Afternoon Feed

Okay so now I am probably going overboard with the calf photos but how can I resist sharing the three stooges and all that milky cuteness.

Angel and Sadie having their evening feed.

 

Yum, yum.

 

What's yours taste like? Can I have some?

Milk bath.

He he I got it! Lesson never take your mouth off your food.

Crusty

Clamping Crusty between my legs to feed him after catching him.

Yum, bottle time! (photo proof that I do what I say)

Gone? Are you serious?

Miss S giving Crusty another litre of milk while hold him still.

See I can do it myself. No one is holding me now.

 

Nearly empty ..

 

All gone ... You've got to be kidding!

Okay this will do I guess, tasty.

Note: Crusty is a lot easier to catch and feed than Angel who was a two or more person job. She just helps herself to the feeder now. Crusty will get the hang of the bottle soon enough he already chases it around when it is empty.

Crusty

What do you think of when you here the word crusty?

I think of dried mud, dried weatbix, crusts, Crusty Demons, Crusty the Clown etc.

Well this is the newly named Crusty.

 

 

We have yet to find out whether he has a crusty temperament or is a bit of a daredevil as he has only been in the house yard for a matter of hours. Let us hope it is neither of those options. According to Miss S his coat reminds her of fresh crusty bread with the dark cooked bits and the bits where there is flour.He is a bit of a cutie with is splotchy coat. I think he definitely got in on the Shorthorn genes.

 

 

First bottle feed.

 

Angel?

This is Angel.

 

 

She is orphan calf number two for this muster, which is now over after a month of constant cattle and horse work for the bosses.

 

Now Angel isn't much of an Angel. It is one of those name it the opposite things.

 

She has attitude and speed.

Thank goodness she has worked out the feeding thing now because it was taking two of us to block her up, catch her and feed her. 

 

It was a two person feeding job as well. One person to stop her running away (me gripping her between my legs usually) and to help hold her head up and another person to hold her head and pry her stubborn mouth open. While all this was happening the person sitting on her (me) and holding her squeezed the teat on the calf feeder attempting to get it somewhere neat her mouth. She would eventually give in and latch on and suck up the milk like a vacuum cleaner but until that happened you got very milky.

 

She still looks like a sweetie though doesn't she.

Feed Time

How much milk do you consume in a day? A week? A month?

 

Remember Sadie?

 

 

Can you guess how much she consumes in a feed? In a day?

 

 

Yesterday evening's feed was around 4L, at midday she had 1L and for breakfast she had 2L. So there you have it a week and a half old calf is consuming around 6 to 7L of milk per day and would happily drink more if you let her, glutton.

 

Sadie is an orphaned calf so she is living in the main house yard and is fed milk that is made up from milk powder especially created for farm babies like foals and calves.

 

 

The milk powder or calf pad is put into water and whisked to make sure it isn't lumpy. Sometimes an egg is added for extra protein.

 



 

It is then poured into Sadie's calf feeder that is hooked on the fence. She usually beats us there. Once she sees the jug of milk she excitedly runs up behind whoever has the jug and follows along putting in a burst of speed when nearly at the feeder so she gets there first. She is also usually already sucking on the teat, just hanging for that moment when the milk hits the bottom of the feeder.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On finishing, with her guts extended, she turns and stares at you with gorgeous calf eyes wanting to know why the milk supply ran out. If she really does seem hungry more milk is produced (the sign of this is continual sucking on an empty feeder and blahing for more).

 

 

The calf feeder is then washed out and filled with water which she happily sucks away at on and off until it she has had enough. She then curls up in the shade for a nice little nap until when she thinks it should be her next feed time or someone is around to play with.