Saturday, February 14, 2015

January-February 2015

January is already gone in the blink of an eye, but I hope I am taking more note of February.

End of 2014 and into January of 2015 was focused on getting my commercial cow herd settled into new winter pastures.  My effort is directed toward preserving the genetics of the herd my dad developed so that I can pass on his work to nieces and nephews who will get my farm. The person who was caretaking them about 30 miles away from here sold his farm, so they needed to move and I wanted to do the best I can by them.  They are settled in by now but some moving around will need to happen when weaning time comes.

My biggest project taking most recent focus is trying to breed my Legacy and traditional cows using those old Dexter bloodlines.  Come to find out, straws I had stored in my vet's tank waiting for AI breeding had disappeared! I searched for replacement straws and ended up believing that the best choice was to get more straws of Woodmagic Hedgehog 3rd.  One of my very first Dexter cows, Rainbow Hills Henna (1998), and a 1999 heifer daughter of Rainbow Hills Holiday whom I brought home at the same time in January 2000--when my "life with Dexters" began--named Sturdevant's JoliJoyce, as well as Twainland's Kalla (2000) are now, I HOPE, bred to have a Hedgehog offspring.  I also had SF Ms Friendley AI-bred to Brambledel RedberryPrince.  So I will be on pins and needles watching to see if those "took" and waiting for calves.

My "class of 2014" are cute and mostly doing well.  I must admit to being partial to the two last cuties, heifer calf out of Zephyr and bull calf out of my all-grown-up special little bottle baby YesBeBesky O'Nob who began as a 17-pounder!  He is my current candidate to take to the ADCA show in VA in June.


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