Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

 

Who would of thought we would still be working

on this wheat crop!  The boys are wrapping it up this week 

with hauling and storing  straw bales in the barn.

Making room for the straw in the barn was a great 

incentive to clean out old hay and make it handy when  

straw is needed for use on the farm or to sell.

We  also have welcomed a few new calves

in the last couple of weeks.  It's always a treat

to find a red one! 

The Ayrshire cattle in the herd belong to Cody.

His first one was purchased for his 4-H dairy project.

I love it when Hattie and Breck spot these red cows and

calves because they instantly know they belong to them!

I'm not sure their daddy has given up ownership!

                                              I'm thankful that July is winding up and

                                      we are looking to what August has in store 

                                                 for us down on the dairy farm.

                 

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

You can't help but smile when you see such a new sweet

red calf with its mother early in the morning down

on the dairy farm.

As you can tell from the angle of this picture, the mother

wanted nothing to do with posing as I followed along trying 

to get a better shot to share.

                     Our milking herd includes several of these beautiful Ayrshire 

                        cows that belong to son Cody. His Ayrshire herd began

                              during his 4-H dairy project days many years ago.

                     I'm thankful for these happy reminders  of great 4-H dairy project days

                                    and the expansion of the herd that will  continue to

                                                          produce nutritious milk.

                                 

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

In a field of black and white spotted Holstein cattle, 

the red and white Ayrshire definitely stand out!

New babies are always welcome on the dairy farm but these red and white ones

 are reminders of the great learning experiences we have had through

 our past  involvement with our  sons'  4-H dairy projects and club activities.

                         
                                      I'm thankful for the expansion of Cody's Ayrshire herd 
                                      and for the outstanding 4-H program in Benton County.

Ayrshire Personality

What's not to love about a sweet red Ayrshire calf?

Even at three days old, this baby, that we call Red,  has a mind of her own.

Those ears are not just standing out because  she loves me!

She was letting me know that she didn't really like that

 first lesson of learning to drink from a bucket.

We transition all of our babies from drinking  a bottle of milk

 to drinking milk from a bucket when the calf is three or four days old. 

Once the calf is drinking milk from the bucket, 

we add a handful of grain after the milk is consumed.

It's amazing that most calves will drink from the bucket 

after two feedings but it's not unusual to have a calf that

 requires a little more help.

We monitor them closely at each feeding to make sure all the 

milk is consumed and give them help as needed.I'm pretty sure

 Red will be one of those that requires a little more assistance.

It may be that red hair!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

This  sweet little golden brown Ayrshire heifer  was born this week.

Do you think she will grow into these ears?

When she reaches her adult weight of 1200 pounds, the ears will be a perfect fit.

                                I'm thankful for Cody's 4-H project that keeps growing and for
                                      the smiles that a sweet baby always brings to the farmers.

Hide and Seek

Just as we started feeding baby calves this morning, this cute little Holstein bull  was born.

We put a red neck tag on him and left him in the field with his Ayrshire  mother.

Late in the afternoon, I saw his mother standing in the shade with the other cows without her baby. 

It's way too hot to be playing hide and seek!

After riding the 4-wheeler  around the pasture in search of the baby, I found him resting in the grass.

I guess he decided  it was just too hot to tag along with mom!

His  mom appeared within a minute of my arrival in front of the calf

 and quickly let me know   who was in charge...and that 

the game of hide and seek was over.

Mama and baby are doing well in spite of our 100 degree weather!

                                                                               
 
                                                                             

Dairy Q&A

                                                                       Question: 

                    What kind of dairy cattle do you have on your farm?

                                                                         Answer:

Holsteins (black and white)

and 

Ayrshire (red and white)

There are 6 dairy breeds of North America: 

Jersey, Holstein, Guernsey, Ayrshire,

Milking Shorthorn and Brown Swiss

Dairy Red Delivers a Firecracker

It seemed fitting since we're still hearing the pops and bangs of the neighbors leftover firecrackers  to extend our celebration with the birth of this red Ayrshire beauty. With our dairy cow herd consisting of mostly black and white Holsteins, it's a thrill to see a beautiful red baby!

Ayrshire dairy cattle originated from Ayrshire in southwest Scotland and are known to be strong, rugged and easily adaptable to any type of dairy herd. An average Ayrshire cow will weigh 990-1320 pounds and produce milk that has moderate butterfat and high protein. 

The Ayrshire cattle became part of our herd when Cody, our oldest son,  purchased his first registered Ayrshire for his 4-H dairy project. His first Ayrshire was named Sunshine and she was full of personality. She always let us know who was boss when getting ready to show at the fair!

 This  baby had plenty of energy while I was feeding her the bottle of milk  this afternoon.

 Firecracker will be a perfect name for this new addition to the herd!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

 

Roxanne, Cody's Ayrshire cow, calved this week.  We expected a black and white calf since the father is a Holstein but it was a surprise when  she delivered a second calf later in the morning. I'm thankful for the unexpected surprises that always seem to happen down on the dairy farm!

 

Hope your day is full of Valentine surprises!

Attributes of an Ayrshire

Last week, Roxanne,Cody's Ayrshire cow, gave birth to a beautiful red and white heifer calf. Roxanne is special to all of us because she is the daughter of an Ayrshire heifer that Cody purchased the last year he was in 4-H as part of his dairy herd project. Roxanne was born and raised on our farm and is now the fourth Ayrshire to be milking  in our mostly black and white Holstein herd.

Here are some facts about the Ayrshire dairy breed:

• originated in Scotland
• brought to the United States in 1822
• reddish to brown mahogany color with white
• average cow weighs 1000-1300 lbs.
• easy calving and longevity
• strong
• adapt to all management systems
• have vigorous calves
• produce moderate butterfat and relatively high protein milk
• efficient grazer
• adapt to less than ideal conditions

Roxanne was enjoying resting in the pasture this afternoon when I went to take her picture.  I would add photogenic to her list of attributes!