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Rachel Elijah wrote:I totally understand about the ai!
We considered that route three years ago when we had dairy cows, but the ai we did didn't take, and then we moved away from our well priced ai guy.
We went with a different breed, and our wonderful Creator gave us an opportunity to buy a incredibly sought after genetically bull calf that would need bottle feeding for cheap. He would've died if we didn't take him.
So, when he was about a year, we got him a mate his age, and after a whole lot of wait time (he was shy), he finally managed to breed her! We will have our first calf from this pair in Feb.
I prefer ai, and if he didn't do the job, we would've done it- but he met our expectations, and we will have an excellent calf, whether it's a bull or heifer on our hands.
Rachel Elijah wrote:I have a first time heifer and according to my calendar, she's close to having her first calf.
I'm looking for signs, and here's what I've got right now: two days ago, she had some discharge (none yesterday), her back pins look rounded out, and she is a bit more affectionate than she normally is.
Her bag isn't completely full yet, I expect that once stage one of labor begins. I can tell she's eating and resting more, so she knows it's happening soon.
Any advice, tips, or guess how close she is to calving? I'm checking her every day, and will be in watch when she goes in to labor. Thanks!
Marty Mitchell wrote:You have some very good looking animals there!
I promise… I will be updating my thread on dexters when we get those calves! 😁
Here is a pic of ours I snapped a few minutes ago. They had been on the dry/sacrificial lot for about a month while the grasses, clovers, and newly germinated ryegrass matured some. Gotta let the grass build up some more energy so it can hit the ground running next Spring.
They have been tearing into that ryegrass! With most grasses they take a nibble off of the top as they move along. With the ryegrass patches… they stay until nubs are left before moving on.
They were actually getting chunky off of that hay! They were able to eat more once the weather cooled down. I went out and gave Rose (the dark red one) a scratch under her chin the other day and it was fat rolls under there. It would totally be hard to tell the breeds apart if I were to plop Rose into the middle of your herd (at first glance anyways). She is probably smaller though.
Ready now… to burn some calories when it gets cold.
Marty Mitchell wrote:I have heard of several folks within the grass-fed podcast, several other similar podcasts, and a few within forums that LOVE Devons. I really need to read up on that breed.
Both of my girls are Dexters... but all I really wanted was some that were small, easy on the land/and us, easy on feed, and good natured... with low-maintenance genetics. I hear Devons are very good for that as well. Are they known to calve easy as well???
I have only had one other cow (Herdford)... back when I was a young boy and showing for the FFA in school. She wound up having a 95 lb (approx.) for her first calf... and we spent the day pulling her around the barn trying to get it out. The calf had already died by the time we found her. Which was the thing that led me to find Dexters. I did a search for easy-calving breeds that they popped up. lol That is my #1 most important item.
I bet your girl will be fine. Keep us posted. It's exciting for sure!
All I can remember is... seeing the sack start to show on her backside. They said to keep an eye out for that... and the baby would soon follow.
Edit:
I just pulled up a link to read up on the breed some. They are pretty! Look similar to my Red dexter heifer.
https://reddevonusa.com/devon_cattle
Rachel Elijah wrote:Hey, all, wanted to let you know an update: this winter they really have grown, and the bull finally got enough courage to start mounting her, in my eyesight. This was happening all through January, and then February I have it marked she was in heat. March and April nothing happened. No signs of heat, no mounting. I watched them daily.
I think it's safe to say she may be bred!
Rachel Elijah wrote:
Andrew Mayflower wrote:
Travis Johnson wrote:Oh...one more important point.
I mentioned fencing...NOT NEEDED!
Cows cannot chew through rope, so on many of my cows, before I got fencing for my sheep, I would just tether them out.
I made a metal plate that had to plates welded to it at angles, then a eye pad that swiveled at the top. I would just bury this metal plate in a shallow hole, attach a 50 foot rope to it, and then to the cow. As it neared the end of the rope, it would pull on the metal plate causing it to dig harder into the ground, yet the swivel kept the cow from winding up its rope. I never had any problems, and as the cow grazed down all the grass. I would just dig a new hole, bury the plate, and then have him graze that down. I had to move it every week, but that was not so bad. Just be sure to place the water bucket where the cow can drink, yet not within the circle so it would ensnare the rope. It will likely knock it over anyway.
A welding shop could make the swiveling deadman for about $20.
In the end it would be very cheap to graze a single cow. Just be sue to always check on the cow once per day for water needs, and amount of feed it is grazing on.
If you could post a photo of that deadman that would be appreciated. I think I understand your design, but a picture would be nice.
++++Sorry this answer is so long😊++++
Andrew, I've been reading through your thread, and, correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you and the Mrs. Are not exactly on the same page about getting cattle?
I will give you some advice on things I've learned, but I think FIRST it's important to get on the same page with whoever else is going to share in the responsibility of keeping the animals.
That being said: my husband and I have raised BOTH sheep and cows, and I personally prefer cows. They are both social, so will have to get at least two.
Why: they need just about the same things sheep do, except they give you WAY more back then sheep do. Meat, milk, their bones, heck, I've even composted their poop- you get way more back for your investment. And they require less fencing for us due to their size. We do electric, and all I have to do is one wire for adults, as opposed to almost chicken-like fencing I used for the sheep. And I hated when their necks would get stuck in the fence, and then they'd have to be freed before they shocked themselves to death.
That being said: with cows, know some cons, if you consider then cons:
- they are larger animals, and your wife will probably need your help with them at some point.
- they will eat more, so you will need more, hay and grass to efficiently keep them. Sheep can eat (some) weeds, but they eat less, DEPENDING on how many you get.
-this isn't necessarily a con, but note WHAT kind of cattle you're getting, and WHERE you're getting them from.
We started our cattle journey out with two jerseys that we bought from a known area that supports dairy's, and after she calved, she was a MESS- she was not ready for an all grass diet, and we eventually had to supplement with feed. If you buy from a dairy, i would breed out the feed dependent genetics at least two generations in.
Our journey then took us to a bred braunveigh that had strong brown swiss genetics. She calved a half belted Galloway bull, which we raised as a steer. We kept him on her for a good 9 months and then had him slaughtered. He was a big boy, and we milked her, and got an INCREDIBLE amount of cream and milk, which we could use to feed some other animals as well as ourselves.
BUT... She was too big for me to milk alone. And she really needed more pasture than our 6 acres. We needed something more grass efficient for our smaller property, which we hadn't seeded very well, so it was mainly the native grasses that were growing.
We finally got two breeding Devons from a breeder that uses primarily grass, with some molasses supplement here and there.
We got them as yearlings, and they are doing GREAT on our pasture, crappy as it is. My heifer is bred and due to calve soon, and I am betting she will still look great after wards.
If you stick with sheep, I recommend st croix. We had several different hare sheep, and st croix gave us the best meat, they did great in the heat, and you're bound to get twins or even triplets in their births. They also have a much shorter turnaround time (4 months) as opposed to cows (9 months).
Our Devons are gentle, extremely hardy, and in my opinion, don't require as much as even the sheep did. And I prefer their meat and milk over sheep meat and milk. Especially if you're eating it every day for lunch and dinner.
That big steer gave us delicious roasts and steaks for lunch and dinner for the entire winter season, for a family of five. That sheep meat won't last long, and their milk isn't bad, but it's strong like goat milk, and I can't really handle the strong taste and smell.
So, really, they BOTH are going to be a little work for you guys, but not as much as baby chicks and poultry. It really depends on what you're willing to do, and what you really want.
I don't really think I would keep cattle without my husband, just because of their size. I don't like dwarf breeds, as I've heard of many genetic problems, and our Devons don't get crazy big and are slow growing.
Hope you make a decision that you both would love!
Travis Johnson wrote:Oh...one more important point.
I mentioned fencing...NOT NEEDED!
Cows cannot chew through rope, so on many of my cows, before I got fencing for my sheep, I would just tether them out.
I made a metal plate that had to plates welded to it at angles, then a eye pad that swiveled at the top. I would just bury this metal plate in a shallow hole, attach a 50 foot rope to it, and then to the cow. As it neared the end of the rope, it would pull on the metal plate causing it to dig harder into the ground, yet the swivel kept the cow from winding up its rope. I never had any problems, and as the cow grazed down all the grass. I would just dig a new hole, bury the plate, and then have him graze that down. I had to move it every week, but that was not so bad. Just be sure to place the water bucket where the cow can drink, yet not within the circle so it would ensnare the rope. It will likely knock it over anyway.
A welding shop could make the swiveling deadman for about $20.
In the end it would be very cheap to graze a single cow. Just be sue to always check on the cow once per day for water needs, and amount of feed it is grazing on.