Merrimaker up and running

mike skelton · Post by **mike skelton** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 11:45 pm

Hey everyone i'm a Dexter dad.
Last year i bought two lovely cows in calf and calves at foot. My long wait concluded on the early hours of Thursday morning and again at 1.45 the following night. ( a long legged heifer calf and a short bull). Both cows accomplished their delivery with complete assurance.
The only hiccup was that due to a lack of penning space both were in the same calving pen(not ideal i know). As the second cow was calving with the calf half way out ready to headbutt the floor, the first cow took a liking to it started cleaning it as it was hanging and decided to claim it as her prize.
Number 2 cow took exception to this and started to circle the pen. Eventually i had to jump in as a referee and remind number 1 cow that she already had a calf. After an hour and a half we all decided that it was probably much better if both cows had a calf each to look after. I eventually went to bed wondering if all my dexter ladies were going to be so possessive. Wow what a 24 hours :D

Thank you to everyone who has given me advise

Mike

CarolineL · Post by **CarolineL** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 3:45 pm

Congrats on the new calves Mike! The first ones are definitely special. Our first calf is now a lovely 8 month old steer who is full of the joys of spring at the mo. Best of luck with growing your herd.
All the best
Caroline

mike skelton · Post by **mike skelton** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 10:35 pm

Thanks Caroline for your kind words i was beginning to think nobody else felt as excited as me when they started their herd. Both calves are growing well and mums are doing a fantastic job!

mike

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 12:07 pm

Excited? I was that excited about ours when we first had then I kept taking photographs and posting the pics on here. I am surprised I wasn't asked nicely to stop! :;):

I'm not much better now mind!

Stephanie :D

Edited By Saffy on 1237806489

mike skelton · Post by **mike skelton** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 3:51 pm

I Know what you mean stephanie but unfortunatley i'm a bit of a technophobe . I suppose i should get into using a camera for posterity sake but i find all that sort of thing tedious.What a boring old codger i must be!! However I am still really excited about Snowdrop and Sir Cecil and manage to spend hours talking to them.

mike

Inger · Post by **Inger** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 11:38 am

The arrival of every calf is special. Some arrivals are more memorable than others, especially if things go wrong. I had a heifer decide that her new born calf was the devil incarnate and she had to kill it. It took me a good hour of holding the mother off and calming her down before maternal instincts took over and she'd let the calf firstly stand up, without trying to bowl it over again and then eventually let the calf drink. Within a day, they were inseparable and she'd have defended the calf with her life. Hormones! They can be very stressful to a stock owner.

The arrivals I like the best are the ones when I hear a roaring and opening the curtains to see a new mum trumpeting to the world that her new calf has arrived and look how beautiful it is. My aren't Dexters vocal.