Calving 2026

I used to do the idione the same way but went for the green stuff now prob better to do it ur way ordinary iodine then spray with the green stuff stop the cow licking it.

Also I do the same with the sudocream fill the hole and then put sliver spray on it. I actually worked with a guy from the sudocream factory after it closed a few years ago was telling him about it how quick it heals up. He swears by the stuff

lovely heifer @endainoz was that an AI angus bull you used?

Had a heifer break across 3 fields last year to get served by the stock bull. I was worried cause he carries an NT821 gene which throws large calves in the older cows. Small bit of assistance at the head but all fine, must have got the F gene instead thankfully.

I remember as a young lad a breeder dropped off the new AA bull. He went down the ramp of the trailer, into the group of heifers and served one. Barely on the farm a few minutes. There’s little messing with angus.

Nice to get the 2 heifers,id give her a couple of litres of beastings if u have it and chance her with the cow for a few days.

My worst milking cow is just after having a set of twin heifers a few minutes ago too. Beastings thawing now whatever I will do with them tomorrow. She can badly rare one on a good year.

It would have been the sensible thing to do but not at 500 🤣. Anyway a little Jersey cow in milk for 960 and an angus bull calf for 350 was the solution rightly or wrongly.

Seen in one of Crawford Farms recent videos where he was castrating his calves with rubber rings used for lambs tails. Karen Moynihan also does this and going by weights of her yearlings it is not having any adverse affect on them.

So just wondering do many on here use those rings to castrate calves or do ye leave them and squeeze later ?

Appreciate this doesn't apply to anyone selling as weanlings.

Grange did a big study castrating bulls at 3-4 months and found it made no difference to weight gain compared doing them at 6-7 months. The interesting outcome was that they were less stressed(cortisol levels) and recovered quicker when done younger. A study now doing the calves under a month old would be very interesting.

First XL calf in a while. Pictures don’t get across the size of him. He’s in the top 3 biggest I’ve had on the farm. She’s a tall BB x HE cross and the sire is an Aubrac with an NT gene. A small bit of help at the head. Bit of help standing but had to be held up cause he was too heavy to hold his own weight. Front left leg was knuckling but slowly coming right and trying to jump around the pen this evening. Feels like I’ve climbed a mountain getting him to feed from the cow but the hard work is done. 

That Dovea Beef webinar brought up a very good point that certain cows will never need or even handle more than an easy calving bull because they’ve got big muscle genes on their end. They will always throw a big calf and introducing NT and Q genes will cause problems. 

Thanks for that - will definitely give it a go this year based on feedback.

Don't think mine would have much horns to do at less than a week old though here.

@Sami23 ringing bull calves here for the past 10 years. So much easier to do it in the first week compared to getting pole axed at 6 months. I just do it when tagging can't miss it then and you are already catching the calf. No set back or lack of thrive because its done so soon.

Buy the way the only legal time it ring castrating can be done by a farmer is before 7 days of age. No need for pain relief.

Vet can't get over why more farmers who are keeping stores or them for the hook don't don't.

It has made sucklers easier as bills can be kept with heifers weanlings with no worries