Every spring and fall we always have a new batch of show calves that are in different stages of development. Some are newly weaned and are learning the ropes, literally, of how to become a show calf. Some show up and are there for breeding season and some are there because we have back-to-back shows and the logistics of picking up said calves (and kids) become too time consuming for all involved.
With that becomes the joy of figuring out everyone’s personalities. Heifers eventually make their way over to the show barn where we have stalls, fans, radio, cats, chickens and other busy activities for them to get used to. Some of the new heifers have to spend a few days in a stall just because there is a lot going on for them to get used to initially. But some of them are just ready to figure out the show barn routine.
We have a big run alley out of the barn with a grass/hay pen attached and another big grass turn out attached to that. Since we are set up with all electric fence, we gradually work the calves up to being turned into the large turnout area. In the mornings and evenings, everyone comes into the barn and finds their assigned stalls.
Stall assignments are chosen by the animals themselves and of course if a heifer belongs to us or has been there the longest, she has her stall and no one gets it but her. The front left stall is for the queen bee heifer and I am not sure why that has become the favorite stall of the boss lady, but it is.
At feeding time, this is when everyone must go to their chosen stalls or we have issues. Each heifer has their own feed ration neatly wrote up on a dry erase board, so there is no sharing. Of course, the queen bee gets to her stall first and she will run anyone out that tries to enter at feeding time.
The stall next to her is for her best friend, so they can keep an eye on each other while they eat. These are usually the 2 biggest and oldest heifers in the group and while they may allow others to lay around in their stall during the day, all bets are off at feeding time.
Two stalls on the opposite side of the barn are reserved for the newbies and they just run in and try to get a spot first before I shoo the others out. Any stragglers eat in the “common” area and I normally have 2 that eat together well with no fussing.
The new heifers usually figure out this hierarchy pretty quickly and I don’t know if they have some sort of cattle conference at night where the older girls explain the dynamics of feed time, but I normally don’t have to do much in the way of sorting.
There is also always one in each group that acts like she never eats. She is always the one at the gate waiting for me and always the hardest to get in a stall. This type of heifer usually finds her way to her own stall because no one gets to eat in peace if that heifer gobbles hers down and then runs to see what everyone else has. She is also the one that cleans up all the leftovers. This year, that heifer has the nickname of “pest pants”, and YES everyone in the barn ends up with a nickname that is usually not even close to their real name.
This season we certainly have a mix of different personalities and it always makes things fun in the barn. 3 of the new babies are trying to figure it all out but one of them is definitely going to be the queen bee one day. She is also pretty vocal and will start talking to you in short low moos when you walk out of the house.
One of the older heifers has “adopted” one of the little heifers as her “baby” and she protects her from too much ruckus and grooms her like her calf. This same older heifer came into the barn several months back and was a real handful and would charge at you. She is now as sweet as can be, as long as you give her attention first and rub under her neck. I am not sure I want her to teach that new heifer any of those old habits, but we will see how that goes.
