As most of you know from our previous posts, we have been somewhat frustrated in trying to grow our cattle herd since all three calves born on the farm have been bulls. Oreo was the first and he is a great blessing because no bull = no babies (unless you go the AI route, which we do with our pigs, but is a little more difficult with cows than pigs.) The next two being bulls makes growing the herd a slow go for obvious reproductive reasons.
So we have been hoping and praying for more heifers, and as of the first of the year the herd consisted of one bull, two steers, and three heifers. And one of those heifers has come up open(no baby) twice. So, we don’t think she is going to be able to breed at all.
Then comes the first week of January and there’s a new calf on the ground and she’s a heifer. Woo hoo! Then February rolls in a there’s another heifer calf in the pasture!
So, this year God has blessed us with two new heifer calves, moving our birthing potential from three to a possible five calves per year. Combining the heifers we have with the heifer calves we plan to buy this year, Lord willing, and adding the power of multiplication, we are a giant step closer to offering grass feed beef to our friends and family on a regular basis.
