New calving season

Wow that is a big calf. Since i have started weighing mine the biggest i have had is 120 pounds which i thought was huge. I hover around the 90-100 pound mark. But i remember years ago we had a massive calf, never weighed him but i am sure he would have come in around 130 pounds. Interesting thing is the big ones have all come out unassisted. I haven't had to pull many but the ones i have were on the smaller side and all in recent years.

Redgully said:

Wow that is a big calf. Since i have started weighing mine the biggest i have had is 120 pounds which i thought was huge. I hover around the 90-100 pound mark. But i remember years ago we had a massive calf, never weighed him but i am sure he would have come in around 130 pounds. Interesting thing is the big ones have all come out unassisted. I haven't had to pull many but the ones i have were on the smaller side and all in recent years.

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Rarely you can tell a real calves weight without weighing. Have been weighing calves for quite a while already, but still sometimes can't guess the weight right.
You probably will have more trouble with 100lbs short, barrel-like calf, than 120lbs long, slim calf. We had to assist 121lb calf from a heifer, as he had some wide shoulders, 124lbs char bull from a cow and 95lbs heifer from a cow. The last one normally would have calved well, but the cow probably hasn't opened well and wasn't progressing in calving for a while. She doesn't have milk now, so I guess she has a lack of some minerals or hormonal imbalance.
At the moment bw average is around 111lbs.

On you cow lacking milk production - if you think it is lacking hormones, you might give her a shot of Oxytocin. Not sure what it would be called from your vet??

Jeanne - Simme Valley said:

On you cow lacking milk production - if you think it is lacking hormones, you might give her a shot of Oxytocin. Not sure what it would be called from your vet??

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Yeah, have it. That was my thought, because that she had quite a few false heats in autumn. Or at least bull calves were following her often.
She isn't very sad that we took her calf away. And she is almost dry already. Two quarters are soft and two are abit harder. Only three days that the calf hasn't nursed... Put the calf with the lame cow today. Will increase the amount of meal for her and she should soon be out on grass. She'll need to work harder on her last year!

It's bulls year for us here. 1/2 ratio of heifers and bulls so far. Herd bull's calves are hitting the ground now and from 10 his calves only 2 are heifers. We don't plan to keep many heifers, so it's better to have more bull calves.
Some of the recent calves:
Bull calf out of 2nd calver.
The mom of this one is quite bad tempered. She would be gone a long time ago, but even if she's quite bad tempered (not super bad, but better not touch her head, rear is fine though) you can always tag her calf, she has her calf every year unassisted, the calf nurses by himself, calves are actually well behaved and often pretty friendly and they grow really well. The cow is almost 8years old. She should stay for some more time. All her calves were bulls so far.
Heifer from another 8years old cow. Have a very nice red yearling heifer from the same breeding, which will be kept as replacement. If this one will be the same as the sister, she'll be a very nice one.
None of these were weighed, but should be in 90-115lbs range. Gestations are much longer of the herd bull's calves, often at 288-295days, so it takes quite a long time to have a new calf. Now have one at 289th day and she still waits... Others are close too.
Have already started AI for earlier calved cows. Have one being quiet after the first try with Parthenaise, one got charolais and one belgian blue. Have missed some heats from other cows to move them to abit later calving. Were ready to AI one, but she has injured herself during the heat and she started not holding her weight on her one rear leg and dragging it, so decided to wait and see if she'll be back to normal. She was good as new by the next evening.
Overall, a nice calving season. Haven't lost any newborns, only one fall born calf at 2.5months age. Had to assist a couple, but nothing too hard. Pretty high birth weights this year too, average at ~110lbs. Biggest calves sired by the herd bull, but very close were a couple calves from AI.

Finally moved one herd out on grass. Everybody is happy and enjoying some fresh tasty grass. Hopefully will be able to move others on grass soon.


We sometimes get small calves too! This one is heifer born yesterday. She's extremely tiny and skinny for our usual calves. Guessing she's around 60-65lbs, born at 292nd day.

This one has spent good five minutes like that. A good way to relax.
The ordinary thing for this one. Loves her neck scratch while her head is resting on my shoulder.

Mostly AI calves. Pretty nice group, better than from the previous herd bull and sure a colourful one!
Charolaisx calves:




Piedmontesex calves:


This one is from limxdairy cow, so don't expect very much of shape from him.

Blondex calves:




Inrax calf.
BBx heifer.

A couple calves from the herd bull.

Not posting many of the herdbull's calves, but needs to show this one. Just a newborn heifer from 10yo 3/4lim, 1/4dairy cow. I consider cow to be in a perfect condition to calve and rear her calf. She never missed a year, had mostly heifers- only two bulls and have four her daughters in the herd (plus two granddaughters). Hopefully she'll fit into AI time and we'll be able to get an AI calf from her.



And can say that's the first summer calf.

Have lost the first calf this year... And it's an AI calf... From my own cow. Was very excited waiting for her new calf... She baked this one for abit longer- 292days. By the time I found her, she was standing and licking her newborn dead calf. He probably stuck on his hips for abit and it doesn't take long for a calf to die in such position... The calf isn't very big- 119lbs, but already muscled. Oh, the "joys" of double muscled breeds...

Sorry to hear that, looks like he would have been a solid boy, big hips. Quite big in the shoulder too. Hopefully the cow breeds back ok.

That's a shame. Sorry for your luck.

Your cows wouldn't even look back to see what happened if they had a 60 lb calf!
sucks to lose them

Always the risk on heavy muscled bulls - a risk a lot of us take. Sorry for your loss.

Yeah, it's always not easy... Luckily the cow is okay. Brought her home. Very good girl, but not impressed with the fact of being separated from the herd and being in the shed. Put a calf with her, which mom didn't had milk after calving and so hopefully the calf finally will have a mom for her alone. Cow seems to be pretty keen to take a calf.

She usually comes inheat pretty quickly and has a good fertility, have moved from october to june calving with five calvings, one was a set of twins.
That's such a good example that the weight of the calf at birth isn't the most important thing. The shape plays the biggest role...

Nesikep said:

Your cows wouldn't even look back to see what happened if they had a 60 lb calf!
sucks to lose them

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Our smallest calf ever was 57lbs, and it was a twin. Second smallest was 66lbs from 15months old heifer. Can't imagine a single 60lbs calf myself! 90-100lbs is ideal for me. Easy calved, but has pretty good size.

Have this girl calving tonight. Hope to find a lovely calf in the morning. Calf will be from a herd bull, so nothing too fancy.

Good that you have a calf for her.. keep her busy, and hopefully tonight is better!

And here is a new boy!



There should be only one more calf left due from the previous herd bull.
She already started bagging up, so should have a new calf pretty quickly.

Will have some AI calves in summer too. the first is due at the beginning of July- Charolais. There will be blonde, simmental and a couple charolais calves before fall.

Getting quite a nice group of cattle.
I agree on BW - I like the 80-95# range myself. Rare (very rare) to have one under 70#.