7/30/2023 0 Comments Baby animal age for cattle![]() Our cows live their lives on our farm, in our barns and pastures with their friends and family. If you’ve followed us on Instagram for a while, you might remember Mango! They to talk them, sing to them, sing to them, and refer to them as “who” and “everyone.” They also name them. Our farmers lovingly attend to our cows and know them as individuals. Our girls receive the best food, veterinary care, and shelter, as well as lots of interaction with other cows and humans who love them. We do everything we can to ensure that our cows enjoy a high quality of life from the very beginning. The milking herd may include their aunties, grandma, sisters, and friends too! TLC: Totally Loved Calves This is also when they join our milking herd and are reunited with their moms. This helps ease them back into the herd.Īt 14 or 15 months, the calves have grown into mature cows. When calves are around a year old, they move to the dry pen with cows who are taking a break from being milked. (Mostly from cows, but they also get to hang out with farm cats!)Īround four or five months old, they’re weaned off milk and transitioned to the high-quality diet of fresh grass, organic hay, sprouted barley, and supplements that our adult cows enjoy. Cows are herd animals, so once they’re strong enough to roughhouse, we want them to have lots of social interaction. Calf “Childhood”: 2 to 14 MonthsĪfter a few months, calves get to hang out with other calves their age, kind of like a primary school. This is a special kind of milk that all mammals (humans included) produce for the first few days after giving birth, and it plays a huge role in developing the baby’s immune system.Īfter a colostrum diet, the babies transition to fresh, warm milk we set aside when we do our regular milking. We customize our care regimen to meet each calf’s individual needs.įor three or four days after birth, the calves are bottle-fed milk from their mom so they can get plenty of nourishing colostrum. We can see if they’re eating and drinking properly, watch for signs of illness or complications, and adjust their care accordingly. Separating the calf also allows us to closely monitor their health. You put them in a crib in a nursery where they’re safe and where you can keep a close eye on them. After all, you don’t just leave a human baby on the street. Yes, our calves might be just fine with their mothers, but we want our cows to be as healthy as possible, and for all our calves to grow up to be big healthy cows. For coyotes and mountain lions, a newborn calf is an easy meal! Additionally, the risk of pneumonia is high when temperatures vary (like they tend to in our area). Calves face a lot of threats in the open, including exposure to the elements, getting stepped on by another cow, or even attacks from predators. Raising babies in the wild is a risky business. Real talk: We actually do this for the safety of the calf, because in nature, infant mortality is high. These temporary calf nurseries give calves a jumpstart on a healthy life. When calves are born, they spend 12 hours with their mothers before we move the babies to a special “calf nursery,” a warm, snuggly straw bed and a little shelter. Our cows always receive the best feed and veterinary care to make their pregnancies and births as smooth and comfortable as possible. ![]() So, we’re harnessing the power of nature here. Their bodies are evolutionarily designed to do this, because it increases their chances of producing healthy offspring that will survive to adulthood. This can seem like a lot (after all, that would be a TON of birthing for a human!) but it’s normal for wild animals, including bovine species, to give birth every year. From The Nursery to the Dairy Herd: The First Year(ish) Breeding and Birth Get ready for some serious cow cuteness and real talk about the care of our Redmond calves. We want to give you a closer look at the first year or so of our dairy cows’ lives so you know exactly how the animals who produce your raw milk are being treated. So we wanted to address an area we know our customers care about: the well-being of our farm animals, specifically the calves in our dairy herd. ![]() You care about the food you’re consuming and its impact on the planet, the people, and the animals who produce it. One thing we love about our customers is that you care.
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