been helping (her hubby died) has offered him a Holstein calf (heifer) for free, just as a thank you for all he has done. While I would seriously love to have a cow I am scared to take one on and mess it up. I know this breed is typically a dairy moo, but she would be a meat moo here. I did a little research and saw that these girls can make excellent eaters as well.
She is on the pail? I guess that means she is taking her milk from the bucket? And she is eating grain and grass. I believe she is just about 2 months old.
So, question is, do I take her? Can you guys help me through all the mistakes I am sure to make? Would you guys use a Holstein as a beef cow? My fences are good, just going to add a hotwire to it for safety sake, been meaning to do it for a while anyway. How much vetting does a calf/cow require? We are seriously short on large animal vets in my area. Approximate age for processing ? (warning: more questions coming )
Ok I know this was a long introduction, hope ya'll can help out.
Jae
I live in central florida, I have Lots of chickens, 2 Yorky Pigs, dogs, cats and bunnies. My horse died about 2 years ago, so I have a beautiful pasture just sitting there, green grass with noone eating it. My dh came home the other day and said a lady he has been helping (her hubby died) has offered him a Holstein calf (heifer) for free, just as a thank you for all he has done. While I would seriously love to have a cow I am scared to take one on and mess it up. I know this breed is typically a dairy moo, but she would be a meat moo here. I did a little research and saw that these girls can make excellent eaters as well.
She is on the pail? I guess that means she is taking her milk from the bucket? And she is eating grain and grass. I believe she is just about 2 months old.
So, question is, do I take her? Can you guys help me through all the mistakes I am sure to make? Would you guys use a Holstein as a beef cow? My fences are good, just going to add a hotwire to it for safety sake, been meaning to do it for a while anyway. How much vetting does a calf/cow require? We are seriously short on large animal vets in my area. Approximate age for processing ? (warning: more questions coming )
Ok I know this was a long introduction, hope ya'll can help out.
Jae