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Post by genebo on Dec 21, 2014 2:04:38 GMT
I just saw the first signs of impending birth on Eve. She is beginning to swell and the first strands of mucus were seen. According to the gestation chart, she is due 12/23/2014. I think she is going to be late.
Does that indicate that the calf might be a bull?
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Post by Donlin Stud on Dec 22, 2014 0:10:15 GMT
We heard the same thing re pass due date more likely to be a bullcalf but we we have found no correlation to being overdue and the sex of the calves. We have two half sisters who each went 8 days over with their first calves: one of each sex was born. This year the eldest went 7 days over and produced a heifer and the younger sister was 4 days over when she produced a bullcalf. Their promiscuous mother has been near smack on her due day for the two heifer calves born at our place and this year she had her first bull calf [after 7 heifers] 5 days earlier than expected. We have found the timing (edited to add) of joining appears to play a large part in determining the calf’s sex since we have purposely held back a couple of girls until the last minute to increase the chances of bull calves and were not disappointed either time. Now if we could encourage a few more girls each breeding season to be more promiscuous……………………  |
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Post by genebo on Dec 22, 2014 2:10:01 GMT
Ha, ha, ha! Promiscous, indeed.
I once had a cow that delivered a calf exactly 9 months after her last calf. I told the nurse who lived next door about it and she called my cow, "That slut!"
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2014 2:22:53 GMT
In our herd I have seen no correlation between sex of the calf and gestation time.
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Post by Donlin Stud on Dec 22, 2014 4:02:34 GMT
I remember you writing that elsewhere and instantly thought about 3 of our girls who if given the opportunity would probably do the same. *LOL*
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Post by wvdexters on Dec 22, 2014 5:30:25 GMT
Great news Gene! and I am so glad that you are going to be able to get down there to the pasture and greet this new little one when he/she arrives. Keep us posted. Who know maybe you'll get a Christmas present
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Post by genebo on Dec 26, 2014 13:20:46 GMT
She made it! Late last night. We found Eve this morning with a new heifer at her side. The heifer was nursing and was all dried off.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 26, 2014 14:09:50 GMT
"Late last night" Do you know if it was the 25th or 26th?
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Post by morningstarfarm on Dec 26, 2014 14:36:11 GMT
That's a wonderful Christmas present! Congratulations.
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Post by genebo on Dec 26, 2014 15:19:14 GMT
Why, certainly I know! Eve is a wonderful cow. You know she would give me a Christmas present! (Who ever heard of a "day after Christmas" present?)
The youngster will be named Ceathru Inion of Paradise, meaning Fourth Daughter. It is pronounced "Catharoo" and rhymes with "Mini-Moo".
This calf is tiny. She is going to be fun to play with. I'll get pictures and tail hairs later this morning. She and Eve are doing well right now, with Eve munching on a fresh bale of hay we gave her this morning. If things go as they have in the past, Ceathru will have taken Eve away from the hay by mid-morning, so I'll take her another bale when I go to take pictures.
I won't be able to get a weight on Ceathru, because I can't pick her up. I have to weigh my calves in my arms, then weigh myself alone. The difference is the calf. I'll guess that Ceathru weighs about 30 pounds.
Her hair is curly. That is a good thing this morning because it is cold (29 degrees)and I think that curly hair holds her heat better.
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Post by genebo on Dec 26, 2014 18:35:41 GMT
Here she is! We are already calling her Cathy. It's easier to pronounce.
Eve has already cleaned out. Just before noon an eagle spotted the afterbirth and came to feast on it.
I could handle the calf all I wanted and Eve had no objections, but my goat, Oreo, came too close and Eve charged her. Oreo was too quick, and scampered to the other side of the Mule, where she was safe and no threat to Eve's calf. Eve let my bride hold Caethru while I pulled tail hairs.
You ought to hear that little calf's voice! Aaawww. So cute.
Triu Inion was born on January 30th of this year, so Eve rebred quickly and calved just a few days short of 11 months.
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Post by otf on Dec 27, 2014 11:09:00 GMT
Glad to see she arrived safely, Gene, and avoided all that cold rain! Congratulations, she looks like she's doing well.
Gale
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Post by genebo on Dec 28, 2014 0:13:01 GMT
Feeding Eve her mineral-laced sweetfeed:  |
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Post by lakeportfarms on Dec 28, 2014 15:07:46 GMT
Congratulations Gene... Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ahead for you. She's looking great!
I wish we had a little sunshine around here, but the photos will have to do! It's always cloudy here in Michigan in the winter.
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Post by jamshundred on Dec 29, 2014 23:11:43 GMT
Gene,
What an adorable baby and Eve is very attractive in that photo! You have done such a wonderful job keeping Ms. Fermoy alive in our hearts. She was blessed to make your acquaintance. You know. . . there is still one embryo waiting for a mother.
Judy
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Post by genebo on Dec 30, 2014 1:07:14 GMT
It's awfully hard to get a perfect picture. I caught Eve standing a little sway-backed in this picture. Probably has something to do with her having just given birth. She has a very flat back and really wide hips. I was unable to measure her leg length because I can't feel the ends of them. Too beefy.
Cathy is just 4 days old and she is already eating hay. Babe was scattering some around tonight as we were locking the chickens up and saw her taking her first taste of hay. We all went to watch and she did it several more times. I've read people's questions before about when a calf starts eating hay. Well, here's one answer!
I have often thought about that one last embryo of Ms Fermoy's. I bought a cow just for the purpose of transferring the embryo to her, but when she arrived her I figured she wasn't in good enough condition to be entrusted with that embryo. I decided to hold her until she was in better shape. Just as she was coming into good enough shape, I let her escape the separation pen when she was in heat. She made a bee-line to Brenn and upset my plans. I decided to let her keep her Brenn calf, and someone bought her before she did, just to get her calf.
I have never had the right situation to do that again, up until now. Once I get back on my feet I may go shopping for another recipient cow, only this time I'll try to find one in shape to do it.
I don't regret doing it, but letting Bambi carry Eve was a tough decision. There she was, my second best cow, A2/A2 and all. She would have made an excellent calf with Brenn. Instead, she devoted herself to carrying and raising Eve. It's a great result. With the los of Beth, Bambi became the herd leader, with Eve as second. Family ties keep the herd working smoothly.
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Post by wvdexters on Dec 31, 2014 16:04:46 GMT
Four Beautiful Daughters!! What a lucky man you are.
And on Christmas ... You are truly Blessed.
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Post by genebo on Dec 31, 2014 16:56:08 GMT
Thank you!
I am certainly blessed to have had Eve's four daughters to play with when they were young. I really miss the first three and Adam.
Cathy is so active. Eve is hard pressed to keep up with her.
Yesterday, Cathy was sleeping on a pad of hay while Eve was grazing about 75 feet away. Cathy woke up and started walking the other way, toward the fence. Here came Eve at a full trot, making her Mama call. As soon as she arrived, Cathy latched on and began nursing.
Cathy only does three things: Runs, nurses and sleeps.
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Post by morningstarfarm on Jan 2, 2015 15:44:21 GMT
Thank you! I am certainly blessed to have had Eve's four daughters to play with when they were young. I really miss the first three and Adam. Cathy is so active. Eve is hard pressed to keep up with her. Yesterday, Cathy was sleeping on a pad of hay while Eve was grazing about 75 feet away. Cathy woke up and started walking the other way, toward the fence. Here came Eve at a full trot, making her Mama call. As soon as she arrived, Cathy latched on and began nursing. Cathy only does three things: Runs, nurses and sleeps. Hi Gene, I've been trying to get some updated pictures of Dara and Adam....it was cloudy this morning so these are not the best but I thought you might want to see how Adam is growing.
Adam already knows what he is supposed to do...lol.
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Post by genebo on Jan 2, 2015 18:21:57 GMT
Thank you so much for the photos. He's really maturing in a hurry. Austin of Paradise was the earliest maturing bull I'd had previously. A lady had bought a couple of mixed cows to milk, but they came to her open, not bred. She also bought a Dexter cow that had just calved a few weeks earlier. She needed a herd bull and begged to buy Austin when he was only 5 months old. She talked me into it and I tok him to her.
Austin came out of the trailer and made a bee-line to the cow with calf. He circled her a couple of times then stepped in and started nursing. In a couplw of more minutes, he bred her. She calved right on time for him to have bred her at 5 months old. Both of the other cows were also bred at the same time.
Adam One might turn out to be as precocious as Austim was.
I played with McBrenn this morning. It's the first time since my accident that I've gone into the pasture on foot. I was afraid that my walking cane might spook them, but it didn't. I petted them all, including McBrenn. He acted like I'd been petting him all along.
I made my walking cane from a cedar sapling, with the bark still on. Not only were the Dexters not afraid of my cane, McBrenn even ate some of the bark off of it while I was scratching his rump.
Is Adam One your only bull, now, or is he getting to grow up and learn from Houdini? I think our Dexters learn a lot from growing up in a herd. Is that Dara standing behind him in the second photo?
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Post by morningstarfarm on Jan 3, 2015 18:24:14 GMT
Dara is in the front facing the camera. The heifer behind Adam is Morning Star Faythe. We still have Houdini, our hope is to breed him one more time to a couple of our cows this spring and then try to find him a new home.
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Post by genebo on Jan 7, 2015 1:10:58 GMT
Tonight as we were locking up the chickens, I decided that the cattle and goats should have some fresh, dry hay placed in their favorite shelter spots. Babe and Carmen were doling out hay while I took some bread and rolls to Brenn. Suddenly I heard Carmen talking to Cathy, and I turned to look. Cathy had come to Carmen and was sniffing her pants leg. It didn't last long, for as soon as Carmen placed her hand on Cathy's back, she took off like a rocket. Still, it is a promising sign that Cathy has inherited the temperament I love so much.
I can't wait to get my hands on her. She's still no bigger than a minute. I could pick her up if she'd let me.
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Post by genebo on Jan 10, 2015 16:29:29 GMT
Cathy's tail hairs went out yesterday to UC Davis. Results should be back next week.
I'm having her tested for parentage verification, A2 milk, color, dun, chondro and PHA.
Once her parentage is verified, she is eligible for obligate certificates for her A2, dun and PHA, but the ADCA issued a bunch of obligate statuses to cattle without parentage verification. That puts a cloud over the value of the obligates that they issued. I don't want that, so I'm having Cathy fully tested, even though I know what the answers to some of the tests will be.
She is growing up sooo fast. She just entered the "skittish" period, when she doesn't want me to touch her. I sneak up on her as she's nursing and start stroking her back. For an instant or two, she seems to like it, but then she jumps away and runs to the other side of Eve. She circles Eve a step or two ahead of me if I try to pet her again.
This will probably last for 3 more months. I'm anxious for her to start coming to me when she gets about 4 months old. I only get to play with them for a short time, then they are gone, to be someone else's pet.
It won't be long before Cathy has a playmate. Bambina is beginning to string mucus. She isn't due until February 1st, but could be early.
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Post by genebo on Jan 12, 2015 1:35:24 GMT
16 Day old Cathy:
Cathy got a new playmate today. He's on a new thread.
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Post by lonecowhand on Jan 12, 2015 19:39:21 GMT
Hi Genebo, You've been busy while I was away! Great that you have Cathy, she's a cutie, and we're waiting on the results with anxious anticipation!
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Post by lakeportfarms on Jan 12, 2015 20:13:04 GMT
Good to have you back Bill!
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Post by lonecowhand on Jan 13, 2015 18:51:41 GMT
Thanks Hans, been trying to play catch up , there's a lot to read! All you lucky folks have calves coming left and right and I am SO envious... and pleased that Traditional Horned Dexters are safe in all your collective competent hands!
Keep those calves and the photos coming, as they show up, please!
It's the next best thing to being there!
By the way, Happy New Year to all!
Bill
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Post by genebo on Feb 9, 2015 23:47:12 GMT
Cathy is now 6 weeks old. She has established herself as a member of the herd. She has a place to be when they are feeding. Out of the way, but near her mother. She is really starting to look a little grown up. You can see her Dexter body shape quite clearly.  |
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Post by lonecowhand on Feb 10, 2015 0:00:04 GMT
She has been growing, Gene! What color is she? Looks red, but I give up guessing!
Is she letting you touch her yet?
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Post by genebo on Feb 10, 2015 1:05:12 GMT
Cathy will be black, just like Eve. She carries Ms Fermoy's red. That gives her a reddish color when she is young. Once she turns black, she will continue to have reddish streaks, like Eve does.
Cathy still isn't ready for me to touch her. If I sneak up on her I can stroke her back. She will walk away before I can get in a second stroke.
When I approach her with my hand held out, like I want to pet her, she will stand, tensed up, until I get within her flight zone, then leave. It has been getting closer and closer every day.
Tonight I caught her in the barn and was able to close up on her and stroke her once, but no more.
I have to be pat. She will come to me when she is ready, and by hurrying her, I may make it take longer. With most calves, I ignore them completely until they come to me. It's always by the time they are 4 months old. So you see, it is pretty early for Cathy to be ready to pet.
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