Thursday, May 31, 2012

Meet Flora: A Kerry Angus Cross

When Adam emailed me this picture of Flora's birth, it was  a big day for us. Heifers are a cause for rejoicing on any farm, and I recently read there are fewer Kerry Cows in the World than Panda Bears. She is a fine healthy calf and much more lively than a comparable age Holstein. Unfortunately, I am pretty sure she is half Angus. The farm where we bought the herd also had a commercial Angus bull, and in Western Pennsylvanian country lingo, I think he "nailed" Maiya. Flora is a bit thicker legged than a Kerry, and at two weeks old she is showing no signs of horn buttons. While I would have hoped for a pure Kerry, Flora can still keep Kerry genetics alive and I suspect her hybrid vigor will help us in the long run. When she grow up, we can use her for back crossing or absorption breeding.   Maiya is getting older, but will hopefully have a couple more calves in her. She is kind of our Raquel Welch, and she looks great for her age.