The Stray Bull's calves have started hitting the ground

[dosthouhavemilk]

We had a stray, black, beef cross bull show up in the herd on August 4th. His owner never did come and claim him and he ended up settling over half the herd while he was here. His calves have started hitting the ground. A lot beefier than we expected. Very solid. The bull was heterozygously polled (we had hoped he'd be homozygously polled).

Charlotte, a first freshening 3 year old heifer surprised us by being the first to calve. Dad had even looked at her the night before and thought she had another three weeks to go. Charlotte is 7/8 Jersey, 1/8 Norwegian Red.

[dosthouhavemilk]

I went out and checked the dry cows/heifers around 10PM Sunday night. Snowdrift sure looked like her ligaments were going pretty quickly. Sure enough she freshened yesterday. She had a bull calf. Snowdrift is a 7 year old Jersey and this is her third lactation. Hard breeder. Was going to be beefed if he had not settled her. She dances and jerks when being AIed...especially if I am the one AIing her.


The heifer sniffing the calf is Zeda (1/07). She's the calf I brought home from the school. Shortly after I snapped that picture she mounted the calf. I had been shooing her away and shooing her away but had given up.

[Karin L]

Calves look healthy especially if they're sired by a stray.

What plans do you have for them?

[dosthouhavemilk]

The bull calves are all pretty much pre-sold. Mostly to dairy goat owners. It is show season and does must be kept in milk, which means a lot of excess milk to be rid of. Ohio does not allow the sale of raw milk so they generally buy calves to raise.
The first six heifers will be kept for now, in high hopes we end up with some more Jersey sired heifer calves later and can sell them. We only have two heifers to show for last year and only one was born here, so we are shy on replacement heifers...especially since we will probably have to sell down this winter. The barn only houses 12 head comfortably in the winter and there are 24 cows/heifers settled to this bull.
We aren't too worried about finding homes for them.
The two above are both bull calves. That brown one charged me the first time I got him up to feed. Pawing the ground, head down and charging....definitely beef crosses...lol. A Jersey is so docile at birth and the only other Jersey calf I recall doing similar was a dam raised 2 month old heifer who had had never had human contact. He has since calmed down and eagerly tkes his bottle. It isn't completely his fault. I did startle him. lol

[darbyfamily]

amazing! they are cuties... glad you had takers on them, being bull calves... and now you'll have more milk than you can milk, eh?