An exciting time….

We never fail to be moved by the birth of new calves so this is an emotional time of the year at Thistle Hill.   Not only are we witness to one of God’s miracles but we get to see the results of breeding decisions we made almost a year before.

The little one in the foreground is X64, a heifer calf.  In the back is a brand new bull calf, X31.  Both are probably by our new herd bull, Carolina Hobo.  I say “probably” because these two were right on the line between the time nine months ago we took Watson out of the pasture and put Hobo in.  It will take DNA tests to be certain.

Devon calves are small at birth (moms have never been heard to complain) but experience a growth spurt somewhere between two and four months.  What we look for at this stage is a healthy, vigorous calf and a basic thickness.  So both the calves and Hobo have passed their first tests.

Normally, herds calve in the Spring, as close as possible to the longest day of the year.  But some years back, nationally-known pasture expert Jim Gerrish visited Thistle Hill and recommended Fall calving.  Less stress on mom and baby.  Also, this area is predominately fescue grass and suffers endophyte toxicity…less of a problem in the Fall meaning healthier calves and easier re-breeding.

I had just convinced Wooz that we needed to calve in the Spring when Gerrish came by.  He said Wooz was right; calve in Fall.  We haven’t had him back.

And for those who want even more detail.  We name our calves for the year they’re born…this year is “X”…last was obviously “W”….and the number denotes the dam.  In these cases, 31 and 64 are the mothers.  The color of the tag denotes the sire…blue for Hobo.  If it turns out to be Watson, we’ll have to switch to yellow tags.