A Bull Market

We're in a bull market here at Zephyr Hill Farm.  Ebby's calf was born today, a black, horned bull.  He may not be the red, homo-polled heifer I was hoping for--but he is healthy and lively and sweet, and we're very thankful for him.

Last night at the 3 am check I could tell Ebby's pins had gone, so I figured today would be the day.  Ebby's restless pacing of the pasture all morning confirmed it.  By 2:30 all she had done was get up and down in various places for the last half hour, so I went into the house to verify how long the various stages of labor should take.

I came back out at 2:53 to see bare hooves, quite a different sight from Ebby's calving last year.  Concerned that with the water bag broken the calf might aspirate amniotic fluid, I called the vet.  It was possible, he said, but advised me to let her push the calf out by herself if she could.  Ebby could--and did.  By 3:04 the head was out, and I could clear the calf's mouth of fluids.  By 3:05 the calf was on the ground.  Nine minutes later it was trying to stand, and by the time it was eleven minutes old, it was on its feet.

Although Ebby's poll hair predicted her calf would be a heifer, and my first glimpse of its sweet face made me think it was, it soon turned out that "she" was really a he.

Unlike many bull calves, this little guy was quick to find the udder and nurse--and even quicker to begin exploring.

He came over to meet Herb and me . . .

. . . checked out the grass, took a brief nap, and started exploring again.  He didn't just walk, though--he bucked his way along.

It was a lovely to sit in the green grass watching a healthy, lively calf interact with the warm, sunny world.  A gentle breeze blew over us--a perfect April day.

Looking at his face now, it's clear this little calf is all boy!  However, between his birthday being close to April Fool's Day and Ebby's trick with her "heifer poll hair," I decided to name him ZH Royal Pretender.  We're already calling him "Bucky" as it seems to suit this happy little buckaroo.

Rain and thunderstorms were predicted for tonight, so before it got dark we walked down to the bottom of the pasture to fetch Ebby and Bucky.  Herb packed 55 lbs. of calf up the steep hill with Ebby following anxiously along.  Bucky cooperated surprisingly well, without struggling to escape.  He and Ebby were safely ensconced in a stall about five minutes before the lightning and rain hit.  That means a good night's sleep for me, knowing our bull market will safely weather the storm.

Poll Hair Poll

Some people say you can predict the sex of a calf by the dam's poll hair in the last weeks of pregnancy.  Neat, straight poll hair indicates a bull calf while messy poll hair means a heifer.  Last year was the first year I paid attention.

Here's Ebby's poll hair in early April of 2015.

She had a bull calf, Seb.

Here's Ebby's poll hair today.

And one from yesterday--or should I call it "pole" hair, as in telephone pole?

I'm hoping this year's poll hair is just a little messier and spikier than last year's because I'd love a heifer.  But let's take a poll:  What do you think Ebby's having this year?

The Cost of Raising a Steer on Pasture vs. On a Factory Farm

One of my most popular posts ever (second only to the one on the cost of raising pigs) has been this one: The Cost of Raising a Steer:  How Much Does Our Beef Cost Us?  Over the three years since I posted this, I've gotten several questions in the comments.

Today I got a real poser, and I'd like to share it with you:

"I have a project for school due soon and one thing I have to figure out is how much it costs to raise a free range cow, versus the cows treated in factories, and how much money is made from each of them. If you happen to know any of this information that would be amazing and greatly appreciated for my project is due on Tuesday. Thx so much and pls respond asap, your information is already so useful and you seem like a very knowledge person for this type of thing, thx and hope to hear back. :-)"

Let me start with a disclaimer:  I am NOT at all knowledgeable on this subject!  Everything I know about it I did NOT learn in kindergarten. In fact, everything I know about this subject I have learned from other people who ARE very knowledgeable on the subject.

I do, however, love our cattle.  I love what we're doing and I love sharing what I've learned.  So now that that's settled, how did I answer this young person's question?

Their question was so good and the answer so complicated that I thought they deserved their own post.  So thank you, Tristan, and here's the answer to your question . . .

I'll try [to answer], but this question doesn't have a black-and-white answer that you can write down in neat columns to compare. I hope your teacher or professor will be open to seeing this. I listed the costs for raising our pastured steer in this post; unfortunately, I can't give you a comparative number as if he had been raised in a CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation) or factory farm. In fact, I doubt any such number exists, and here's why: 

The costs of raising beef in CAFOs far exceeds the list of expenses that get written down on paper. The feed is GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) and a high concentration of grain, which is not the natural food a cow's rumen is designed for. This creates health issues for the animal. In addition, the crowded conditions lead to disease and injury, which requires the use of antibiotics, which contributes to antibiotic resistance when the meat passes into the food chain for humans. Then there's the problem of waste disposal from all the animals crowded together in one place, leading to flies, pollution, odors and a general negative environmental impact. These are just a few of the related impacts which can't be quantified--and that is without even mentioning the quality of life for the animal. 

Here's a link to an article that has photos of two ways to raise cattle.  I think that illustrates the ethical issue of humane treatment very clearly, in addition to the issues of overcrowded animals in unhealthy conditions.

Here's an excellent interview with Michael Pollan on PBS, talking about a feedlot steer he bought and followed through its process to learn some of the things you're asking about.  In this article he mentions the statistic that if an animal is fed grass or hay for the last few days of its life, the E coli in its intestines plummets by 80%. But the CAFO way of handling this problem is to throw antibiotics at the animal, and those are passed on to us in the beef. This Michael Pollan article is very long, but it's a thorough discussion of some of the issues I've mentioned, and more. 

You'll notice there aren't very many numbers in that article! But I believe it clearly shows that the cost of raising beef in CAFOs instead of on pasture is one our society can't afford. I hope this helps you with your paper.

My answer to Tristan's question came from things I've learned from many other, much more knowledgeable people.  But I have learned a few things myself.  As a firm believer that a picture is worth a thousand words, here are some of things that I've learned personally . . . 

You can't calculate these things on a balance sheet, but they are very, very real.  Be sure to show this post to your teacher, Tristan--and I guarantee you'll get an "A" on your paper!

Remembrance

Seventy years ago, a young man named Louis Tritschler sailed to war in the South Pacific.  Louis' ship Storm King docked for a while in Manila, in the Philippine Islands.  While the ship was there, Louis was befriended by a kind family who had two daughters named Remy and Clara.

(The photos of Remy and Clara have been lost.  My thanks go to Laurinda Alcantara, who posted this photo on Pinterest.  It reminds me of the photos I remember of Remy and Clara.)

Louis told Remy and Clara about his two younger sisters Ruth and Carol back home in St. Louis, and fifteen year old Ruth became their pen pal.

After the war, Louis returned to Missouri and married his sweetheart Billie.  For a while they lived on a farm and raised cattle while Louis studied to be a veterinarian and eventually became head of equine surgery at the University of Missouri in Columbia.

Louis never returned to the Philippines and never saw Remy and Clara again, but Ruth remained their faithful pen pal for many years.  As young people do, eventually Louis, Remy and Ruth grew up and had families of their own and finally lost touch with each other.

Yet Ruth saved her treasured letters from her pen pals, along with a beautiful pair of carved Philippine shoes.   (Thank you to Jill Sharp for the photo of Philippine shoes she posted on Pinterest.) Ruth had three daughters, and I was the eldest.  We were fascinated by Remy's and Clara's photos, the graceful shoes, and their letters written in fine script on fragile paper with exotic stamps on the envelopes.  There was something touching in the story of the beautiful sisters who had been so kind to a lonely sailor and were beloved by our mother, although they had never met.  We wished our mother could find the girls again, but it was not to be.  Mom kept their memory alive, and they lived on in our memories, but we never knew what became of them.

Right in the middle of Memorial Day weekend, Siobhan calved on Saturday, May 23.  (This may sound like a complete non sequitur, but it's not.)

It seemed fitting to name our new bull calf in honor of the countless military men and women who gave their lives for our freedom.  (Thank you to our daughter Jenny for this photo and the one below.)

While my Uncle Louis did not lose his life in the war (he lives in a VA retirement home), the sacrifice he made for his country nearly included his life due to a serious tropical disease he contracted in the South Pacific, and I always think of him on Memorial Day.  Looking at our new calf, I remembered Uncle Louis and his service, as well as the years he spent raising cattle and caring for large animals, and I knew the perfect name for Siobhan's calf:  Royal Remembrance--"Remy" for short.  As I milked Siobhan that first evening, I told her and Remy the story of Uncle Louis the sailor, his sister Ruth back home, and the beautiful sisters Remy and Clara who were their friends.  They are all remembered with love.

Calf Watch for Ebony

Every year when a cow is getting close to calving, I go on "Calf Watch."  I observe developing signs of calving and take lots of photos for a visual record of her progress.  Since Ebby calved late this year, this will be a long Calf Watch post!  It will provide a good set of visual notes for me for next year, and hopefully it will help someone else figure out if their own Dexter is close to calving.

Remember, every cow is unique and every calving is different.  It's the combination of signs and their progression that is helpful.  There is no one particular sign that has to happen--not even the famous "her pins are gone."  Last year Ebby calved without me detecting that her pelvic ligaments had loosened.  You will hear that "once the pins are gone, she'll calve within 12 hours (or 24)."  I'm here to tell you that last year Ebby calved overnight after I felt her pelvic ligaments the evening before.  So, there are no guarantees!

Having missed the births of five previous calves, I was determined to see Royal's first calf born.  Based on Ebby's Estrotect patch and the date I sent milk for biotracking, the calf was due April 4.  I started Calf Watch early and took lots of photos.  Now that Ebby has calved and I'm down to milking only once a day, here's what transpired . . .

March 21 - Ebby moved into the Home Pasture for easy observation and feeding.  I started her on Dr. Hubert Karreman's 2-2-2 ACV regime:  Two ounces of apple cider vinegar twice a day for two weeks before calving.  I mixed the ACV with 1 Tbsp. of unsulfured molasses and poured it over a few ounces of non-GMO pellets.

Use apple cider vinegar 2 oz twice daily for two weeks prior to freshening to keep blood calcium levels up.

Be careful of low calcium since the muscles that control the teat sphincters at the very bottom of the teat may be weak and not close tightly between milking times. This is how environmental bugs get in and causes horrible problems (especially coliforms). 

March 24 -  Springing.  The vulva began to get swollen and floppy.

Udder development.  In my experience it is usually uneven, and Ebby's right rear quarter began to fill first.

Udder development from the side.  Please excuse the mud in these photos; we had a very rainy April.  I preferred to take photos while Ebby ate, then brush her after.  She's happy to stand still for brushing; not so much for a photo op!

March 28 - Side view.  In addition to peering closely at vulva and udder and feeling for ligaments, I like to stand back and look at the cow as a whole.

Udder development.  Not much happening.

March 31 - Rear udder development.  The left side is catching up to the right side.

In addition to twice daily checks during feeding, I started going out to check on Ebby before I went to bed.  We were having frequent thunderstorms, so she spent quite a few nights shut up safely in a stall.

April 2 - I began setting my alarm for 3 a.m. to make sure Ebby didn't do a repeat of last year, have her pelvic ligaments suddenly go, and calve overnight.  This was the first of many wee-hours-of-the-morning photos.

When I felt Ebby's pelvic ligaments, she usually backed up to "ask" for a massage, responding with what I called her "Pin Dance."  She would wiggle her entire body, snaking slowly from head to tail in obvious pleasure.  I could often feel contractions tightening her right side or feel the calf move, like here when it shifted and made a huge baby bump.

Here Ebby is later that morning, safe from thunderstorms, with a full rack of hay, two buckets of water, and plenty of bedding just in case she should calve.

Springing.

Udder development.  It's beginning to fill.

April 3 - Rear view showing springing and Ebby's round belly, although she doesn't get as huge as Siobhan does.

Looking at her pelvic ligament area.

Palpating Ebby's pelvic ligaments.  While not as obvious as in a dairy cow, they can be felt like cord about the diameter of a pencil.  This sign of calving is the hardest one to detect without plenty of experience, and I still consider myself new at it.

April 4 - Springing.  There is a definite increase in puffiness from April 2.  Today was Ebby's due date.

Time to get the stanchion ready!  I thoroughly bleached everything, hosed it off, dried the mats by hanging them over the gate, and replaced them.  I filled the teat dip cups that I had previously bleached clean and made sure that all the supplies were ready to go.

April 5 - Mucus.  This was the first time I saw any, and it wasn't much.

April 6 - Mucus.  Another photo from the wee hours of the morning.

Rear view.  This makes it clear that Ebby had not gone slab-sided, which occurs when the calf drops low down to move into the birth canal.  She was also wet with rain.

Udder development.  It's fuller and rounder, swelling farther back than on March 28.

Not that much has changed from the side, although the angle a photo is taken from does make a difference.

April 8 - The udder is more visible than on March 24.  Note the front teat protruding more due to that quarter filling.

Springing.  Observe the folds of skin around the vulva.  By this time it was jiggly when Ebby walked.

Udder development.  The rear quarter is noticeably fuller than two days previously on April 6.  The front quarter is not noticeably fuller, although it was to the touch.  However, strutting of that teat is visible as it swells and points out.

Mucus.

April 9 - Springing.  The vulva is so swollen that Ebby's tail is pushed out to the side, and there are more folds of skin visible around it.

Springing from the side.

(NOTE:  The red block behind Ebby is not a mineral block, it's a bloat block.  She normally gets loose minerals free choice, but they get taken up when she has a bloat block because it contains minerals.)

April 10 - Mucus.  She had another long string, which her tail slapped around on her sides.

This morning Ebby looked slab-sided.  Note the lack of a baby bump on the right side.  I called to cancel a doctor's appointment, thinking she might calve in the hours I would be gone.

By the afternoon, the baby bump was back.

Side view.  There is marked udder development from two days previously on April 8.

April 11 - Ebby says, "Are you taking pictures of me AGAIN?  Let's get this over with!"

Udder development.  Ebby's teats were pulled so tight there were tiny wrinkles.  The reason they look dry is because I don't handle the teats before calving, not even to apply balm.  I don't want to take the risk of dislodging the wax plugs that seal the teats, which would allow bacteria to enter and lead to mastitis.  There will be time to soften that skin up once the calf is born and I'm milking.  And under NO circumstances would I express milk "just to see" if there is any.  Trust me--as swollen as Ebby's udder is, there's milk in there!  I leave the teats alone, doing nothing more than occasionally laying a hand high up on a quarter to check for filling under all that fuzzy winter coat.

Udderly miserable!  That night I found poor Ebby laying on her side with her legs sprawled out to keep the pressure off her swollen udder.  She normally lays tucked up nice and upright, so I knew how miserable she was.  She didn't even get up for a massage.

April 12 - Finally!  Ebby's pelvic ligaments were no longer palpable.

Slab-sided or not?  Maybe, although not dramatically so.

Side view.  Ebby still had an appetite and devoured her grain.

Her udder was full to bursting and very firm to the touch.

From the rear, you can see that her teats were strutting, so full they were sticking out to the side.

Springing and mucus.  Note all of the wrinkles under her tail.

Springing from the side.  She was holding her tail away from her body, off to one side.

When Ebby disappeared down to the bottom of the hill and hid in the woods, I was pretty sure the calf was on its way.

After I went down to check on Ebby and invaded her private hideout, she came back up to her shelter.  Royal seemed suddenly quite interested in Ebby's rear end, another indication that something was different.

Ebby seemed to want company, both Royal's and mine.  She came over to me, asking for a massage, went back to her shelter, and a little while later she headed down the hill again.  Note the hollow look between her hooks and pins, compared to the full side view on April 10.  If you're not also palpating the pelvic ligaments, that "hollow look" is easy to miss.

Clued in by Ebby's restlessness that something was happening, I was checking her every half hour.  She couldn't seem to find a place to settle, and she headed back up the hill again.

She laid down under the tree in a favorite spot, but got up a few minutes later.

By 2:08 p.m., Ebby had decided--the calf was going to be born on a nice bed of hay in her shelter.  I could tell she was miserable.  Just look at that cartoon-cow udder sticking straight out like it was pasted on by a child.  The calf couldn't come soon enough for either of us!

Half an hour later, the calf was clearly on its way and Ebby's Calf Watch was over.  Click here for the rest of the story, the birth of ZH Royal Celebration.