Raising Homestead Cattle
Calf Rearing: An Advanced Course April 2011, Paul Van Amburgh (smallfarms.cornell.edu). At what age should you wean a calf off its mother? It takes ten months on mother's milk for full genetic expression and for the endocrine system to fully develop. Never put a calf on a bottle unless you have to. “We tried many methods of calf rearing: bottle feeding, bucket feeding, grain, buckets with nipples, and nurse cows... But raising our own replacements on their mothers is by far our best investment with the biggest payback. We knew that only one individual could raise our replacements and do it far better than we could: their own mothers; who wanted the job.” The result was happy cows and calves, increased disease resistance, full expression of genetic potential, strong, healthy, problem-free cattle with impeccable health, with greater feed efficiency, performance, and longevity. The vet bills are negligent. Replacements are needed for years. They are more fertile, with strong, very predictable heats, and they breed on the first service over and over again. They live a long, healthy, happy life. “The most difficult aspect of raising replacements on their mothers is finding the courage to try it. It is not a process without kinks. But if you get started and are determined to make it work, you will never go back to any other method.”
The benefits of raw milk, raw milk butter, and unpasteurized cheese by Prairies Edge Farm
Body capacity; depth & spring of rib, is something lacking in a lot of miniature cattle. It is something significant to be aware of and to select for when selecting and breeding homestead cattle with grass fed genetics: “Psst, here's a little secret to DEEP cattle and improving depth in your herd....” Silver Maple Dexter blog post, Nov 2018.
What people who believe, “cattle destroy the climate” need to see… REALNESS. There are more and more people so removed from reality that they believe cattle ranches are destroying the planet. This is hard for people who raise cattle to understand or even believe simply because it is the exact opposite is what is happening... lonesomelands.com
