| Author |
Topic |
|
txbikergirl
3197 Posts
|
 Posted - May 31 2016 : 7:29:07 PM
|
We have brought home jersey girl number three to the Thompson farmstead, officially know as Koons Bonar Bea. a registered jersey that we happened to find locally.
being a show heiffer, she is as tame as can be. hung out with all the nieces within minutes of us showing up to retrieve her to come home. she doesn't have the adorable white forehead marks that sally and elsa have, but she is lovely.
she was born 3/27/2015 so is 15 months. she was AI'd on 5/18/16, so at 14 months. they used sexed semen from CHILLI ACTION COLTON-ET found here http://www.accelgen.com/catalog/semen-usa/007je01088/cow/print/ .
she is dairy origin, so we are expecting more milk eventually than we would prefer from a heritage jersey. if the AI didn't take we won't be disappointed at all, as we'd choose a different bull to AI her with. but we'll see what life has planned for us...
i know nothing of jersey genetics as i haven't spent my cow research time focusing on that. but here it is for people that find it interesting (and i am sure that i will be one of those people shortly as i educate myself):
- sire Cal-Mart Militia Bonar 3910
- dam Koons Action L Bea
so what are we calling her? well lover boy came up with Mirabelle all on his own, with absolutely no suggestions from me. pretty, and not too common. but note her last name above - Bea. so I thought to call her Beatrice. actually Beatrice Potter. as in Beatrix Potter - the wonderful author, artist, and farm owner that set out to save heritage farms and breeds.
so all the girls love mirabelle, but i am not completely sold. i love the name, but i think i would like something that ties back into her official name.
we'll see...
|
_(199x300)_(66x100).jpg?v 93697001) Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
Edited by - txbikergirl on Jun 01 2016 10:12:20 AM |
|
|
txbikergirl
3197 Posts
|
Posted - May 31 2016 : 7:59:12 PM
|
and here she is with the other girls. i put her in the same corral as elsa as they are close in age (elsa is 11 months now) and left sally next door in her normal corral.
here are elsa and the new girl eating together minutes after meeting:
here is sally kissing her through the fence, gave her a lot of licks all over the muzzle:
and here are all three together, it is a little deceptive as the ground is on a serious slant and our new girl is on much higher ground - so she isn't as tall or taller than sally as it might suggest. elsa is in the middle, and sally to the far right.
our new girl right now is between elsa and sally in height/size. i have it on good advice, thanks maryjane, that they keep growing until 2 years. it looks like she could eventually be a bit bigger than sally, but then what does this newbie know?
in the future when we breed we'll breed down a bit with a mid-size bull. the semen used on her AI last month was a mid-size bull, but it is mid-size compared to current conventional thoughts - they used semen that has the stats to show well, but not necessarily be great dairy or size specs. not sure how that all works, but that is what they told me... |
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
Edited by - txbikergirl on May 31 2016 8:11:34 PM |
 |
|
|
txbikergirl
3197 Posts
|
Posted - May 31 2016 : 8:24:25 PM
|
normally we would isolate a new cow. it just so happens that because it is a show cow it has more than usual medical records of tests to prove it hasn't had anything contagious. and being that they use the same vet as us, they took it to their/our vet last week and had all the medical records reviewed to ensure nothing was missing and then updated tests to ensure it was healthy with no issues as of last week.
we had spoke with our vet about the owners of this cow, and he had nothing but good things to say about them. he thinks they have very healthy and quality animals that he thought measured up to our standards, which are very hard to come by in this neck of the woods.
so we tossed them in together and everyone was curious. we did end up moving elsa into sally's corral after an hour, as after things were nice for a bit elsa decided to push the dominance and mount the new gal - well, she didn't care for that and essentially pushed elsa to the opposite side of the corral. and this set up a pattern that kept repeating itself - and then elsa wasn't exactly happy. so i felt it would be better to have all three of them together tomorrow in the pasture so that sally can ensure there is some type of stability in the herd. and this way sally and elsa can relax together tonight, and then during daylight we'll put them together after breakfast and let them work it out.
|
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
Edited by - txbikergirl on May 31 2016 8:32:45 PM |
|
|
|
farmlife
1413 Posts
|
Posted - May 31 2016 : 9:57:56 PM
|
| She's beautiful, Cindy! I like both Mirabelle and Beatrice, but she seems daintier than a traditional Beatrice somehow. Also it doesn't sound as good when you yell it across the pasture. Bea pronounced "Bee" could be short for Phoebe or Abby. She could also be just BeeBee. You could also do the Spanish pronunciation and have Beatriz. Irish cows and Spanish cows mix, right? |
|
|
|
NellieBelle
11217 Posts
|
Posted - Jun 01 2016 : 04:03:54 AM
|
| Just beautiful Cindy. You will know what to call her in a few days. It will just come to you and the decision will be made. She looks to be a beautiful cow and a good addition to your Miss Sally and Elsa. The best to you and your cow herd. Congratulations! |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
|
|
|
maryjane
7074 Posts
|
Posted - Jun 01 2016 : 05:50:48 AM
|
The Thompson story line just got a whole lot better. Thank you Cindy for all the details. I've read this post three times! And pics. And the bull link. I spent some time looking at bull links this past weekend. I can't figure out how one knows from the charts what a bull's size is (or was). But I'm working on it.
I had a dear friend, now diseased, who was legendary in the Forest Service world--her name was Dolly Koons. She had IT if you know what I mean. Men turned into flustered fools around her. Your doll looks like a dolly good cow. Congrats! |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
|
|
|
txbikergirl
3197 Posts
|
Posted - Jun 01 2016 : 10:09:51 AM
|
thanks ladies. it will be interesting to see it all work itself out this week relationship wise with the three girls. there was quite a bit of jostling around this morning attempting to establish dominance. at first we let them into the small area around the stock pond and barn for about 20 minutes to get them all acquainted.
everything was good until each time elsa mixed it up. she would decide to mount beatrice, and then beatrice would push elsa around in response, then sally would push beatrice around, then beatrice pushed elsa, and around and around. finally got them out to pasture, the one with hard fences all sides and no electrical, and they are enjoying themselves and w/in a few feet of one another...
i appreciate the name suggestions keeley, it is something we spend an inordinate amount of time considering ;> i have started to call her beatrice and it just fits. my nurse-to-be niece who has become my farmhand agrees, so we are calling her beatrice (ok, i call her miss beatrice potter but thats just me - i call all my cows lengthy names with titles and surnames and nicknames all added in). sometimes we refer to her as bea. everyone this morning thought it was good after all. mirabelle was beautiful but was a mouthful and i wasn't sure where i would go with it (although why i would think it is a mouthful when i constantly say "miss beatrice potter" i don't know, but thats me).
|
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
Edited by - txbikergirl on Jun 01 2016 10:10:46 AM |
|
|
|
txbikergirl
3197 Posts
|
Posted - Jun 01 2016 : 11:05:57 AM
|
here are the girls this morning.
a bit of meet-n-greet. sally on the left, bea on the right.
and a little pushing around. see elsa's little feet under sally, she instigated then let the other two work it out.
and settling down to breakfast. this is later in the pasture. elsa, sally, bea.
 |
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
Edited by - txbikergirl on Jun 01 2016 11:07:27 AM |
|
|
|
NellieBelle
11217 Posts
|
Posted - Jun 01 2016 : 7:13:30 PM
|
| Nice looking herd Cindy! Now, pant legs inside or outside of boots? ;) |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
|
|
|
maryjane
7074 Posts
|
Posted - Jun 02 2016 : 05:51:03 AM
|
| Love the photos Cindy, every detail. The two of Bea and Sal nose to nose and the one of them at the ready, set, go starting line are fabulous. How are all your girls this morning? |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
|
|
|
txbikergirl
3197 Posts
|
Posted - Jun 02 2016 : 06:42:52 AM
|
girls are really good. i don't think beatrice is happy spending the night in her own corral with the other two in the other. we'll rectify this shortly as we plan that we'll just leave the area around the barn open to them and stop shutting the corrals up for the night - but one side of that has electrical so we are making sure beatrice is trained to it well first.
beatrice pushed elsa around a bit this morning, but elsa provoked it. sally didn't even get involved, so i think the order is setting in. elsa truly doesn't seem to know what is going on, as when she provokes and then gets pushed around she goes off and sulks with her ears back. she came over to me for five minutes with head down between my legs and ears back and just wanted love. she is so sweet and gentle, and i do think this is going to be great for her socialization. |
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
|
|
|
txbikergirl
3197 Posts
|
Posted - Jun 02 2016 : 06:44:55 AM
|
| and janet i can now officially put one leg inside boots! at least living ruraly there is no one around to see the fashion faux pas ;> |
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
|
|
|
Sydney2015
1156 Posts
|
Posted - Jun 02 2016 : 09:22:47 AM
|
| Bea is beautiful! It sounds like everyone is doing good, good luck with her! |
A good laugh overcomes more difficulties and dissipates more dark clouds than any other one thing - Laura Ingalls Wilder
I live on a small farm of seventy acres called Green Forest Farm, with 10 horses, a donkey, 5 beef cows, 2 beef heifers, 3 Hereford heifers, around 60 chickens, 8 dogs, my amazing cow, AppleButter, and her little Jersey calf HoneyButter! |
|
|
|
CloversMum
3486 Posts
|
Posted - Jun 02 2016 : 4:01:14 PM
|
Congratulations, Cindy! Miss Beatrice looks lovely and your herd looks ever so much more complete!
What a gift to have found a beautiful heifer right near you ... |
Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
|
|
|
farmlife
1413 Posts
|
Posted - Jun 03 2016 : 1:10:16 PM
|
| It sounds like everyone is settling in nicely. Miss Beatrice Potter it is. Names are tricky, but you know when it sticks. :) |
|
|
|
txbikergirl
3197 Posts
|
Posted - Jun 04 2016 : 04:09:34 AM
|
thanks keeley. we have decided that she is the sneaky one. got into the barn where neither of the girls have ever attempted (over and through chicken fencing). we have our food double gated with gates and such for this specific reason, but she was the only one that even ever attempted such a thing.
then of course she led sally to the dark side, and we found sally joining her the second time. cute calf, but tricky as can be. |
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
|
|
|
maryjane
7074 Posts
|
Posted - Jun 04 2016 : 7:41:56 PM
|
| Little Miss Mischief. Kinda naughty cute actually. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
|
|
|
txbikergirl
3197 Posts
|
Posted - Jun 05 2016 : 12:32:17 PM
|
| yes maryjane, its a bit like having the toddler you have to scold and at the same time grinning from ear to ear behind their back. she's giving us a run for our money already. |
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
|
|
|
txbikergirl
3197 Posts
|
Posted - Jul 05 2016 : 6:52:58 PM
|
here is beatrice this weekend. she's really filling out nicely, and she fits in so well with the crowd. she works it between both sally and elsa, so sometimes you'll find her sleeping with one and sometimes with another. here she was being elsa's faithful protector.
we still haven't done bea's preg check. the kit is sitting on the kitchen counter, ready for the blood and then to be mailed in to the lab. perhaps this weekend...
 |
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
Edited by - txbikergirl on Jul 05 2016 6:53:28 PM |
|
|
|
NellieBelle
11217 Posts
|
Posted - Jul 06 2016 : 04:20:26 AM
|
| Bea does appear like she has put on some weight Cindy. Looking good! What a nice pastoral photo above. Just peace and tranquility. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
Edited by - NellieBelle on Jul 06 2016 08:37:17 AM |
|
|
|
farmlife
1413 Posts
|
Posted - Jul 06 2016 : 08:10:28 AM
|
| She is looking much better, Cindy! She and Elsa look awfully sweet together. |
|
|
|
maryjane
7074 Posts
|
Posted - Jul 07 2016 : 06:32:55 AM
|
| Cindy, based on what WSU told me yesterday, Bea looks perfect right now (I'm amazed at how different she looks already!). However, now is the time to watch and manage her feed and pasture time so she doesn't start putting on extra weight other than what she'll need for a successful pregnancy (once you confirm that:) |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
|
|
|
txbikergirl
3197 Posts
|
Posted - Jul 11 2016 : 6:13:16 PM
|
thanks mary jane. thats what i was thinking too. i also think i have a bit of grace on my side, given her age. as you so wisely mentioned before, what a 1.5 year old heifer can handle in a pasture is totally different than what the elder duchess can't handle... the metabolism and getting older curse we all must face ;>
i am starting with half days in pasture now and think that will make a ton of difference with them all.
oh, and we did our preg check tonight and it will ship out tomorrow. so w e should know friday or monday if she is pregnant. |
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
|
|
|
txbikergirl
3197 Posts
|
Posted - Jul 14 2016 : 4:49:05 PM
|
i am going to be a momma!
and guess who is going to calve February 2017? Our own little Miss Bea! Got our preg check email back and it confirms she is pregnant.
the previous owner had actually ai'd her just a week before we found them. it wasn't the bull we would have choosen, as she is a bit bigger than we want going forward and they choose a regular large bull. we aren't disappointed, and figured if it didn't take we would downsize her offspring... but we'll go with this being what is in the works for our future.
here is the Colton semen they used. sexed semen, so 90% chance of heifer. http://www.accelgen.com/catalog/semen-usa/007je01088/cow/print/
for anyone that hasn't done a blood draw preg check, i have to admit that i now think it is the coolest and easiest thing.
we spent $40 and got a kit that can do 10 pregnancy checks. you can buy them singly, but we will do at least 3 this year so wanted to stock up now. the tests are good for a long time, so it doesn't expire in a few months or anything.
this kit actually PREPAYS the lab fees too - so other than shipping or dropping off your blood there is no other expense.
the kit gives you everything you need other than alcohol and wipes to clean the tail, and the actual box to ship to the lab.
we shipped it ground via ups on tues, it arrived at the lab wed pm, and the lab results were in my email thurs before noon. easy peasy.
https://www.biotrackingstore.com/product/biopryn-cattle-kit/
|
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
Edited by - txbikergirl on Jul 14 2016 5:02:35 PM |
|
|
|
NellieBelle
11217 Posts
|
Posted - Jul 14 2016 : 5:41:03 PM
|
| Congrats Cindy on Miss Bea's pregnancy! Wahoo, another calf to look forward to. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
|
|
|
maryjane
7074 Posts
|
Posted - Jul 14 2016 : 5:51:19 PM
|
| This is just fantastic news. Yay!!!!! |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
|
|
![[flourish]](/images/flourish-txt_mobius.png)
Meet Beatrice Potter (officially Koons Bonar Bea)
![Heritage Jersey Organization [logo]](/images/HJO-logo.png){kind=logo}
