Calving Pen





for-most calving pen



 

This week, I purchased a For-Most calving pen. I am pretty excited! The calving pen will be extremely useful on the farm during calving season. And, it will be a great investment. My dad also purchased a calving pen so we can have one at each farm we have cows to calve. We will be using this calving pen when assisting a cow in calving, or helping a calf nurse. With the use of the calving pen, we will all be safe...both the cow and us. The health and safety of our cattle is what is most important to us. My family has always cared about our cattle. And, our respect is shown in how we work with them.    

Calving Records

Records are prepared for the 2014 calving season. On our farm, we raise purebred Shorthorn cattle. The records we keep and maintain are extremely important to the management of our cattle. We keep record of each calf that is born on our cattle farm. Through our records, we are able to track each calf throughout its life. When a calf is born, we note in our calving book: the date and time of birth, cow identification, coloring of and markings on the calf, birth weight, calving ease, the sire, and any other important information in regards to the calf. The daily calving book is kept with the calf vaccination kit. 



the calving book is important to our cattle herd records

At birth, each calf receives temporary identification that matches the numbered ear tag of the cow. A paper hip tag is used to match a calf with the cow until we tag the calf with a numbered ear tag.

 

a paper hip tag serves as temporary identification for a calf

A list is kept as calves are born. I maintain this list to prepare numbered ear tags for heifer calves and bull calves. The calving list notes: cow, farm, heifer or bull, sire, hip tag number, and numbered ear tag. Heifers receive a yellow numbered tag, and bulls receive an orange numbered tag. Calves born on one farm will be tagged in their left ear, and calves born on another farm will be tagged in their right ear.



records are important in a purebred cattle herd

 

In the calf vaccination kit, we also include a list from pregnancy checking cows. This list helps us determine when a cow will calve.



pregnancy checking list with due dates

 

Friday on the Farm

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Valentine's Day is a celebration of love. My love...is raising cattle. My heart belongs to my red, white, and roans...our herd of Shorthorns. I truly love my cattle! Every day I am blessed being able to do what I love doing. Lovingly raising cattle is a family tradition. And for over 70 years, we have taken great pride in caring for our cattle. I am extremely grateful to carry on this tradition. The care we devote to our cattle is shown in their disposition. This morning feeding while feeding my bull calf, Dirt Road Anthem, he playfully nudged me into a snowdrift. I laughed, dusted off the snow, and scratched his back. He made me smile on a chilly winter morning.      

i 'heart' my cattle

 

Friday on the Farm

morning frost on a calf

During chores this morning, calves were lightly dusted with frost. Overnight, temperatures dropped. As we fed calves, it was -20 degrees. The calves were lined up at the feed bunk waiting to be fed. Despite the frigid temperatures, the calves were enjoying the early morning sun.

And, the morning was quite pretty and peaceful as there was a thin fog hovering.