Some pictures to share

allenslabs · #1 04/25/05, 09:32 AM

beautiful!!! I love them!! Good luck!

evermoor · #2 04/25/05, 08:55 PM

Be very Careful Jeff!!!! Once the show bug hits it get to a serious infliction or infatutation that is extremely hard to get rid of. Trust me on this one. We leave for our Spring show with twelve little show ponies that have been spoiled since March and will continue throughout the rest of the year. Pay close attention to body condition, a fat heifer will hurt your chances. It is amazing at how thin the heifers and cows are getting. Not that this is a good thing. Best of luck

JeffNY · #3 04/25/05, 10:46 PM

Evermoor,

So the judges rather see some bone, vs a nice streamlined looking heifer/cow? Maybe it makes it easier to pick the flaws out, vs a chunky little heifer that hides the "problems" they look for. It does make sence, considering they can't see the rib depth, or the openness or other qualities such as the topline (no spine).

I can see how I could get the bug, because I am actually enjoying this already, working with them, correcting anything that wouldn't work in the ring.

As far as pulling them, I use my wheeler, works well. I can feel if they stop, so I don't tip them over, and someone can sit on the back to "trick" the animal to thinking "oh gee, I can't stop this person". Either way, thanks for the compliments, I can't wait till that winter fur is GONE.

Jeff

evermoor · #4 04/27/05, 07:57 AM

Jeff, To hide the flaws in the topline the hair is left longer and then blown up and levelled off for a topline. To make the deep rib you feed a lot of grass hay and some beetpulp to add that spring of rib. Chunky heifers are just fat and look coarse lacking dairy character. As this logic progress thinner and thinner heifers win. These heifer are still huge just not fat. Sometimes I think I am in the wrong class because my monster is now the midget. This is a little more pronounced at the big shows and with Holsteins because of the stiff and expensive competition. Our swiss( born Dec 03) is only 56 inches tall and probably wont compete well as the others will be nearing 60 such is life.

JeffNY · #5 04/27/05, 11:34 PM

Some of those heifers at the show ring are not the age they are supposed to be. There are people who cheat, there are those who switch the animal, call it this animal and go. The people who sold me a few went to the spring show in Syracuse, and the heifers were big. Thing is, the ones they saw said "No way they are fall heifers". It doesn't surprise me, as people cheat all over. Now there are some big ones at the ring, some are big because they were also fed hormones, there is that group of people too. What I would like to see is some sort of ID, where the animal is scanned upon entry to the contest. If it is shown that it is in fact older, and out of that class, CYA! No not everyone cheats, but there are some that do. A couple of those heifers in the picture are around 55-57" at the shoulders, by fair time they will be around 60 or so. The red holstein is about 52 or so, about right. Should be interesting to see what happens, and what else comes in. She will be in the Jr. Yearling Heifer class, that class starts Feb 28th. I will be entering two in that class most likely.

Either way, it should be interesting. Also with this whole size thing "gotta be big", is going to hurt in the end, when they animals get toooo big and end up with problems.

Jeff