New calves

Our herd matriarch, Heidi, gave us another little girl on 10 Sep 16. We'll call her Glen Creek Holly. Hoping she is polled (no horns) like her Poppa. 

Over two weeks later, Beryl (Momma cow on the left) had her first ever calf - a girl. Since calf was born on 28 Sep (my sister's birthday), we'll call her Glen Creek Tina. Poppa of both calves is Shep's Rowdy. He's laying just to the right of Heidi and her calf. Gwen also gave us a calf on 5 Oct 16, so we have 3 new babies this Fall...

...which gives us a total of four calves this year: these three new girls plus one older guy (the bigger one in the middle front). He was born in May to Wendy. 

Three little ones up on the hill pasture.

This fall has been mostly mild and wet, so the grass has continued to grow. We currently have 14 cattle in our herd (1 bull; 2 young bulls for sale; 3 baby calves; and 8 big girls who better be pregnant this winter). We also have 25 sheep in our flock (1 new ram; 1 wether for the freezer; and 23 ewes). We should have a lot of new calves and lambs in late spring and summer. I plan to keep the 4 best female calves next summer and then replace our bull with another young, red, polled guy as our permanent herd sire. I'll keep 12 female lambs as well, and sell the rest. Until we can buy more land, I'll have to cap the flock at 35 ewes, and limit the herd at 15 cows. 

Here is another "beast" on our farm - John Deere 45 horse power tractor, which I put in the shop last week for some maintenance: replace all the lights and fix the wiring (lights have never worked, so I have always had to quit work at sunset); install a block heater so it will start on cold winter days (and I don't have to ask my neighbors to come move large hay bales in the snow); oil and hydraulic fluid with filter change; fix a leaking line; and install a new seat.