Calves -Week 10, 11 & 12

Chuck & TBone

The boys are doing excellent!!!  For the last 3 weeks we have been finishing up weaning the boys from their bottles.  They are now completely off the bottle and eating grain, hay and pasture.

The boys are both eating about 4lbs of grain each day. 2lbs in the morning and then 2lbs again in the evening.  They love it and eat it all gone.

We also had a friend of ours over and banded the boys.  This means that they will never be able to have babies.  Banding is when you take a really small tight rubber band and it is put onto a banding plier.  The pliers open up the small rubber band and then you put the scrotum through the band.  Once you are sure that both testicles are through the rubber band you release the banding pliers.

As the band is tight it slowly cuts of the blood circulation to that area.  Once circulation is completely cut off, usually within 2 weeks or so.  The scrotum along with the testicles will fall of making the bull now a steer.  Bull can produce babies.  A steer can not produce babies.

This will also help with the testosterone level and they will not become aggressive like a bull can.

Chuck

Chuck is still bigger than Tbone.  He eats really well and if he finishes his grain first he likes to go over to Tbone's bucket and try to push him around to steal his food.  We let Tbone push back but if Chuck gets his head in the grain bucket we intervene and hold the bucket so he can't get it.  Besides being a piggy he really is a great boy.  He likes to have pets and will say hello to you in the morning.  Other than that he hangs in the pasture and eats and relaxes.

Tbone a little bit wet from being out in the rain

Tbone is still littler than Chuck but is getting bigger every day.  He has finally gotten a taste for the grain we feed and loves it.  He loves to have pets and always try's to stand close to you when we are in the pasture.  He loves to be out in the rain and in the pasture eating and relaxing.

Chuck saying hello first thing in the morning

I can't get the video to turn for some reason but you can still hear him.

The boys have been here on our farm now for 3 months. Chuck weighs in at 205lbs and Tbone weighs in at 176lbs.

I will be doing monthly updates on them now.