When's calving starting 2022

When we were calving January, a few days days indoors on straw, cows and calves then outdoors onto a crag. Calves had access to a straw bedded hut sectioned off from cows with el fence. Cows fed on a concrete hard stand.

I’ve seen us forced to move calves out of the calving pens after a day if feet are peeping out of another one. As long as you have plenty of straw down and somewhere for the calf to go he should be ok but I do worry about them on slats. We wind up tying up gates or a bar diagonally across a pen and have 3+3 in there or 2+2. For that to work we need to be able to let lighter cattle out or else use the cowshed. March can be manic swapping about along with the calving. If weather plays ball you can get a few out. Last year they had to be brought back in after about 10 days. Trying.

Has he tried it before and learned? He is not wrong on what he is saying. Calf’s on slats are increased risk of getting hurt. We have always been lucky but have seen a calf go flying and get knocked with cattle fighting (cow that calved been reintroduced as an example) or bulling. Touch wood.

But 9 weeks is mental.

They have to use the waste product from the sexed semen somewhere

Would you change to a beef breed?

I’ve yet to meet a man that had a fr bull that wasn’t a dangerous bastard. Why is it? They say the jersey is an even wickeder hooer

Just back in from a calving. A €240 ebi FR4726 sired calf, but it's a bull. 2nd calver and all is well with her so the bull calf is a minor issue. 5 calved, 2 fr bulls, 1 fr heifer, 1 limo bull and one BB bull.

Did she gave a hard calving last year. Friend pointed out one time that whatever it is about nature, the body reacts and subsequently produces a smaller calf the following year. Always comes to mind when a small calf is born and remember she had a hard calving the previous year.

Never heard that before but it makes sense for a second calfer I had last year. She had a fine heifer the first year but it was a hard calving. So I put an easy calving bull on her but her calf form last year is the poorest calf I have. (Others out of the same bull are fine). Must keep an eye out for that now.

There are very few people who can see twins when scanning from what i’ve seen, i think there’s a pretty short window to pick them up, i don’t know what stage this is at tho.

Does that explain the aggression though? From what I’m told you couldn’t have one about the place. Long time since there were fresians about here but we never kept a bull. The beef bulls would all have a lot of handling and human interaction too. I suppose

there might be such a thing as a quiet fresian bull

Ha aye their mothers or a fresian friend! The pecking order might be a big factor though yea. That’s good advice, my granduncle always said ‘never trust a bull’ and it’s the truth. Personally I like to keep a cow between me and him, especially if he’s facing me.

They have to hear and know your voice, especially if you occasionally wear different coloured or brighter clothes. They are supposed to be colour blind but I don't believe they are.

Good stuff. Keep it going 😉