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Testing Bulls at Harris Hillcrest Farms

    Doc Roger, from Mtn Grove came out to test the Angus bulls for Harris Hillcrest Farms so we can put the most fertile bulls in the fields with the cows for the breeding season.  Each year a person should have their bull s tested for fertility.  It could cost a person a calf crop if they are not tested and later are discovered that their semen was not effective.  The following videos try to explain the process somewhat:
Here, Doc Roger's assistant is inserting the electronic ejaculator to start stimulating the bull to produce semen.


 
Here, Doc Roger is measuring the circumference of the bull's scrotum, part of the final score.


 
    Here, Doc Roger is collecting the fluid being given by the bull. Doc Roger will, after collecting the fluid, look at it under the microscope to ensure that the "little swimmers" are swimming and then place a numerical code to the effectiveness of the "little swimmers" which is part of the final score. One should never use a bull under a final score of 70 and expect to get a good calf crop.
 Cheerily
 IJK

Comments (0) Permalink May 15, 2008


Hillcrest Farms Feeding Hay


I got lucky and found a quick upload. Here is the video I talked about in the previous entry.

Cheerily
 IJK

Comments (0) Permalink December 19, 2007


Harris Hillcrest Farm

    Today I went to Harris Hillcrest Farms and helped Ronnie with a gadget that is supposed to save hay. The first photo is the parts to change  two existing hay feeders to  cone hay feeders. The second photo is the original hay feeder.  Third and fourth photos are the base and the arms that extend up to the sides of the existing feeder. The fifth shows the arms attached to the feeder and the ring that was added above and the sixth is Ronnie tightening up one of the bolts. Photo seven is Ronnie putting in the first bale of hay. The eighth and final photo was taken about four hours later after the cows had eaten for awhile.  See how the arms that extend from the base to the top of the original feeder hold the hay up off the ground.  The arms form sort of a cone and keep the cattle from pulling hay out of the feeder and dropping on the ground for them to trample.  The theory says it should save hay. Ronnie purchased the "cone feeder inserts" at MFA in Mtn Grove, MO. Ronnie will be monitoring to see how it works before we add four more to the feeders.  We fixed two today.  I also got a video of him placing a bale of hay into the feeder and if I can catch a fast enough upload speed I will be posting it.
Cheerily
IJK

Comments (0) Permalink December 18, 2007


"Black Walnut" picking


This is a device that some use to aid in picking Ozarks Black Gold. These can be purchased from Darrell Kochis at 417-746-4825. I do not know the price or what the shipping would be.
Cheerily
IJK

Comments (0) Permalink November 11, 2007


Harris Hillcrest Farms Slideshow and More

    I went and helped Ronald today. We dug up a water line that had a busted valve and put in a new valve. and then he asked me to help him pick some black walnuts. He has a sore shoulder and couldn't reach up to dump the buckets of walnuts into the containers on the back of his truck. I took the above photos while we were coming back across the pond bank.
 


    This little fella was under the tree that  we were going to pick up the black walnuts.  Woodchucks (Groundhogs) are normally very afraid but this young one let me get within ten feet of him.  I had never been so close to one before.  We were starting to think that maybe he had rabies or something but we figured out he was just a young moron. The black walnuts are the green orbs you see laying in the grass.  What you see is the green outside husk which is very soft (unless one falls on your head) but the inside holds a very hard wooden nut and the edible fruit is inside that.
 Cheerily
 IJK

Comments (2) Permalink October 30, 2007


Work Day at Hillcrest Farms

October 5th I went to help Ronald Harris at Hillcrest Farms. He had an ambitious day planned for us. Glen, his son Chris, Ronald and I needed to gather 60 Reg Black Angus cows and separate them from their 39 calves so we could vaccinate, de-worm, and tattoo the calves. We used three trucks to slowly move the herd from the bottom up to a 10 acre field then we urged them from there to a five acre paddock and then on into the lot where the handling facilities are located.  We released the cows after we got the separation process completed and when we were done with the calves we released them back to their mothers.  Everything went pretty smooth with no cows or calves trying to fight us or get away.  We were stated by 8:15 a.m. and finished up just a little after noon. Ronald's wife, Bonnie had a huge meal fixed for us when we were finished and we chowed down as we were hot, hungry, tired and thirsty.

Comments (0) Permalink October 6, 2007


Testing Bulls

I work for a very dear friend and his wife on a part time basis.  He had reason to test some Registered Black Angus bulls the other day to make sure they could be considered breeders as he had one sold and needed to put some bulls in with his cows.  He had reason to suspect that one of the old bulls was not up to the job and after testing the vet confirmed that he was indeed, infertile. The pictures below may be considered too graphic for some eyes by some parents so take a look before you let your children look.  Then if you think they are inappropriate do not let them look, but remember they are not meant to be nasty just honest photos of what goes on in animal agriculture.

The veterinarian is trimming the excess hair so as not to contaminate the collection of semen.
Here the veterinarian is measuring the size of the scrotum as part of the test.

On the very bottom (because I cannot figure out how to put it here) is a short video of the veterinarian collecting the semen from the bull.


This is the veterinarian looking through his microscope at the semen and determining if there are enough live sperm for the bull to be considered a "breeder".


This is a photo of the bulls going back out to pasture after we were through.  Only the old suspect bull was found to be considered a non-breeder.  Be sure to watch the video below.
Cheerily
IJK



Comments (1) Permalink July 7, 2007