I know being a dairy state baby cows - or more correctly bull/heifer calves - happen all the time here. But I wanted to share a picture of my first ever calf that was born 1/2/23 at around 3am.
We're both happy to be new resident of Vermont. Thanks for having us.
​
​
What happens to the baby cows on a dairy farm?
Where I worked, the babies were taken from their mothers within hours of birth and put in little pens and fed milk out of big bottles. The females were raised to be dairy cows and the males were sold to farmers who raised them for meat. It was heartbreaking to hear the babies calling for their mothers in the barn and the mothers calling back. Sometimes the mothers would escape and go looking for their young we would have to round them up and get them back in the barn. Hard.
Why bottle feed....oh right because we are stealing and drinking it's food. Dang. Yeah, that's tough and yet I still will keep drinking milk. Deep thoughts being had.
Please keep this baby with its mom. It’s possible to do both - milk extra for humans and nurse the baby.
He will be staying with mom until weaned. It's actually pretty easy to "share" a mom with a calf after the first month or so, so there's no reason to take him off.
Wow that's pretty sad.
Depends on the animals sex and the infrastructure the farmer has at hand tbh. Usually female calves are indulged and male calves become veal, or they go on to become beef in adolescence.
What does indulged mean in this context?
They feed them and raise them for the dairy operation.
“Indulged”, “become veal”, and “become beef” are really wild euphemisms that obscure what actually happens on dairy & meat farms.
They’re not euphemisms, I just don’t need to be graphic for shock value like you fuckin PETA nutjobs.
I mean, to be honest your explanation did seem deliberately obfuscatory of the actual process. I guess it's so graphic and shocking that you feel inclined to use the word "indulged" to mean 'removed from mother immediately and then forcibly impregnated to continue the cycle of graphic and shocking practices'.
Can you accurately describe it in a way that's not graphic and shocking without leaving major steps out?
If you want to do that then do that, but I’m not your puppet, you weirdo. I’ve made meals out of hundreds of animals, from shell to slaughter.
euphemism
yoo͞′fə-mĭz″əm
noun
A mild, indirect, or vague term for one that is considered harsh, blunt, or offensive.
The use of such terms.
In rhetoric, the use of a mild, delicate, or indirect word or expression in place of a plainer and more accurate one, which by reason of its meaning or its associations or suggestions might be offensive, unpleasant, or embarrassing.
Seems pretty damn accurate to me.
You’re wasting your time. If you wanna write up factory farms, go for it. I’m not your bitch, random redditor. Aside from the fact they they asked What, not How. Fuck off with your merriam Webster bullshit.
[deleted]
[deleted]
Highland?
Yep.
I mean, I can’t speak for everyone here, but I’d be happy seeing pictures of baby moos fill up this sub. More please!
Make cows the new dogs! It's been a week. We need a new thing!
Beautiful. Cycle of life never ceases to amaze. I'll drink to that, 8 oz. milk. Got a name?
Looks like a Hagrid the Highland to me
Looks like Hagrid the Hamburger to me.
He won't be getting a name from us. As a bull calf in a (very) small herd, he is destined for different pastures. Right now I call him cute.
​
Sorry, apparently my post had a seizure and refused to upload the pic in the op. :(
I love that little baby
Beautiful baby! Congratulations!
Highland calves are the cutest animals. I used to live down the street from a farm in Whiting that had a bunc of head of Highland cows and every springs was a treat to see so many little cows with emo haircuts prancing around.
COW!! <3
Adorable....
Aww lookit that cute baby. I want to boop that snoot!
/U/RaziyaRC
What will the fate of this sweet "baby moo" be? Does he/she get to stay with mom?
He likely won't be staying with us long term, but he comes from long lines of miniature highland breeding stock and will likely find a home to propagate the lines. But he'll be here for while before he finds a new home.
Cool! Are you a new farmer?
Relatively new. I started a hobby farm back in Tennessee a few years ago focusing on backyard farming. My backyard was 11 acres at the time, but well set up for animals and pastures. My wife and I wanted to be a little more self sufficient as well as discover and share options that work in small farm/backyard environments.
We moved to Vermont this past year and dropped the farm moniker and scaled back on animals. We're more of a homestead now.
The highlands are mostly for the cute factor, to help with establishing a legit miniature pedigree and get some milk (my cow is a highland/dexter cross, so she'll definitely provide milk for the family). Freezer camp is reserved only for the naughtiest of beef, which we're hoping will be few and far between over the years. The lines we're working with have incredible temperaments, so beef in the freezer hopefully will never come from them.
Honestly though, I've enjoyed all of this over the last few years. I understand why farmers are a dying breed and exactly how ungrateful of a job farming is. But I've also found something missing from my life. It's my part-time passion as I still have to pay the bills, but if I could do it full time I would in a heartbeat.
This is the kind of flatlander that VT needs more of. Welcome!
Keep the cowpies out of the streams and you're good by me!
That sounds amazing, good luck with all of it!
Aww, welcome to Vermont! We're happy to have you both :)
Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! OMG!!!!!!!!
Awwww
Best post I've seen in this sub in ages!
was not prepared for that ultimate cuteness.
[deleted]
Brand new moo!
He’s so cute
At what age will you be taking this calf away from their mother?
Highlands are beef cattle so will stay on mom until she decides to wean. If you're gonna try to troll at least educate yourself first.
Why don't they do that with dairy cows?
Because the milk is then generated for people, not for the calf, so we can drink it. If the calf gets it, we don't.
Also not sure if actually serious question or if just asking it so can be like, "SEE! SEE! Stealing milk from the calf for human consumption! We're the only animal that steals other animals milk!!!!" Obnoxious hippie screech
This comment doesn't seem like the kind that needed downvotes. Might have been a legitimate educational question, though I can understand the sarcastic undertones probably generating the downvotes.
I will be taking him away from his mother when it's time for him to wean. Many months from now. I'm not an industrial farm, I have no need to keep cows bred to make milk. For my purposes milk is just a bonus of the situation, and if there's enough to share between the calf and us, great. If not, it's all for him.
Pongpianskul t1_j2ry0g4 wrote
Still wet behind the ears! When I worked as a milker I got to witness several births and it is always astounding when a new creature pops into the world and takes its first look around. Thanks for sharing this auspicious event.