Cattle

Cattle are much fun. At least we can say that after a year of raising Bottle Babies. They grow quickly and are always in the forefront of work on the farm. We have had several different breeds in the last year. Mostly Dairy calves but, a few beef calves as well. All are cute and demanding. We hope that our efforts here make for better cattle down the road. Hand feeding babies gives you the opportunity to socialize them and make for easier handling beasts as they get older. A word of caution however. One tends to want to play with them when they are this little. "Don't". It will make them see you as a playmate and in a years time will be much too large to play safetly. We don't castrate the males. For beef in the long run it is better, but for young beef it doesn't make a difference in the taste or texture of the meat. Horns are also an issue that is best left to the individual owner. Personally I like them. Easier to rope or control. However geting poked by a 500 lb baby wanting attention can be a downside.

Ahhh that heartfelt moment as you look into those big brown eyes.. They are cute, but they do grow up quickly. Here are a few links to some breeds that we have become familar with and sell.

Holstein http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/holstein/

Jersey http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/jersey

Angus http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/angus/

Brown

Swiss http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/brownswiss/index.htm

Guernsey http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/guernsey/

Brangus http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/brangus/

BART 2 the story begins. . .

Well, we have dined on really good lean beef for the last several months. Bart is Good! The only thing that I would change is letting the cow grow a little longer. With a generous dispersment to friends and family we already see our freezer starting to look a little bare. The absense of fat also impared the taste at first. We soon learned how to work around this minor setback as seasoning and cooking technics brought out the flavor very nicely. I would also venture to say that my Dr. would approve of this meat over older aged Beef. We had to add olive oil to pan fryed hamburgers as there was no fat to simmer them in.

So Below is a picture of Bart the 2nd. He is castrated and will have no horns to deal with. He also will enjoy his own 3 acre pasture with shade and plenty of grass. This pasture is refered to as pasture 5 and is further away from the house than Barts old pasture 4. We are also going to try reducing the grain and see if the pasture will sustain him for a larger portion of his diet.

The food conversion with grain is good, but this time we are trying both. Bart ate 10 lbs of grain a day plus hay. His pasture was shared with Minis so grass was non existent. Pasture 5 has several different grasses and other types of foilage to graze on. So Bart 2 will be grazing more, and lounging less. We shall see how this works over the next few months. Winter will be here around January so he will see more grain through our two months of cold or at least till the grass returns in the spring.

Barts story below. Bart was our first cow. Unedited story below of our first shot at providing table meat for ourselves. Along with the ups and downs and many mind sets and changes along the way.

Bartabull is a Jersey/Angus Cross bull calf. We purchased from a dairy farm. He was 3 days old and small enough to fit in the front seat of my truck. We had to bottle feed him for 6 weeks twice a day. His bottle was nothing more than a overgrown baby bottle. His formula was powder and had to be mixed to the right temp. Once the milk was prepared it would take all of a minute for Bart to empty it. So he readily adapted during the first 6 weeks to eating solids as he has always had a hearty appetite.

Bart has been a very unique experience. He is so sweet and gentle. Even when he plays he is so careful. I am truly amazed at how much personality he has. We kept him in the immediate house area so we could keep an eye on him and he would have us close if he needed us. He knows where we are always and when it is time to eat he will go to the closest window in the house where we are and start mooing. He is nearly 4 mths old now and is getting little buds of horns which we are going to let him keep. I have heard horror story's of bulls at certain ages, but we shall see.

Bart and his bottle at 5 days old.

Grand daughter and Bart at two weeks old.

At three months Bart helps keep me company every morning at feeding time.

At nearly 5 months old, Bart is now enjoying the freedom of having his own place.

Bartabull at 5 & 1/2 Months I had opted to try and sell him as the idea of raising and selling "Bottle Baby's" seemed like a good one. However each night when I feed him we play first. It dawned on me that he actually made a good pet for me as we can play rough which I can not do with other animals. He is growing his horns and likes to try to use them. This would not be recomended for everyone because when he gets bigger he could easily win our little battles but for now we both get a charge out of it and he stops when I stop. Once we have a heifer this may no longer be on the agenda...

Bart at 7 mths. Still sweet and very mello for a Bull. He looks a little bone headed....pun intended.

Bart and Ginger. Bart is now 9.5 months old now. We have introduced a Heifer that is the same age. He is happy now, but still likes to play and spend time with me.

Bart at 10 Months. Ready for the next stage. Nose ring and cattle prod. Ginger has returned home to her farm, So he has been a little grumpy.

11 Months now. I am finishing him for the freezer now. At least that is the plan. Somehow I will not be supprised to see him in a new pasture. He is still a big baby and we still find time to play. Such as today. I was cleaning out his water trough and found a safe zone to stand. Bart came over and insisted on getting attention. He actually behaved for about 20 minutes!

3/27/09 Bart gets a pardon. I just can't do it. So this big lug gets yet another pen as I need his for the Mini's. I think a new pasture mate would be in order as well. To be continued...

5/21/09 Bart meets his maker. I woke this morning knowing that it was time to say goodbye to my buddy Bart. He was getting too big and difficult to manage while feeding or simply being in the pen with him. Shirley got pinned between the concrete water trough and him one day last week. Lucky I was there to pull him off and away. This being the last of several incidents. He was doing what bulls do. As I left Hopkins (Our Butcher) I knew we made the right decision. He was destined to the freezer from day one. We enjoyed the year and will enjoy the meat.

End Result is some lean meat seasoned with Oak on my favorite ground grill.

Some of last years stock below.

Little Brown Swiss Ms...

Brown Swiss Bull Calf

Captive Audience

New Friends

Holstein/Angus Bull Calves

A word on bottle babies. They are from Large dairy farms and are pulled from their mothers very early as the milk is needed for production. Sometimes these babies have not had enough attention or nurishment and they don't make it. We have taken this on to save as many Babies as we can and provide good nurishment and

veterinary care so that they can have fighting chance and live full lives.

In my opion they make the best entry level livestock. They bulk up nicely as you can see with Bart (For Beef) and also for breeding and simply pasture pets. It is recomended that you Castrate your bull unless you buy him for breeding purposes. We recomend this to be done surgically in a chute as opposed to banding which can lead to health issues. Banding is a more commercialized method but leaves much to be desired in reguards to the animals health and comfort.

Dairy bulls are a abundant resource for small farms all over the world. It is a lot of work up front but quickly becomes rewarding as the calves grow.
Typically the calves we get are anywhere from 1 day to several weeks old. They are lucky if they get the Colostrums first milk from their mothers, We try to target the best of the lot when we buy stock and have learned to tell a healthy prospect from one that will be a challenge.
90% of having a healthy calf is a hearty feed schedule. Feed at regular times each day and make sure that feed is always available in small quantities as not to over feed and cause stomach issues. Notice how well they consume a given quantity and gradually increase to their needs. You can tell when they are still hungry by prolonged mooing after. Normally if hay is available they will resort to the hay after their grain is consumed. Hay should be always available as with fresh water.
Even though your cow is now eating solids we, recommend that you feed half a bottle at least once a day until they get used to their new home. This will also give you an opportunity to get to know your animal and see how he is doing.
Enclosed is some good information that will help you recognize and understand symptoms so you will stay ahead of any illnesses that are common but treatable with antibiotics.

Scours and Cough. Both of these are symptomatic of other issues but for the most part can be cured with common drugs available at your local feed store.
Terramiccin is our first line of defense for Scours. This is also good for mild cough. Often there may be a mild cough after feeding that is not cause for alarm but if it becomes persistent then NUFLOR we have found to be amazing. It is two treatments injectable and it works.
Penicillin for injuries such as a laceration or muscle injury prevents infection. Also fair for respiratory issues but not reliable. Injectable is best. Follow label dosage.
Tylan is also very good for respiratory issues (Not as good as NUFLOR) including phenomena, & shipping fever. Injectable is best. Follow label dosage.
Ivermectrin 1% Injectable or pour on is for treatment of worms and other parasites. This may be needed several times a year depending on your environment. Refer to label for dosage.
Russell R.Retalic
Twisted Acres

Steers or Bulls? This, I have been back, and forth with. I have come to the conclusion through much reserch that if the meat is to be processed in the first year it makes no difference. Maybe a faction of a percent in more fat with a Steer, but not significant. Taste and growth rate are the same.

If the animal is to be kept over a year, then surgical castration is best. Resulting in less grainy meat and more fat. Possibly even a better attitude.

Banding is a common method and least expensive. Large herds benifit from this with some collateral damage to be expected.

Twisted Acres

A small farm with lots of heart.