In order to have a bunch of healthy babies in the spring, we have to employ the services of an eligible bull sometime in late summer to early fall. Cows cycle every 21 days (ish) and have a gestation period of a little over 9 months (280 ish days depending on the breed).
This means that with around a dozen receptive lady friends, the bull was kept busy.
We don't own our own bull yet, so we have been borrowing one. We have been lucky enough to have worked with 2 really great guys so far, and will hopefully have our own someday.
Last year, we used a Hereford bull that I named "Handlebars". He bred all the ladies, and we ended up with some exceptional calves around the end of March 2014. All of the calves have different markings on their bodies, but ALL of them have their father's white face. 2 of these calves (Katnip and Georgia) will be raised to become brood cows someday and help us expand our herd. The rest will be raised for beef once they are big enough.
This means that with around a dozen receptive lady friends, the bull was kept busy.
We don't own our own bull yet, so we have been borrowing one. We have been lucky enough to have worked with 2 really great guys so far, and will hopefully have our own someday.
Last year, we used a Hereford bull that I named "Handlebars". He bred all the ladies, and we ended up with some exceptional calves around the end of March 2014. All of the calves have different markings on their bodies, but ALL of them have their father's white face. 2 of these calves (Katnip and Georgia) will be raised to become brood cows someday and help us expand our herd. The rest will be raised for beef once they are big enough.
This year we are using a beautiful Black Angus bull that Ben named "Brutus". We are borrowing him from a nice beef farm in central Maine. Brutus is younger and smaller than Handles was and has been really well behaved so far. He fit in great with the ladies and was instantly popular the moment he stepped off the trailer.
We are having the vet do a routine pregnancy check this week just to make sure that everyone has a healthy pregnancy, then Brutus is moving on to another farm to meet some more ladies.
I am really excited to see what his calves look like this spring! Everyone except Mumma (who has like 15 years experience) now have had one whole year of experience raising a calf, so the calving season will hopefully be a little less exciting this year coming.
Brutus is a handsome and mellow guy, and he will be missed around here. The great thing is that even though he is leaving to go work on another farm, his legacy will carry on with the birth of some mini-Brutuses in spring of next year! I can't wait to meet them!