Welcome to the Doe Farm
Heifer Raising Area |
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| Heifers are weaned to a group
of 25 straight stalls in a lower shed where the manure ramp is
located. The tractor and manure spreader are parked behind the
calves and heifers to prevent freezing. The manure spreader is also
loaded there. Dividers between stalls are two pieces of pipe; some
broken or disconnected from brackets. One cow barn ventilation fan
blows into heifer barn to keep the heifers warm and the manure
spreader from freezing. The calves have access to water-bowls, of
which some work easily and others work very hard. Some of the bowls
are tipped, which allows leaking of water into the manger. Once a
day the heifers are given the manger sweepings from the mature cows.
The sweepings are delivered by wheelbarrow across the cement floor
where the tractor and manure spreader leave and enter the barn.
Silage and hay is delivered in the same manner. The manger is
cleaned monthly. When this barn area is full the heifers are vaccinated with
one dose of a 9-way killed vaccine and go out to the old
shed barn in to a breeding pen. |
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AI is done on all heifers
caught in heat. A bull is kept in the breeding pen with the  heifers and is used as a clean-up bull for the herd.
When the bull begins to get mean he is replaced with another
registered bull from a neighboring farm or through a dealer. There is a
homemade chute at one end of the pen for pregnancy diagnosis, which
can be opened in either direction. Heifers diagnosed pregnant go into the next group,
which contains bred and springing heifers along with early dry cows. |
| The two groups are fed
silage and hay along a drive-by feed alley. Sawdust bedding is added
to a pack in the back of the shed. Manure is scraped
with a skid steer from the older heifer/dry cow group through the breeding
group to a loading area at the end of the barn. The loaded
manure spreader goes out through a muddy area at the end of the
drive by the feedbunk where the tractor and mixer wagon pass to
get to the feedbunk. |
Management areas of the Doe Farm:
Doe Farm Introduction
Doe Maternity pen and calf area
Doe Lactating Cow Herd
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