# First time owned by a calf



## HeavensDoorAcres (Feb 23, 2016)

Hello everyone, and thank you for letting me join this group. A little about us...we have a tiny Homestead, 7 acres, where we raise poultry for eggs and meat, Geese for "crowd control" American Guinea hogs for meat and sale, 2 miniature goats (a buck and a doe for milking) , one Shetland ewe for wool....and now...a just weaned bottle calf for breeding and milking much later. This is the first cow I have been owned by, and she has won my heart. I am starting her on leading training and she is doing fairly well. She doesn't struggle against the lead. I have her in the same "yard" as the Ewe, an area about 65 x 120 ft., well drained, great grassy pasture. One of my questions...when and what will she need as far as shots? Will it be OK to raise her with my Ewe? The person I bought her from kept feed in front of her 24/7 Is this what I need to do as well? Thank you in advance for any and all help in answering my questions. I love my little Daisy Mae, and want her to be healthy and happy.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Depends on the quality of the feed, don't want to over grain her and nor do you need the best hay money can buy. Cows have four stomachs and they need roughage to make sure they all develop properly if she's kept for the long haul.

Far as shots you need to talk to your local veterinarian to see what's normal for your area, would also be helpful if you knew what she might have already had from the previous owner.


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## HeavensDoorAcres (Feb 23, 2016)

Thank you for the quick reply. The feed she is on, is a ground (powder type) feed, 12%. Her hay is a timothy hay and I mixed in some silage hay. The previous owner had a silage hay bale out for them, they ate on it all day. I doubt I will be able to get a bale of that silage hay I have no way to haul it, or get it into the pasture. I will find out what shots, if any, she has had. Thanks again.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

The only shot that is a "must have" on heifers we retain is the 7 way black leg vaccination.

We do give a respiratory vaccination to the calves that will be sold and shipped.

How much feed she needs will depend on how well she maintains her body condition. Some of that will depend on how much forage she has. Cattle will graze and eat most of the day when forage is available. When I first wean calves I feed them a good bit to help their body adjust to not having milk.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

Ditto on 7-way with blackleg plus bruclosis(sp) AKA Bangs disease which can only be administered by a Veterinarian.


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## Thorim (Jan 19, 2015)

What breed is your young heifer?


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## HeavensDoorAcres (Feb 23, 2016)

Thorim, her sire is a full Black Angus, Dam is 1/2 Holstein and 1/2 something else...I can't remember. If I can figure how to post pictures...I will put one on here. She is so pretty...and I am hoping to have her in our family for a long time. 

I will call my vet today and ask about the 7 way and black leg Thanks!


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

At what age will you harvest her? Are you looking for grain-fed beef or grass-fed beef.....
Welcome to haytalk HeavensDoor . Just saw that you're gonna just use her for Milk?


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## Thorim (Jan 19, 2015)

Interesting cross wonder what the quantity of milk production will be like???


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## HeavensDoorAcres (Feb 23, 2016)

Yes, Somedevildawg, she will be for milking. Thorim, since it is just my husband and I home now...I don't worry too much about the quantity of milk as I do the quality. I want to start making cheese and butter so I can cross those off of the list of things I am currently buying at the store. Also, the home made cheese makes great Holiday gifts for family.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Thorim said:


> Interesting cross wonder what the quantity of milk production will be like???


We had an angus holstein cross cow once, she had no problems raising her own calf plus another three. She loved calves, soon as she had her own get another three in with her and she'd raise all four no problems.


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## Thorim (Jan 19, 2015)

HeavensDoorAcres said:


> Yes, Somedevildawg, she will be for milking. Thorim, since it is just my husband and I home now...I don't worry too much about the quantity of milk as I do the quality. I want to start making cheese and butter so I can cross those off of the list of things I am currently buying at the store. Also, the home made cheese makes great Holiday gifts for family.


Depending on what site you check a Holstein/Holstein mix can produce an average of six to eight gallons of milk a day,


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

> her sire is a full Black Angus, Dam is 1/2 Holstein and 1/2 something else..


If her dam is half holstein and the other half is "milk cow" then she cold be a good milker. I would be a little concerned if she was only 1/4 milk cow.

I grew up hand milking cows with my grandparents. Most of the half bred dairy cows did not give much milk, especially as heifers. I am not trying to sound pessimistic. We were just a little disappointed in the half holsteins after keeping them 2.5 years and getting 2 gallons a day.

Until recently I kept at least one nurse cow and I would milk one faucet for me. We had a Jersey that gave 48 lb. of milk per day.

I am happy and proud of anyone who is willing to milk their own.


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## HeavensDoorAcres (Feb 23, 2016)

If she only gives 2 gallons a day, I would be OK with that, since there are only the 2 of us here. If she gives more....well...that just means more cheese making, more often.


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## Nitram (Apr 2, 2011)

Not sure bout out east there but I also vac for pink eye here.


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## Swv.farmer (Jan 2, 2016)

I've got a half holstein half Angus cow she always has twines and they both grow fast and healthy.

The ok only problem is she thinks she is a lap dog.


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

Nitram said:


> Not sure bout out east there but I also vac for pink eye here.


We do too. Give all the heifers 7-way, Bangs vaccination, pinkeye and wormer.


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## HeavensDoorAcres (Feb 23, 2016)

Thank you everyone for your recommendations. This is the first cow/calf we have ever had here, and I just want to make sure she is healthy and happy. I am going to the previous owners home today, and getting all of the information he has on her pertaining to her vetting, DOB, etc. Our Daisy is a sweet little thing, happy, and she follows me around the pasture or barn. The only " issue" I am having right now is...she will come up behind me, put her head between my legs and push up....looking for a bottle/teet. I am short enough, and she is tall enough, she almost takes my feet out from under me. I am hoping this stops soon...when she realizes she gets no more bottles.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Need to break the butting problem now if you are going to keep her. She is looking for an udder and butting upward to get the milk down.

I have a bottle raised orphan calf in the pasture. I had to discourage the butting of my back side. I did it by kicking back/behind me when I felt her presence. She has to learn my space. This is a bit hard to teach since the calf sees you are the momma/security. You have to be consistent and serious about breaking the habit.


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## HeavensDoorAcres (Feb 23, 2016)

I Finally figured out how to post pictures.. Here is our little Daisy Mae her first day on the farm.





  








22Feb2016 1




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HeavensDoorAcres


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Feb 28, 2016




First day home, February 2016









  








22Feb2016 3




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HeavensDoorAcres


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Feb 28, 2016




Our little Daisy Mae, February 2016






I may be a little biased, but I think she is just beautiful!


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## MScowman (May 18, 2011)

Be aware of your ewe's copper feed intake as sheep have different copper tolerance than cattle, since they are in the same pasture and probably eating same feed.


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## HeavensDoorAcres (Feb 23, 2016)

Thank you MScowman. At this time I am feeding them separate. The calf's feeder is too high for the Ewe to reach, and eat from.


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## Supa Dexta (May 28, 2014)

You own the cow, let's get that nonsense straightened out right off the bat.


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## Swv.farmer (Jan 2, 2016)

If it's a bottle calf it's like they own you.


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## HeavensDoorAcres (Feb 23, 2016)

Supa Dexta...Yes, I "own " her....but since she is a bottle calf....she bawls every time I go out the door...and, well, I usually at least go talk to her for a few minutes...scratch her cheeks...so I feel like I am " owned" by her. LOL


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Nice looking calf.

One of the abandoned calves Tammy raised last spring will still run up to the Ranger for attention when I'm moving feeders.


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## HeavensDoorAcres (Feb 23, 2016)

Hey everyone....I have a question about my calf. She is now almost 6 months old and...well...she has developed a fairly good size bag and well formed udders. A neighbor came over and asked if she was " in milk" already. She has never been with a bull...she is the only cow on the property. Is this something I need to be worried about?


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

HeavensDoorAcres said:


> Hey everyone....I have a question about my calf. She is now almost 6 months old and...well...she has developed a fairly good size bag and well formed udders. A neighbor came over and asked if she was " in milk" already. She has never been with a bull...she is the only cow on the property. Is this something I need to be worried about?


Might help if you post what breed the calf is, if she is a Holstein that her mother (the dam) had a large udder and/or the father's (the sire) daughters all have large udders, could make a difference.

I have a 'mixed' bag of cattle, some appear to develop their udder and teats, it appears quicker, especially if they are 'fatter'. Normally, in my area, heifers do not come into heat until about 5-6 months of age, even so she normally would not start developing her udder, until later in the gestation period. IMHO

You could always ask a local neighbor that has cattle or your Vet for an opinion.

Larry


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## HeavensDoorAcres (Feb 23, 2016)

r82230 said:


> Might help if you post what breed the calf is, if she is a Holstein that her mother (the dam) had a large udder and/or the father's (the sire) daughters all have large udders, could make a difference.
> 
> I have a 'mixed' bag of cattle, some appear to develop their udder and teats, it appears quicker, especially if they are 'fatter'. Normally, in my area, heifers do not come into heat until about 5-6 months of age, even so she normally would not start developing her udder, until later in the gestation period. IMHO
> 
> ...


Hi Larry, Her sire is Angus, Dam is Holstein and something else( dairy ). She is just about 6 months old now...( in 4 days ). I thought it was quite "normal" for her to develop but the neighbor thinks she might have some sort of udder disease. He suggested I call out the vet...but honestly...I wanted another opinion.


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## jr in va (Apr 15, 2015)

A 3-4 foot section of black plastic water pipe wil help stop the butting issue.It won't hurt the calf and the thunk will get her attention.Use black plastic as it flexes. PVC will not.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

HeavensDoorAcres said:


> Hey everyone....I have a question about my calf. She is now almost 6 months old and...well...she has developed a fairly good size bag and well formed udders. A neighbor came over and asked if she was " in milk" already. She has never been with a bull...she is the only cow on the property. Is this something I need to be worried about?


Nothing to worry about. She is just going through puberty.

As her hormones change and regulate, her body will change also. She is just doing what her body says to do.


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

HeavensDoorAcres said:


> Hi Larry, Her sire is Angus, Dam is Holstein and something else( dairy ). She is just about 6 months old now...( in 4 days ). I thought it was quite "normal" for her to develop but the neighbor thinks she might have some sort of udder disease. He suggested I call out the vet...but honestly...I wanted another opinion.


As TimSouth, mentions sounds like puberty, most likely taking after mom genetics, more than dad's genes. She could become quite the milkier (having a very large udder), it she ever has a calf.

The difference of udder development is like comparing an apple (Angus) and a watermelon (Holstein), on some of my cows.

Because I have some Holstein blood in some of my brood cows, they large udders and produce so much milk the calf might only nurse 2 quarters (the others dry up), but the calves grow like weeds verses the cows with smaller udders.

Larry


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## RuttedField (Apr 24, 2016)

It is too late because you already got the calf, but for homesteaders I always recommend a Jersey. They are small, put out a ton of butter fat and don't produce all that much. The latter sounds counterproductive, but with Holsteins producing 7-8 gallons per day; let me pose the question; what on earth is the average home going to do with 50 plus gallons of milk every week?

I grew up with two Jerseys and grew to like them, churning the butter churn on Saturday mornings watching cartoons so we could sell the cakes of butter in town for income. The funny thing was, we were considered poor but just did not know it until we got to school and kids told us we were.


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## HeavensDoorAcres (Feb 23, 2016)

RuttedField said:


> It is too late because you already got the calf, but for homesteaders I always recommend a Jersey. They are small, put out a ton of butter fat and don't produce all that much. The latter sounds counterproductive, but with Holsteins producing 7-8 gallons per day; let me pose the question; what on earth is the average home going to do with 50 plus gallons of milk every week?
> 
> I grew up with two Jerseys and grew to like them, churning the butter churn on Saturday mornings watching cartoons so we could sell the cakes of butter in town for income. The funny thing was, we were considered poor but just did not know it until we got to school and kids told us we were.


I had thought about a Jersey....but I really fell into a great deal with this calf...on a barter. No cash traded hands. We have American Guinea hogs...so no milk will actually " go to waste" I am hoping she doesn't produce a LOT of milk...my poor aching hands. I see a milking machine in my future. LOL


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

HeavensDoorAcres said:


> I am hoping she doesn't produce a LOT of milk...my poor aching hands. I see a milking machine in my future. LOL


Buy a bucket milker, you can thank me later....


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