Heather Smith Thomas - Your Calf: A Kids Guide to Raising and Showing Beef and Dairy Calves

A Kids Guide to Raising and Showing Beef and Dairy Calves

Heather Smith Thomas

The mission of Storey Publishing
is to serve our customers by publishing practical information
that encourages personal independence in harmony with the environment.

Edited by Lorin Driggs

Cover and text design by Carol J. Jessop, Black Trout Design

Cover photograph by A. Blake Gardner

Cover and text production by Wanda Harper Joyce and Susan Bernier

Photographs by Lorin Driggs and Heather Smith Thomas

Line drawings by Jeffrey Domm, except for (top) by Elayne Sears.

Technical review by Cal Chunglo

Indexed by Indexes and Knowledge Maps

Thanks to the U.S. Beef Breeds Council and Purina Mills for
permission to reprint their artwork on -134.

Pictured on cover: Amanda Bardin

Copyright 1997 Heather Smith Thomas

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other without written permission from the publisher.

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Printed in the United States by Versa Press
20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Thomas, Heather Smith, 1944

Your calf : a kids guide to raising and showing beef and dairy calves / Heather Smith Thomas.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. Summary: Offers information and advice on selecting, feeding, housing, caring for, breeding, and showing both beef and dairy cattle.

ISBN 13: 978-0-88266-947-2; ISBN 10: 0-88266-947-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. CalvesHandbooks, manuals, etc.Juvenile literature [1. CattleHandbooks, manuals, etc.]

I. Title

SF205.T48 1996

636.207dc20

96-32097

CIP

AC

This book is dedicated to Norman. She was a tiny heifer calf who spent the first four weeks of her life in our kitchen in a big cardboard box because the subzero temperatures outside were much too cold for her frail little body. She stayed in the house until she was big enough to go outside. We lifted her out of her box every day for exercise, and she loved to gallop around the kitchen, sometimes slithering and sliding on the slippery linoleum floor like little Bambi on the ice pond.

Norman grew up to be a cow. She is still a special pet, and seems to enjoy her privileged status in our cow herd.

Your Calf will be a handy reference for any youngster who wants to raise a calf or learn more about cattle from the young beginner with a bucket calf, to the high school student with a growing herd of cows as a college fund investment. This book is written in simple terms so even the beginner or young stockman can understand it. At the same time, it covers a wealth of information that will be useful to any young person with an advanced beef or dairy project. It will also be a help to parents of kids with 4-H or FFA (Future Farmers of America) projects, and can be a long-lasting cattle manual that the child can continually refer to as he progresses farther with his projects or raises cows of his own.

For the child desiring to raise a calf, I would recommend joining a 4-H club or FFA chapter at school. If there are none where you live, youll want to get advice from time to time from a veterinarian, cattle breeder or dairyman, or your county Extension Service agent. Dont be afraid to contact an experienced person to ask questions or to request help.

Most kids love animals. The responsibility of caring for an animal helps build confidence in your own abilities, and gives a feeling of satisfaction and self-worth. A cat or dog is nice, and so are rabbits and chickens. But maybe you want to tackle something more.

Raising a calf is challenging and fun, and sometimes helps chart a path for the future. You might like to be a farmer or rancher someday, or you might simply be interested in cattle. Maybe you imagine how exciting it will be taking care of and working with an animal that will become much bigger than you are.

Raising a calf is not only fun, but can also earn you money. You can sell your calf for beef, or you can raise a heifer to be a cow, and have calves of her own. Many kids have earned money for college by raising calves.

You have several choices when it comes to deciding what kind of calf to raise. Your choices will depend on how much space you have and what your goals are.

Heifer.A young female cow that has not yet had a calf.

Do you want to raise a steer to sell for beef, or a heifer that will grow up to be a cow? The decision may depend in part on how much space you have. A calf can be raised in a small area, even in your backyard, if its not in town where city zoning ordinances forbid livestock. But if you are going to have a big cow that someday will have a calf of her own, shell need more room. You may want to start with a calf to raise for beef, and later try a heifer project if you can find a larger place to keep her when she grows up.

Steer.A male bovine that has been castrated.

The kind of calf you get also depends on your goals.

If you are raising a beef calf to earn money, you should probably raise a steer. Steers bring more money per pound when sold, and also weigh more than heifers of the same age. But if you want to keep your calf, you should choose a heifer. Or you may want to raise a dairy heifer to sell. Dairy heifers are worth more money than beef cattle when they grow up.

If you want to raise a heifer, do you want a beef cow or a dairy cow? Do you want a cow that will have calves that grow up to be sold for beef, or a cow you can milk or sell as a dairy cow?

A steer is a male calf that has been castrated his testes or testicles have been removed. A steer you raise will end up as beef. You will sell him at the end of your project, or whenever he grows up. A heifer is a female calf. A heifer can be raised for beef, or she can be kept to become a cow.