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Congrats to our butcher….
….don’t know how I missed this, but Blue Ridge Meats in Front Royal, VA—better known around here as “our butcher”—received great press about a month ago in the Washington Post. Doug and Lois Aylestock do it the right way and that’s why we selected them when we began selling beef (and later pork) direct from our farm. Here’s the story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/16/AR2010031600921.html?sid=ST2010031603046 Choosing the right farm to buy your beef includes choosing the right butcher. There’s a warning sign about one of the butchers right in this article though the writer doesn’t realize it. There is some point in the size of the operation where you have to be particularly careful.…
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Yes, heifers, too….
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Probably ready to wean….
….the oldest of this year’s crop of Thistle Hill bull calves….THF 163…at 10 months. He’s by Traditional Devon’s™ Highwayman. The dam is one of our smaller American cows but from a top-producing line, X2a. The experts say you should expect a good cow to wean a calf half her weight. Please don’t tell X2a!
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Buddy Update….
….just over a month ago, one of our cows gave birth to twins but there was something “not right” about one of her babies. She went through all the right steps trying to get it to its feet and nurse….but he wouldn’t respond. For two days she stayed close to him but he just wouldn’t get up. Finally, she left him behind and went off with his healthy sister. Wooz insisted we take him to our garage where, after a heavy dose of antibiotics—and gallons of milk replacer—plus salve for swollen hooves and legs, we finally got him up. Despite my continued pessimism, Wooz and a neighbor who works with…