Do you remember these two little guys?
Marv.....1 day old
Vern.....2 months old
In 2017 we raised Vern and Marv on bottles
Bottle Babies.....Marv and Vern
Vern is a beef calf rejected by his mother
Marv is a bull calf from the dairy
2017.......Vern and Marv.....8 months old
Just weaned from the bottle
( I think weaning was harder on me
than it was them!)
2018.....Marv and Vern 18 months old
Here are the bottles calves today: 5 years old
Just for scale to show how big he really is...
Marv is in the center with 2 full grown cows
on each side of him...
Those cows weigh 1500 pounds...
he dwarfs them and they are very large cows !
Marv and Vern today...
They are so sweet and still know
the sound of my voice
when I call them to come over for a visit.
Enjoy the Video:
Videos of Marv & Vern as baby calves:
Video of Marv sucking my fingers:
CLICK HERE: to see My Quilts
May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,
LuAnn Kessi
Marv is so tall! I can't imagine how many bottles it took to keep Marv and Vern full!
ReplyDeleteThat is a great question Patty....together the calves drank about 1,000 bottles over the 8 months we fed them. Vern was abandoned by his mother, she had twins and only wanted one of them. We tried for 2 months to get her to take him, but it didn't work out. I didn't want Vern to be alone, so went to the dairy and picked up a bull calf, we named him Marv. Dairy animals are very tall. The 2 steers love each other and can't bare to be separated. Even after 5 years, when I am out in the pasture, they come over and see me, sometimes sticking their heads in the window of the pick up to give me a lick on the face....they will always have a home with us.
DeleteHugs,
LuAnn
I can hear your animals talking among themselves about how wonderful it is that you're such a pushover. :)
ReplyDeletemaggie
Oh Maggie....you made me laugh out loud!
DeleteThanks,
LuAnn
I just love your post. I live in suburbia and have always loved cows, but have no experience with them. The love you convey for your bottle boys is so palpable. Forgive my ignorance, but are they being raised for butchering? I assume that would be the case. I just wonder how raising them as babies gets you emotional about their final destination. I'm not judging really at all, just curious how this is for you.
ReplyDeleteHowdy,
DeleteSo glad you are enjoying the farming posts. I am always happy to share what we do here on the ranch. Most steer calves, if not all, are raised for butcher.....but not our bottle babies, they will always have a home here with us. It is rare to see a 5 year old steer, not many of them around as pets. The Cowboy calls the bottle babies "Pasture Ornaments."
Hugs,
LuAnn