It’s a new year and with the new calendar comes a new slate in many ways. However, there is comfort in familiarity and routine…maybe that’s one reason I love farm life. But there are some changes on the horizon.
In a week and a half, Hazel will be weaned and will “move in” with Oreo and Truffle. In a way, I dread that for her as it will be a tough adjustment. She has been going back and forth from her mom to the corral and back again for three and a half months. But, the nice thing about bovine is that they are fairly adaptable to a new routine after about three days. Oreo and Truffle have watched their nieces/sisters from a distance since they were born (with an occasional kiss under the electric tape), so I am excited for her to be able to socialize with them rather than being in the corral alone.
We are thrilled that it seems Jersey has put on enough weight to begin cycling again and she is now pregnant with her calf due in August if all goes well. We are presently waiting for pregnancy confirmation for Mocha. If this breeding takes, her calf will be due in October. Mocha’s two year old heifer, Caramel, is in the process of being bred. Caramel’s calf, Snickers, will be weaned in February and then will join the other Hazel, Oreo and Truffle.
Although the breeding of our girls isn’t new, Snickers will be the last Jersey/Angus calf born her on the farm, at least for the foreseeable future. We haven’t had a Jersey calf born on the farm since 2016 when Caramel was born. We were breeding with Angus hoping for at least 50/50 males to females for offspring, but out of seven calves, only two have been male. So, we are going to start breeding for full Jersey calves so if the 5/7 female ratio continues, we will have some full Jersey heifer calves to sell or raise for beef. It will be interesting to see if the ratio is the same with a different breed. I look forward to the fawn-like looking calves that will be in the future for de Good Life Farm.
One of the things I love is how the species on the farm interact with each other. Hazel has a very curious and yet very contented nature. Each day when I separate her from her mom, we must walk past our livestock guardian, Odin. He will be nine months later in January and his size makes it hard to remember that he is still a puppy. As I walk Hazel passed him, he does everything in his power to entice her to play with him. But, it’s so funny that when she actually walks toward him to play, he tucks his tail and runs. Then she gives up and begins again walking to the corral. When she does this, he gets brave again and comes at her again, trying to get her to play. This goes on as long as he can get close enough to engage her interest.
As this post is several weeks old and didn’t get posted…I am going to post this and start a new one. There have been lots of things happening around here! Stay tuned….
