I live on 22 acres in Maryland and it's fenced in with post and 3 rails all of the 22 acres... Is there anything I should know about this cow.. It's only a baby and it's first day away from it's mother.. It'll be in with 1 pony and two hunt horses.. Any help would be great... Have a great Sunday... James

-- James (onemaur@yahoo.com), January 05, 2002

Answers

Could you define "baby" with an age? What is it's background, med histry, diet, how far did it travel to get to you and how? Shelter? The horses might be a problem for it they might not be. 3 rails isn't much to fence a calf in with.

-- Ross (amulet@istar.ca), January 05, 2002.

We are raising a guernsey bull calf. He is fenced in about a three acre pasture with several different kinds of fencing. They seem to hold him just fine. Most ranchers out my way just have the cattle in fenced sections of pasture that they rotate in. When there is shelter it is just a few trees. I'm sure your calf will adjust just fine. If your bottle raising don't be surprised if he sucks down a bottle and is looking for more. It is worse to over feed the little guys. I was encouraged to give our calf milk-pellets (from the feed store) This was before he ate grain or hay. I slowly offered handfuls of grain. More like force feeding until they get the hang of it. Good-luck!

-- Tricia Cribbins (cribbins@agalis.net), January 05, 2002.

I think that you have received a heifer or a bull calf, or perhaps a steer calf. She won't be a cow until she has had her first calf. Anyway, if that calf feels like it he/she will go on walk about with the kind of fencing you have if/when it wants to. Of course, it will also imprint on you as mom and so that won't likely be a problem for a few months. At that point your fence will hold him/her better.

Excellent choice of genetics. Angus beef cattle are thrifty, easy calvers,, excellent moms, and really fine eating, oh and they have wonderful beautiful animals with quirky personalities and the bulls are playful and good natured. If you breed this little black calf when she gets older....assuming it is a female, you will have a 50% chance of getting a red calf if you breed to a red bull. You will have a 0% chance of getting a red calf if you breed to a purebred black bull, and you will have a 25% chance of getting a red calf if you breed to another cross bred bull. This assumes that the your little one's black parent was pure bred black. If your calf is not black, then its black parent was not pure bred black and carries the resessive red gene.

Good luck with this youngster. It will not be as easy as if mom were around, but it will be as rewarding as it gets.

If it was with mom for several days you should have no problems. If it is older, it will have an excellent chance for survival. Potential problems increase with the less time it had with mom...but you can do it. Keep it out of drafts if it is very young, and keep it out of a DUSTY barn to avoid respiratory trouble.

Good luck.

Oscar

-- Oscar H. Will III (owill@mail.whittier.edu), January 07, 2002.