Part #3- a day in MB- calves, calves and more...

Havilah trying to get calves to eat grain

Here are the calves being fed, which happens twice a day. There have been lots of changes in the three years that I have been away, to make the job more efficient since there are more cows and so more calves now. Matt brought the two younger girls along to work , and play with Grandma, so we went out to help-watch- Micah feed the calves.
Whole milk is pasteurized to feed the calves to kill any disease-carrying pathogens, then cooled to the right temperature to drink. They fill seven 3 quart bottles at once and put them into a cart to move the milk across the road where the calves are with a $-wheeler, or Micah can pull it there.

The bull calves are in the old hutches, Micah drops off some bottles of milk to them on the way to the calf barn

The calf bottle cart is detached from the 4 wheeler and pulled into the first calf barn

 This is the barn I took care of calves in until we moved to Ukraine, it has individual pens and replaced the hutches inside a shed barn about 5 years ago. It wasn't big enough for all the heifer calves under 6-8 weeks, so last year the boys built and second large barn next to it, this barn is for the newborns now, until they are drinking  and doing well.

This new calf needs a little help finding the nipple to drink

The new calf barn is to the left of the smaller one

They started building it last summer and using it in February or March,, they are very pleased with the calves that have come out of it and the ventilation system compared to the other barn.

Micah is putting bottles of milk in the holders

This calf barn has group pens of 10 animals, the calves put their heads into headlocks (they can't escape and drink someone else's milk) Micah flips a handle to lock them before he hands out bottles, when every calf is done drinking, the handle is turned so they can run around again. They also have water and all the grain they want to eat at the front of the pens.

These calves moved in from the other barn last week, sometimes they need help finding the right place to drink. This side of the barn is not completely finished.

The girls think grain is as fun as sand to play with

Micah is collecting the empty bottles from the barns

 The girls and I go play on the trampoline and in some sand in the front yard, since it is such a nice day out. Micah collects his bottles and takes them back across the road to wash and sanitize them. The long white barn is where the three to six month calves move to, it was the original dairy barn that was transformed to a heifer barn before we bought the farm.

The girls go home around four pm, and I work on some paperwork for the barn, among other things, before I know it it's almost nine pm and the third milking shift will be taking place soon. The guys are still planting, and working up the fields to plant, and spreading manure as it gets dark....good night!