New To farming

3 posts
Sat, 02/01/2014 - 01:33 #1

Member for

10 years 9 months
kerrie399
Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 02/01/2014 - 01:10

New To farming

Hi everyone

I am so new at all this i have a small herd and so glad i have come across this sight because i dont know what i am doing and yes a girl ....Question i have 2 jerseys one has one nut and he is slowly servicing the girls which im very surprise as he was suppose to be rung when i bought him ...The herd is very quite and so is one nut ...i have since been told that he can turn and got nuts at any time which i really cant imagine ...which is now making me scared to go into the paddock and check things out ....the good news is i had my fiirst calf born yesterday i was so excited watching the labour and  preying all woud be good and it was ...went down today and the mum seem to be hiding the calf wondering if this was normal ...We have pretty basic set up not much at all (no crush) Just wondering do u think i shoud gt rid of one nut as the thought of him going to slaughter he seem to be gtting on with the calf and very protective as the others are also is this normal i have a total of 6 in the herd 3 girls and 2 steers and One nut who is having a great old time ATM

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Sat, 02/01/2014 - 11:26 #2
barb
Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38

Hi Kerri,

 And welcome. Many years ago  I was in the same position as yourself. Going from an office to working on the land was a culture shock as I no idea what I was doing and no knowledge whatsoever of livestock. The first thing I did was to get to know all my neighbours and ask questions- ask everyone, listen to their advice and then decide what is best for you. As I always say there is no such thing as a silly question.

The next thing I did was to get my hands on as much literature from the library about all aspects of farming and animal husbandry that I could. Since the invention of the internet it is also so much easier to find information. There is so much info and help out there. This website for instance, is a great place to get advice and information.  If one of us doesn't know, then some one else usually will. Rob and Charlie really know their onions when it comes to cattle and pasture etc.

Now to your questions. My speciallity is goats ( wrote a book for CSIRO on them which is available on this website) however, I also breed cattle. The bull who has only one testicle may have an undecenced testicle, which may cause problems for him in the future as it can cause testicular cancer in the one trapped in the abdominal cavity. If you are concerned about this, you can always have the vet check it out for you. A bull with only one testical can have lower fertility, but, as you have found is not usually sterile. Having only one testicle will not send him 'nuts' (make him agressive) but the rule when handling livestock is to be aware that they are much heavier and stronger than yourself and even if they are very quiet they can accidently injure you due to this. So don't be afraid to go into the paddock with him, but be aware that if you stand close to cattle anywhere from the rear of their shoulder back, they can't see you and may, if you are standing directly behind them and they kick, seriously injure you. When driving my cattle on foot, I take a 100 cm length of polly pipe with me to increase my reach and gently tap them on the rump with it to encourage them in the direction I want them to head. The secret to handling cattle is calm and quiet handling. Do not show that you are afraid or nervous around livestock as animals can sense this. I usually never need to drive my cattle because when I bring in new livestock onto the property I keep them in the yards for a few days and teach them to come when I call. This is easy to do as all you do is teach them that when you call them with their special call, they will get a feed. All I do is have the feed ready to put in their trough and call, 'come on, come on', several times and then put the feed in trough. Within a few days they will be eagerly waiting for you when you start calling. When you eventually let them out of the yards into the paddock, all you have to do is call and they will come running. Make sure that every now and again when you call them you give them a feed, to reinforce the lesson. They have a good memory so you won't have to feed them every time you call them.

Regarding the mum hiding her newborn calf- yes, goats and cattle always hide their new born kids and calves. They will often keep them away from the other stock for several days after they are born. I believe this helps the new borns bond properly to their mum before they are introduced to the rest of the herd. It has always amazed me, that a mother can pick out the cry of her infant from the cries of hundreds of others- nature is an amazing thing! 

cheers,

Barb

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Mon, 02/03/2014 - 08:33 #3
rmcpb
Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 10/22/2012 - 11:13

A bit of a late answer as we are busy feeding and carting water.

Barbara's answer is right on, good advice.

I would sell one nut and certainly not use him as a bull. There is a reason he was rung in the first place and as a bull has such a large influence on a herd I would not use one that is not up to the mark. Better than having a bull may be to ask around to see if any farmer would let you run your cows with his bull till they are in calf, for a fee, then you don't have to worry about having a bull eat your grass all year for a few minutes work.

Cheers
Rob.

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