New Calves - How do you prevent illness

[Latestarter]

Wow, she really is smaller... Nice looking cattle It's so "green"... Is that a recent picture?

 

[cjc]

Thank you! @Latestarter. Yes, that picture is about a month old. It rains an absolute TON in British Columbia where we live but because of all that rain we are blessed with green pastures for the most part, all year round. Although last summer was an off summer and we had barely any rain and therefore, brown pastures. Praying for a rainier summer this year. I mention to our herd all the time that they don't know how lucky they actually are haha.

 

[Goatgirl47]

I also have a heifer who is quite petite. We got her and her Momma when she was five-months old, and she had been weaned at four-months, but when we bought her we put her back on her Momma. Her dam is small, and so is she. At the time we bought her our bull calf (now he's been deemed a steer ) was two-months younger then her, was a good bit bigger then she was. Now she is catching up with him though.
I can go and get a picture of her (her name is Georgia) right next to a yearling steer (today is his birthday!) so you can compare. She will be a year old March 20th. I am planning on breeding her when she's about eighteen months old, and we'll have her A'I'd to a small-sized Jersey most likely. She is 1/8 Normande 7/8 Jersey.

 

[cjc]

@Goatgirl47 I would love to see a picture of your Georgia.

I am starting to wonder if maybe she had some jersey in her or something. She was from a large herd and they couldn't guarantee the breed. They just had mainly Angus and Herefords...but there were a few Jerseys in there. Little red definitely has some angus in her because she has that classic angus head bob when she walks...but the other breed is questionable

 

[Goatgirl47]

Ok - here is Georgia the day we got her

With her Mom (the same day as the above picture)

This was taken sometime in November or early December (note how much taller she is compared to the fence then in the picture above)

December 9th

I don't know when this was taken - probably mid-December.

Yesterday (Piper is on the left)

Frankie (1 year old) is on the left, Georgia (11 months old) the middle, and Linus (9 months old) on the right (Frankie is a little bit shorter then Piper). All three are still nursing when we don't milk their Momma's.

 

[Goatgirl47]

Oops, I uploaded a lot more pictures then I had planned. Hope you don't mind...

@cjc, did the herd Little Red come from have any Jersey crosses in it?

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Well Lil' Red is still only 1.5 years (18 months?) old so she still has a bit more growing to do. But to me she certainly looks like she has something else in the woodpile that isn't just Hereford and Shorthorn. From the lighter colouring on her lips I am thinking she's got some Jersey that is keeping her a little smaller than the rest of the herd. And I'm also suspecting she was bred pretty early. Usually, even for a Jersey cross, she'd be bred by 15 months and set to calve when she's 24 months old. So I am really hoping no complications come up for this heifer.

 

[cjc]

@Goatgirl47 wow isn't she sweet! They are all very cute. I just love cows. Jerseys have the sweetest faces. Your Georgia is petite but I think I am just so used to looking at these giant girls that I have lost sight of what is "normal". Georgia's mom looks just tiny when I compare to my girls! Makes me have a lot more faith in Little Red. Thanks for sharing your pictures!

@WildRoseBeef yes Little Red would have been about 18 months when we bred her. I am starting to think she has some Jersey in her as well. If my math is right Little Red will be just about 2 when she has her calf, so based on that I think my timing for breeding her was right. Her little calf will be the most crossed cow we have ever had on the farm that's for sure!