"David Hare-Scott" wrote:
Dan L wrote:

I was wondering the same thing about Mootilda, but afraid to ask.
Why a bull, when eighty bucks and a vet up to their armpit could do
the same job

Two problems, you need a yard and crush, and to get the local AI
person to come and do one cow for a bunch of newbies. Yes a neighbour
would "lend" me a bull (put Mootilda in with his cows for a few weeks)
but they are beef breeds that are too big for her. So I am stuck at
the moment.

The grass height is amazing, she must be in heaven! Smaller pens and
rotate the pens could trim her a bit. But I thought a fat cow would
be
desirable? But then again my fence cost well over a thousand bucks,
all on a credit card

It may not be apparent but the paddock is divided into 5 strips of
about 2 acres, we normally rotate them every few weeks. I cannot
afford the time or the wire to make them smaller, what I need is more
stock. With my soil in this season one strip grows more than the 4 of
them can eat.


I was planning to rotate the cow every few years, milk to beef. Keep
the calf pregnant and hope every other offspring is male. Younger the
cow the healthier the milk and tastier beef. Is this a bad idea? I am
new to this game?


Ask Fran I am just as much a newbie about cattle.

Ok, you asked, winter pictures:
http://www.nadrhel.com/Winter.html

That is so foreign to me where you cannot do anything much outside. I
would get very frustrated.

David

For many the winters are frustrating, the cold weather sucks the air you
breath. Doing anything outside in very cold weather is much harder on
the body, Breathing is more labored. There are winter things that one
can do outside, skiing, skating, hockey and ice fishing. Indoor
entertainment is the choice for many. For me it is the time for reading
and learning new things. I think I am going to get a new book on the
family cow.

Ever wonder why more kids are born in October/November than another
months?

There is a theory that people born in the cold north are smarter than
those in the south. Those in the north must be smart in order to
survive. Those in the south food is plentiful in the south 24/7 and the
need for shelter is not as great. The north must learn agricultural
methods and food preserving. Inventing the fireplace, brick laying,
steel making... Tools to survive the coldness.... Just a theory

Shields Up!

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)