Meet my new free free martin!

[QuarterCowGirl]

My boss gave me a free calf the other day and I just got her home last night! She rode home in the back of mom's Suzuki Vitara - shhhhhhh! Actually I doubt she'd care beings we've done it before. Anyways, she did well, she just sucked the seat belt thingy all four concessions and didn't even make a mess! Here she is!



Her and her new buddies, she's older then both of these guys by the way, but she's way smaller!


Here's a picture of the pig that was just taken this morning. She's settled in well....


And The Judge! Can't leave him out. He's settled in well too. I can get super close to him now and I can say he does infact 'work!' We should have belted babies in the fall!!!!

[Kahlua_Twist]

Awww, she's too cute! I wish you had pics of her in the car
Good to know the Judge is having fun at his new home...the dirty boy

[Rocking Horse]

Just No Fair

I want a Black and White Cow

Too cute, but I second the pix in the car

[TxHorseMom]

Very cute! What exactly do you DO with your free martins? Are they just pasture ornaments?

[QuarterCowGirl]

I'm not gonna put her back in the truck, but I do believe I have some pics of Dellatis riding in the back of the truck when the truck was BRAND NEW That was fun. I'll see if I can dig them up, Dellatis was an absolute doll.

[QuarterCowGirl]

Originally Posted by TxHorseMom

Very cute! What exactly do you DO with your free martins? Are they just pasture ornaments?

Interesting fact, 40% of free martins are fertile apparently, so I try to get them bred. Most farmers don't even bother raising them up cause they think it's a waste of time and money and they do take longer to grow. Most of the free martins end up going for white veal or red veal, not mine though! My free martins stay with me and eat the hay that the horses can't have.

[gbarmranch]

Oh she is adorable - and that bull looks pretty happy with his harem of ladies...You should change his name from Judge to Shiek...

[TxHorseMom]

Originally Posted by QuarterCowGirl

Interesting fact, 40% of free martins are fertile apparently, so I try to get them bred. Most farmers don't even bother raising them up cause they think it's a waste of time and money and they do take longer to grow. Most of the free martins end up going for white veal or red veal, not mine though! My free martins stay with me and eat the hay that the horses can't have.

So could you, technically raise them for meat? or are these Dairy cows? I know (think) that you wouldn't raise them for meat. But was just wondering what other folks would do with them.

[dixie]

Love when you post pictures.

Hubby and I were driving down a county road over the weekend and saw a Belted Galloway - I was so proud to be able to tell hubby what kind of bull it was. Of course then he quizzes me on others - that I do not know

By the way the Judge is better looking than the one I saw this weekend.

[QuarterCowGirl]

Originally Posted by TxHorseMom

So could you, technically raise them for meat? or are these Dairy cows? I know (think) that you wouldn't raise them for meat. But was just wondering what other folks would do with them.

Yeah, in most cases they end up going for meat. This little calf was supposed to be sold today and she would've been put on a truck with 60 other calves and taken to a white veal farm. The thought just makes me sick. I can't save them all, but this girl will never end up there.

[Orchid]

Sam, what is the difference between white veal and red veal?

I don't eat veal at all, so I am unversed.

[Promise Ranch]

I love the new baby! If there is a patron saint specifically for cows, we will call her "Saint Sam"... I've said it before, but I love how much you love cows!

And, as for the Judge... Who could resist such a gorgeous hunk with that curly dark hair. I can't wait for the banded babies!

[QuarterCowGirl]

Originally Posted by Orchid

Sam, what is the difference between white veal and red veal?

I don't eat veal at all, so I am unversed.

I don't eat it either, but in a nutshell...

White veal are baby calves that are kept in the dark, in crates and are only fed milk. Do to their diet and the dark atmosphere their meat is white. They are slaughtered at a very young age. This is where most bull calves and free martins end up.

Red veal animals live to be around 6-8 months. They are fed corn and veal tenderizer and this makes them lean and the meat is red. A good red veal animal should weigh in at around 600lbs.

[gbarmranch]

I used to love veal until I learned what Sam posted... Now, I can't touch it

[Crazy4paints]

Awww they look like the 3 stooges.. haha soo sweet, no veal for me please.... Take care of those babies..

[foreveryours]

ok i feel stupid now... but what is a free martin?

[Pocosmom]

Originally Posted by foreveryours

ok i feel stupid now... but what is a free martin?

I was wondering the same thing. I was also wondering if I could fit a baby cow in my apartment. They are awfully awfully cute!

[QuarterCowGirl]

Originally Posted by foreveryours

ok i feel stupid now... but what is a free martin?

Here is a really good link on free martins: http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/exten/cc...reemartin.html

Basically when a cow has a multiple birth one of two things will happen.

#1

If she has all girls, they will all be reproductively sound and will join the herd. These heifers will grow to have their own babies and all would be fine.

#2

If the genders are mixed, the girls will almost always have problems. They'll look fine on the outside, but they won't have a full reproductive tract. Their uterus (if they have one) would probably just be a stump with no uterine horns which would prevent the heifer from every having any babies, thus she's deemed worthless to the dairy industry.

So where else can she go? Sure she can go for veal, but half of the time nobody in that industry wants them either because free martins don't grow and muscle out as well as the bulls.

Hope that makes sense!

[TDH]

The new lil' calfie is adorable.... and what a curly-haired hunk! I didn't know cattle came in Baskir.

Seriously, I've never seen a curly-haired bovine before. Is that a breed trait?

[QuarterCowGirl]

Originally Posted by TDH

The new lil' calfie is adorable.... and what a curly-haired hunk! I didn't know cattle came in Baskir.

Seriously, I've never seen a curly-haired bovine before. Is that a breed trait?

Yep, Galloways always have thick curly hair. They are closely related to the Highland. Both of these breeds are native to Northern Scotland, guess it's cold there in the winter!