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Post by willowgirl on Aug 17, 2016 3:37:22 GMT
The boss and I got very behind on the breeding program this summer. We just haven't been catching the girls in heat! Daytime temperatures have hovered around 90 for the past month with no end in sight. I pushed to set up a bunch of cows for timed A.I. during the last couple weeks of April and the beginning of May, but it was warmer than usual even then and the conception rate wasn't what it should have been. (It tends to be lower for timed breeding than service during natural heats anyway.) So, we have a bunch of open cows at present, some dangerously far out. My boss decided to put the heifer bull in with the cows for awhile and let him work his magic! So far, the only cow we've seen him breed was over 300 DIM, was confirmed pregnant and was supposed to be dried off later this month. (Blargh.) Hope the li'l guy knows what he's doing! (He probably does.) So far, he's been a perfect gentleman, but I'm still nervous being out among the herd with him on the loose! I told Numb that if I can catch him in the parlor, I'm going to take our can of pink marker paint and put a big stripe down his back, to make him easier to spot in a crowd. Numb suggested I ought to write "BULL" on his sides, lol.  |
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Post by aoconnor on Aug 17, 2016 3:39:27 GMT
LOL! I vote for Numbs idea:-) That would be funny:-)
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Post by Awnry Abe on Aug 18, 2016 2:41:26 GMT
Duct tape a pennant to his behind that sticks up in the crowd like a tour guide in the masses.
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Post by willowgirl on Aug 18, 2016 3:21:34 GMT
ROFL! Tonight when I was herding the cows into the holding pen for milking, I saw him go in, so I stopped paying attention, but he must have come back out again, as I came face-to-face with him in one of the alleys. I don't know who was more startled, me or the bull, lol! Poor little guy -- he probably doesn't understand why we're all giving him the cold shoulder. Mr. Misunderstood!  |
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Post by willowgirl on Aug 20, 2016 15:30:08 GMT
I just don't know about this bull. It's been a week now, and I have yet to see him breed a cow.
Numb suggested that we douse him with Old Spice ...
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Post by copperkid3 on Aug 21, 2016 14:06:11 GMT
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Post by willowgirl on Aug 21, 2016 14:32:02 GMT
ROFL!!!
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Post by aoconnor on Aug 23, 2016 22:23:46 GMT
Ya know, our bull has probably 30-40 calves on the ground from the past 3 years, and I have NOT ONE TIME seen him actually do the deed. Not once! He is a night crawler:-) LOL! Might be your little bull is, too!
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Post by willowgirl on Sept 27, 2016 13:47:01 GMT
Well, no more bull! He turned on my boss and his wife when they were bringing in cows to milk Sunday morning. Chased my boss up into a stall -- he jumped over the divider! -- and his wife had to climb up in the feed bunk to get away from him. Yikes! So glad I wasn't there; I'm sure I would have been peed myself (or worse), I'd have been so scared. No harm, no foul, I guess. He's back out with the heifers until my boss can find a new bull. We should have the first batch of preg tests back any day now. They're only accurate after 30 days, but it should give us an idea as to whether he settled any cows in his first couple of weeks. There were 11 cows over 150 DIM who were still open (blargh) and I had them all tested. They're saying this has been the hottest summer on record for this area and I believe it! |
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Post by countrymom22 on Sept 29, 2016 1:04:06 GMT
Glad no one was hurt and I would seriously consider turning that bull into hamburger!
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Post by willowgirl on Sept 30, 2016 4:51:05 GMT
Yeah, I'm sure he will go on the truck as soon as the boss finds a replacement.
He settled at least 8 cows in the first couple weeks he was in there, though! (We won't have the full tally until he's been out for a month as the milk-based pregnancy tests are only accurate 30 days after breeding.)
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Post by Bear Foot Farm on Oct 27, 2016 22:38:25 GMT
I just don't know about this bull. It's been a week now, and I have yet to see him breed a cow. Numb suggested that we douse him with Old Spice ... I'd prefer A-1 or Heinz 57  (Running for my life!) |
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Post by willowgirl on Feb 12, 2017 3:31:41 GMT
Well I busted my hump last spring to set up a bunch of cows, wanting to get as many as possible bred back before the summer heat set in. Even though I wasn't pleased with the conception rate at the time, it seems we're reaping some rewards, as we're milking 115 cows at the moment! I think that's the most we've had in milk at one time in the 9 years I've been there. Whew!
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Post by willowgirl on Apr 8, 2017 12:42:20 GMT
Little Zeus the bull went on the truck last Monday. I was sad to hear of his demise, as he sure saved our biscuits last summer! After he acted up in the main barn, the boss put him back out with the heifers. I guess last Sunday night, he busted out and tried to get back in with the cows, but got hung up trying to jump the gate. He wasn't hurt, but the boss decided it was time to ship him. Can't have a bull running loose, yikes.
RIP Zeus. You will have a bunch of progeny hitting the ground soon ...
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Post by countrymom22 on Apr 9, 2017 0:53:46 GMT
Sorry to hear about Zeus but you're right. Can't have a bull running around loose. Here's to hoping that all his progeny are heifers!~
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Post by willowgirl on Apr 10, 2017 2:03:13 GMT
Well, that would be great! One thing's for sure ... they'll be BIG! This bull sired some HUGE calves out of our heifers. Poor girls!  |
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Post by willowgirl on Apr 25, 2017 13:28:31 GMT
I may have to hang up my A.I. spurs for another reason ... my carpal tunnel has gotten so bad that it's not only painful, but almost impossible for me to feel what I'm doing in there once my hand goes numb. I am so bummed about this because I really enjoy the challenge of breeding! I have put off talking to my boss about it because it's getting to be planting season here; he's going to be on the tractor a lot and I really need to do my share of the breeding. I don't want to screw it up though and end up with a bunch of open cows because I can't really tell what I'm doing.
It's so frustrating to be crippled up like this; there are so many things I can't do anymore. I can't sew on a button; I can barely write out a check. Grrr.
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Post by aoconnor on Apr 26, 2017 11:46:57 GMT
I may have to hang up my A.I. spurs for another reason ... my carpal tunnel has gotten so bad that it's not only painful, but almost impossible for me to feel what I'm doing in there once my hand goes numb. I am so bummed about this because I really enjoy the challenge of breeding! I have put off talking to my boss about it because it's getting to be planting season here; he's going to be on the tractor a lot and I really need to do my share of the breeding. I don't want to screw it up though and end up with a bunch of open cows because I can't really tell what I'm doing. It's so frustrating to be crippled up like this; there are so many things I can't do anymore. I can't sew on a button; I can barely write out a check. Grrr. Willowgirl, have you considered carpal tunnel surgery? My mom had it on both hands, one at a time. She is 83 and it has done a lot of good for her. Just a thought, I know how much you love what you do. Sorry about the little bull:-(. Darned bulls just don't know when to behave I guess! Our Red Brangus bull weighs in at about 2000 lbs. A few weeks ago my husband was out on our UTV to move cows off one pasture and onto another one. Every time we go out to work the cattle we have cattle cubes to put down for them, but we were out of them that day. Our bull was not happy about not getting his cubes and started pushing the UTV with his gigantic head, rocking it back and forth! He was talking to my husband the whole time, and I think the message was strongly conveyed that there should ALWAYS be cattle cubes on the UTV if we plan on moving our cattle with it! Norman the bull was not a happy boy😜 |
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Post by willowgirl on Apr 28, 2017 11:41:12 GMT
They do have a way of getting their point across, don't they?! I'd love to have CT surgery, but I have crappy Obamacare insurance that doesn't really cover anything, and I can't afford to take the time off work either.  |
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