Genetics in Progress

No, they aren't twins, but they look like they could be.  These two look-alike calves are very similar in genetics; the difference is with the maternal grandmothers who were registered Angus.  The mothers had the same Brangus sire and these calves had the same Angus sire.

When I saw them nursing together late yesterday, my mind went back to childhood.  "Mom!  Can Alan stay for supper?"

These two half-sibling Fall-born calves spend all their time together.  They were born on the same day.  Their mothers are half-sisters.  I suppose it was inevitable they would share a meal occasionally.

One of my favorite parts of raising cattle is the young calves.  It is entertaining to watch them grow.  They will sometimes run as if they are racing you across the pasture.  You see them gain confidence and start hanging out with other calves rather than just mom.  You see them start to spend time away from the herd.  Each one is a little different in their behavior, but all of them go through similar processes which slowly lead to weaning and separation from the cow.

Cattle seem to have the process down.  It is genetically programmed into the animals and the environment in which they live determines, to some extent, the way each step occurs.  Humans need to take a lesson from cattle.  When I look around our country I think we, as a country, have lost the art of "weaning" children and of teaching them survival skills.  Sigh.  I'm thankful mine learned enough life skills that they are doing well on their own.

Oh, by-the-way, for those of you not in the cattle business, the breeding system outlined above for these two calves is how you get a uniform cow herd.  You build the uniformity of characteristics on the maternal side by introducing the genetics you need on the paternal side.  It's better to pay a little more for good bulls, or for an AI program, than to live with average genetics.  Fortunately, we started with outstanding genetics and have been tweaking the program ever since in order to adapt specifically to our local environment.  I'm pleased with the results.