Home Forums Miscellaneous Topics Rural Living Its calving time

We don't start till late April , some years that is too soon. If you can make it work, that is fine with me.

This time of year I'm thankful if the phone doesn't ring when I need to be in bed!

We've had a mild few days here-lots better than a year ago.

March came in like a lamb here.

To me it's not a race to get started, rather how you do in the end.

I'm over half done. Took a chance on the weather, and won out.

Our bred heifers should start around the 24th of March, cows a couple days later.

I see a few heifers are starting to bag up a little. We still have them out on a section of mixed wheat stubble and grass, feeding them of course. Need to get them home soon but our home place is covered in ice and standing water. I'm going to start pumping out the main heifer calving area either tomorrow or Friday which will be a first. It is the sloppiest I've ever seen it this time of year, you'd think we just had a foot of rain...

Good luck, good cattle folks. The cattle racket is not a quick way to get rich.

We're about half done, all is well so far. I'd rather have them late Feb ~ early March. Typically a bit colder than now, but we're usually not dealing with those cold rains or ice storms. But then again, every year will be a bit different. My first one from last year has some pretty short ears.

On side note...
It has been an outstanding winter to feed calves. I've got a few calves that are just now turning a year old and will be headed to the locker next week and the following, guessing they'll weigh 1350+.

Done with the heifers... Thank goodness.

Still about half the cows to go.

Part of the calf crop so far. The cow on left had just given birth to her calf a couple of hours before this pic.

Just about a third in. So far one premature dead calf, one dead with what looked like a broken neck, and a prolapsed vagina. Fortunately, bunch of healthy little guys running around, too. There's a reason I don't do the cattle myself. I take the dead and hurt ones too hard.

Sold most of our cows a few years ago.

We started calving on super bowl Sunday. I left telling the wife I’m sure that heifer will be fine when I saw she was kinking her tail.

She called a few hours later said there’s a problem. I called the neighbor who went to help.

Wife was not impressed she missed the entire super bowl except for the last 5 minutes. She is a lifelong KC Chiefs fan and was a little miffed she missed their first SB appearance in 50 years.

Calf survived. Tough pull. Cow walked out and collapsed and laid there for better than a day. Everyone’s good now.

Started jan1 , done now. Great success rate this year. Around here the cold March and April rains ( hypothermia) will kill a newborn faster than our cold Jan weather in a normal year.

Already had to pull two heifer's calves. The calf puller I got from a yard sale for $10 is worth it's weight. No more come-alongs or four wheelers hopefully.

The herd produced a new one in the last 24 hours. It’s a pretty little thing.