Fairvue Farms in Woodstock CTa family dairy in Woodstock CT:  Fairvue Farms

FACTS ABOUT CALVES

  • Fairvue Farms dairy cows are all Holsteins.
  • A cow gives birth to her first calf at 2 years.
  • The cow is pregnant for 9 months (average = 283 days, ranging from 273-291 days).
  • To calculate when a cow will give birth, add 7 days and subtract 3 months from her most recent mating date.
  • The cow weighs around 1,200 pounds.
  • The calf weighs about 90 pounds.
  • Fairvue Farm's cows are all bred by artificial insemination.
  • The newborn calf is fed 4 quarts of colostrum, which is the first milk from a cow. It must receive colostrum within hours of birth while it can still absorb the antibodies from its gut into its bloodstream.
  • The cow normally has 1 calf.
  • Twins occur about 10% of the time. Calving difficulties are more frequent with twins, and the calves are often weak at birth. When one twin is a heifer, and one is a bull calf, the heifer (known as a freemartin) is sterile more than 90% of the time.
  • A cow must give birth to produce milk.
  • Cows usually have 1 calf per year.
  • Cows make more milk than her calf will need. Average cows produce between 5 and 12 gallons of milk a day.
  • Female calves are called heifers. Male calves are called bull calves when they are born.
  • A newborn calf can see, stand and walk.
  • To ensure that the newborn calves receive the most nutritious feeding, they are fed immediately by bottle, and then they are placed in a well-bedded hutch after the calves are cleaned and dried. After this, they are fed two times a day for seven days on the bottle ,and then they are trained to drink from a pail until they are weaned at the age of seven weeks.

Also see Facts About Dairy Cows

Proud members of The Farmer's Cow

Proud members of
The Farmer's Cow

Contact us at:
millerlonghill@snet.net
860.928.9483
Fairvue Farms LLC
199 Route 171
Woodstock, CT
06281-3127