Surviving Minnesota!

[ejtrout31]

Had a nice surprise last night! I had my incubator set and had been going off of the countdown on the incubator I noticed a week ago it wasn’t working and was off a few days. I reset it to what I thought was a close day. Last night I went to check on the humidity and saw eggs were hatching and it said I had five days left. So I took them out of the egg rotator and when I woke up I had 3 chicks hatched. Little worried they were never had lockdown but so far 5 out of 23 eggs have hatched healthy.

 

[CindyinSD]

Broody hens don't do lockdown, so... not that we amateurs oughtn't, but in case it doesn't happen like we planned, there's that to ease the mind.

 

[CindyinSD]

Here's my hatchling for today:


On the left is daddy (Finn) and on the right, mommy (Brynn). Have yet to decide on a name for little boy. Too busy looking up castration. From what I'm reading it should be done ASAP for minimum trauma to the calf. YouTube here I come.



The pretty girl on the left is Eden. She's gonna be the next to pop, I think. Hope she gets a cute little heifer.

 

[ejtrout31]

Here's my hatchling for today:

View attachment 2112637
On the left is daddy (Finn) and on the right, mommy (Brynn). Have yet to decide on a name for little boy. Too busy looking up castration. From what I'm reading it should be done ASAP for minimum trauma to the calf. YouTube here I come.

View attachment 2112639

The pretty girl on the left is Eden. She's gonna be the next to pop, I think. Hope she gets a cute little heifer.

We rubber band bull calves around day 3-5 when they get tagged and leave the barn. When they leave they get health checks to so we know they are ready to go outside with mom.

 

[CindyinSD]

We rubber band bull calves around day 3-5 when they get tagged and leave the barn. When they leave they get health checks to so we know they are ready to go outside with mom.

Do you give them immunizations at the same time?

 

[ejtrout31]

Do you give them immunizations at the same time?

No we do herd wide vaccines all in one day. Unless they are sick and need something specific to treat it.

 

[memphis]

Cindy! Totally adorable! We are going to need lots of pics.

 

[CindyinSD]

Thanks! I'm gonna have to do something about my fence. He just walks right under it. I can't believe I didn't think about that.

Cindy! Totally adorable! We are going to need lots of pics.

 

[memphis]

Is daddy Finn good with the baby? He looks like a nice bull....

 

[CindyinSD]

Is daddy Finn good with the baby? He looks like a nice bull....

So far he seems to be. After an initial flush of interest, they all kind of went on about their own business. (Eating grass, mostly.)

Little Boy likes walking under the electric fence. I need to set up a pen so he can get some fence training and also string a second, lower wire. I made a stall in the barn and carried him in there. Brynn was not real happy, but I was on the other side of the wire, so... After a bit of angst, she followed him in. So they're safe for the night. It would be fine to leave them out together, but not if he's going out where she can't protect him.