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- #11
canesisters
Herd Master
I believe you said you were in Va, which is having a horrible winter according to the Va folks I talk to on another ag forum. Snow, ice, cold, wind, mud and rain. It needs somewhere to be able to have some respite in that kind of weather. They can stand cold--can stand wet, can stand wind--put all 3 together, it's hard on them. Roof and at least a place to get out of the wind.
Stall? I'll get to that in a minute*...
Right now it's terrible. That's unusual for us... but seems to becoming a trend.
As far your choice regarding maturity.
3. An older cow that is already lactating. Ding Ding! Ding! As WRB said in her first reply, this is probably your best bet.
*If you get a bred heifer or unbred heifer and you have her bred, you will want somewhere to have her where you can watch when the time gets close--able to secure her when it's time for her to have her calf--somewhere to tie her up--like a stall. If she has trouble, and you have to assist, you don't want to be chasing her around an open paddock to pull that calf. (btdt, got the teeshirt and the dead calf..)
If it's an older or more mature animal that has already had 1 calf successfully, she can probably calve ok out in the paddock.
Well, that's something to take into serious consederation...