BREEDING SEASON: WE MOVED BULLS IN WITH COWS THIS PAST WEEK.
posted on
December 14, 2017
BREEDING SEASON
WE MOVED BULLS IN WITH COWS THIS PAST WEEK.
Three bulls had to give up their idle ways to accompany the ladies for 45 days of breeding. They were easy to move, and ready to comply, once reunited with the matriarchs. Bulls are delicate to manage, because if they start strutting and fighting, nothing moves them anywhere. But ours are docile, and despite some fighting, they do comply, with patience on our end.
We have five bulls now. One is a yearling, who just arrived last week. We will not use him until next year, but wanted to give him time to acclimate. We learned the hard way years ago that turning a new mating male in with a group of mating males is a recipe for gang warfare. We turned a new ram in with a group of five other rams the day breeding started. The five rams, who were familiar with each other, ganged up on the new one and killed him. What a shock that was. We have learned, and are being cautious with our new bull.
We have three bulls in with 75 cows and one held back in reserve, in the event the first string needs relief. It is cheap insurance to have extra bulls. Nothing is more important than a narrow and effective breeding season, making management of the herd the rest of the year so much easier.
We had a visitor from Colorado last week. Clark spent a few days at the farm helping to move bulls, load hogs, repair fence, and change tires - the kind of visitor you wish would drop by once a weeks or so. Above on the right, we had just move the bulls in with cows, and had given the cows a new "break" of grass. He took some video while here, which offers good flavor of a day in the life at our farm.
Speaking of days in the life, five of our newsletters are featured in the current Winter edition of Edible Ohio, as examples of telling the story. We have hard copies of the edition to give out and will have a link to share in January.
Edible Ohio does a magnificent job of telling the story of our "foodshed". The team there consists of positive and uplifting people, who are helping to weave essential fabric of our community. May their good work continue, with our support.
Given this is the last weekend for us at the Hyde Park Farmers Market before both Christmas and New Years, we want to remind you of our Gift Pack. This consists of 8 items of prepared foods: Beef Barbacoa, Meatballs, Bolognese Sauce, Chili, Sliders, Shortrib Burgers, either Pork Ragout or Pulled Pork, and Italian Sausage. You receive a 20% discount by ordering the Pack versus purchasing individually. These are all foods, which are heated and ready to go in half an hour or less. We guarantee they are delicious! It is a great gift for busy people. Let us know if you would like a Gift Pack(s), by going on-line, or emailing us directly.
We also have available $50 and $100 Gift Certificates.
We will be smoking capons and legs-of-lamb this weekend. Let us know if you would like one of these.
May the breeding season go well for bovines and the holiday season for people. Would that it were as simple for the latter as the former.
Drausin & Susan