Where the calves live! Beautiful new calf barn!

[Saartje05]

No mothers, no real milk, no room to run around. Yeah, I'm sure they're happy.....

[millieandwinnie1]

Jeeze, you guys know nothing of animal production!!!! Get over yourselves

[Ravenfitch82]

Typical dairy farm... Confine your animals to small spaces but claim they are happy. Its all bullshit.

[Saartje05]

@Ravenfitch82 so true. 

[MegaSonicKing]

@Ravenfitch82 Yeah with the calves .But in my dairy farm they have alot of spac

[MegaSonicKing]

@MegaSonicKing E

[Ravenfitch82]

@MegaSonicKing I don't consider cows under a roof their whole lives alot of space. Maybe its just me but i think cows would be happier outside with plenty of green grass to roam...

[MegaSonicKing]

@Ravenfitch82 Yeah my cow farm they can go into the barn and out.Are you talking about the calves .Sure they could be happier outside .But its unsafe for them.Once they are 2 years old .They can go out because they are old enough

[Ravenfitch82]

@MegaSonicKing I understand that, and luckily for me my herd is small enough that i can keep calf and mother outside in fairly large pens until the calf is big enough to join the herd. Then I wean em and sell em as yearlings. I raise Pinzgauer beef cattle which have a calm temperment and I've never had any problems. I also understand how aggressive dairy bulls can be. I personally just wanna give all my animals the best quality of life no matter what.

[MegaSonicKing]

@Ravenfitch82 Yes thats pretty good.

[seancarm]

@Ravenfitch82 What are they suppose to do in the winter? There's not too much green grass here today, lots of nice white snow.

[Ravenfitch82]

@seancarm I forgot to mention that my cows with calves and the rest of the herd all have access to barns and are free to go in and out as they please.

[DImaNDBowMaDneSs]

Are the stalls from BSM? Our calf barn is going to have BSM stalls in it.Looks nice!

[SUMRUCUK]

but where is their mums ?

[rubytails]

@SUMRUCUK Great question! Check out the other video that I have called "what the cows are doing right after milking". On our dairy, the cows are not too far away. They are right next door in an area called a free-stall barn. They can move around as they wish, have acess to water and food at all times, lay in sand bedding, and have access to a lot outside. It is snowing today, and all the cows have chosen to be in the barn protected from the elements.

[SUMRUCUK]

@rubytails THANKS HAVE A LOVELY DAY.

[BlakeGriceMuayThai]

looks like a prison to me



[AnneHolyfield]

Thank you for the information, I have learned a few new facts

I still believe that milk isn't supposed to be people-food, but I do believe that meat from healthy cows certainly is

I am a firm believer that one of the ways one should invest our money in our healt is buy not buying lots of poor quality meat but rather small quantities of the best one can obtain

As long as the animals that will be my food are properly raised and respected for their sacrifice in my behalf I will be a happy consumer

[rubytails]

Just like a beef cow, deer, or any other animal that reproduces on a yearly basis, a dairy cow has one calf a year. She usually comes into her first "heat" about 60 days after the previous calf was born. When this occurs, instead of having the danger of a bull on the farm, we use artificial insemination. This "heat" time can be very dangerous for the cow and humans because the cow becomes very aggressive. This spring I had a cow so aggressive that she broke another cows back. :(

[Ravenfitch82]

@rubytails basically you are using animals as a product. not an animal. and what makes a bull so dangerous? my bull is no danger to me, neither are my cows...

[Saartje05]

@rubytails Almost every farmer here has a bull on the farm. And they just walk around between the cows. People can even pet them. If you take care of them properly they're not dangerous.

[rubytails]

@Saartje05 I would take caution walking through a group of cows that has a bulls. Bulls can be extremely aggressive and unpredictable. Most deaths occur from bulls that seem nice and friendly but turn. Please take caution with these animals. A friend of my inlaws was killed by a bull on their farm. The key thing to remember is that they are unpredictable. There is a wide use of artifical insemination in dairy production because of the risk bulls pose to our families.

[Saartje05]

@rubytails I never walk through a field with cows at all, lol. But I know the farmers do. I´ve never heard of an accident with bulls here. Accidents with cows yes. Right after they wanted to take away the calf.

[rubytails]

In this barn, boy calves (steers or bulls) and girl calves (heifers) are treated exactly the same for the beginning period of their life. They are eventually split into different groups - the steers get much larger than the heifers and can injure them.

[rubytails]

Nutritional care for calves is extremely important. They are fed milk and a "starter" which is a combination of soybeans, corn, fiber, protein, and other things that acts as a "multigrain" cereal. The calf gets a fresh mix daily and starts to eat a large amount just as she starts decreasing her milk intake (around 60 days of life). When a calf is fed a high level of nutrition, very few antibiotics are used. We also prevent any type of sickness by vaccination.

[rubytails]

I really appreciate you sharing your comments about these calves. I also enjoyed hearing how much you care without showing disrespect. There is so much in this world that is not fully understood, and this might be one of those opportunities where we both can learn from each other. :)

I will always be confident with milk. Dairy farming is not just my livelihood, it is my passion. You can be confident that the milk I am producing is safe, healthy, and nutritious.

[AnneHolyfield]

There is much more i could say, but I have already gone on long enough.

I understand that a person raising cows for milk or meat wants to protect her livelyhood but all I can say is this: If this is all you know how to do, that is fine, but bet on real quality and biological, safe production.

Let your cows run around, grow naturally and be slaughtered properly.

Don't produce milk at all, but good quality meat, so that we as consumers can eat what you produce and not worry for our health.

[MegaSonicKing]

@AnneHolyfield Oh boo hoo .If humans cant drink milk why is there an insurdty about it

[AnneHolyfield]

7. Finally, the milk that comes from such animals is also tainted, all the things that go in the cow go in the milk, and anyways, milk is improper for human consumption even if not tainted.

Cow milk is cow baby food, not human food, it causes all sorts of allergies, irritable bowel syndrome and etc, the list goes on forever. And it is a poor source of calcium as well, it's calcium is in lower proportion than many vegetables and the other contents of the milk make it very had to be absorbed.

[AnneHolyfield]

6. Stressed animals who have not moved properly during the whole time they were alive, who have been filled with meds to keep harsh sickness away and who eventually are slaugthered in often less than proper conditions (we've all seen such videos) will never produce good quality meat and will, at best, provide us with tainted, low-nutrient, low quality food. I for one don't want to eat such filth.

[AnneHolyfield]

5. these calves will be cows one day and will have to be forcibly impregnated every year so that they can produce milk continuously. the end result of it is that the poor animals are fisically spent after 6 years or so, which is around 1/4 of their natural life-span. and once their are spent they get sick even more easily and often become sterile.

Sterile cows don't get pregnant and therefore eventually stop producing milk, so they are sold of to be slaughtered.

[AnneHolyfield]

4. If this is a dairy farm it means those are 'girl-cows'. 'Boy-cows' don't produce milk and are usually considered unwanted by-products of the process.

So I ask, what has happened to the 'boy-cows'? you say thei go to families who care for them until it is time for them to become food, and it almost seems as though they were adopted as pets, which of course they were not.

They were probably immediately sold to become veal meat and the like.

[AnneHolyfield]

3. What are they being fed anyways? I briefely saw what seemed likesome grain, but what is it exactly? and how can it possibly compare to their mother's milk or clean, fresh grasses and other natural food that is appropriate to these animals?

[AnneHolyfield]

3. When you say you care for the health of these creatures, you probably mean you spend a lot of time and money fussing around with vets and antibiotics and other medication to keep these animals from getting sick.

Just like it happens with humans, all the hormones and medication you give these calves will get stored in the excess fat of their bodies, fat which they usually accumulate in remarcable amounts due to their lack of exercise and poor feeding.

[AnneHolyfield]

2. There calves are removed from their mother's side from day 1.

Babies need their mommies. If mammals didn't need their mothers and the milk they produce to grow properly then they would just lay eggs and leave their young to fend for themselves like so many reptiles do.

There are more than enough scientific studies that show that babies who are kept away from their mothers suffer great emotional stress and become disfunctional and unhealthy.

So these will become very unhappy cows.

[AnneHolyfield]

Honestly... I have seen worse conditions, true, but I woudn't classify this as 'beautiful' or 'happy'. It looks quite clean and dry, I'll give you that.

Now here is what I think:

1. they dont really have all that space as you say. All young animals of any species need to move around to learn to use their bodies and develop them.

No free movement, running, jumpind and all that, means poorly developed muscles and bad funcioning of internal organs.

[cajal6]

How can you possibly say that these calves look happy? They're kept in isolated cells with no environmental enrichment. Cows are social animals. This is cruel.

[hansinini]

I'm sure that they're very poor babies!

[sjost017]

I'm sure the calves love the quiet, dry, environment!

[eeyeiser]

These calves are healthy and clean. Just the way babies should be! Thank you for caring for them all so well!

[pcsuzanne33]

What a great way to share and explain your story. It is clear that these babies are well cared for and healthy. Thanks so much for sharing!!

[232mmk]

Thanks for sharing!! The calves look so healthy and happy!

[mbliss244]

What an awesome calf barn! Very clean, well managed, well planned and just a great place to raise baby calves. It's very obvious that these babies are healthy and well cared for too. Just like humans, it all starts at a young age - the healthier we can keep our animals as babies, the longer and healthier a life we can live. These animals are clearly in good hands and getting off to a great start! Thanks again for sharing.

[kjhohmann1]

Thanks for sharing your video and for explaining your story, you and your family clearly work very hard to care for your animals and provide wholesome high quality dairy products for consumers. Thank you.

[frommootoyou]

What a great calf barn, so clean! This barn would sure be nice for winter, for both the calves and the people caring for them!

[rubytails]

I care about the health and wellness of my calves. My 20+ years raising calves, degree in animal science, and guidance from our farm's herd veterinarian, nutritionist and other specialists has guided me to have a strong committment to keeping these calves happy and healthy. No matter how much you swear at me, you will never take that away from me.

[mariechen2607]

oh yeah they are so happy, are blind you stupid bitch? i would like to see YOUR children inside this cages!!!! if you are happy too??????

[mariechen2607]

SHAME ON YOU!!!!!!!!!!this babys needs her moms, milk ist for calves not for humans, GO TO HELL!!!!!!!!!!!

[rubytails]

Our female calves, or heifers, are kept in the same group pens until they become mothers themselves at around two years of age. Some of our favorite cows are over 10 years of age. On our dairy, we sell the male calves at 3-4 days of age. They are bought by a family that care for them and eventually sell them for beef.

I trust in dairy products because I personally know what goes into my beautiful bovines and what comes out. I hope this helps. Please ask if your have more questions. :)

[valeriaproductions]

Milk and milk products are unable to be digested by human beings.

Why oh why is there an entire industry based around another animal's milk.

I notice that the calves don't have much room to turn around and there is no light in their eyes.

It used to be that meat was served only on special occasions and now it is a mainstay, which is directly responsible for long term health problems, many of which can be reversed by switching to a plant based diet.

These are facts.

[bigwheezy312]

@valeriaproductions Lactose the sugar..is what SOME humans cannot digest..90 percent of northern europeans can digest lactose(or in your words "milk" and then the list goes down from there when you get into asian, african, native american. It is a great source of calcium and if your unable to tolerate it then you have to ADAPT and choose other products. These calves are only in these huts for a few weeks ( maybe like when you were a baby did you need much room?)

[bigwheezy312]

@valeriaproductions Also meat is not a direct source to health problems if your diet is acceptable like my 97 year old grandma who is still living on our farm and eats meat atleast 5 times a week..but in good portion amounts.

These are facts.

[Saartje05]

@bigwheezy312 My greatgrandfather smoked like a chimney and died and 96. That doesn't mean smoking isn't bad. He was just lucky.

[gerrygermoney]

@Saartje05 Thumb up! For me, smoking is a secondary cause with becoming ill! How can I dare? After curing massive cardiac probs by 75 % (rest in the making) simply by changing my diet and drinking a lot of r/o filtered water with shots of himalayan salt sole and still enjoying smoking, I can!!! I avoid bread, milk, noodles, potatoes, rice and sugar by up to 100 %! Life's great! See watercure dot c or wassertrinken dot d! More links on request! Greetz and hand! Gerry S.

[Saartje05]

@gerrygermoney I wouldn´t want to live like that. No bread? No noodles? No potatoes? And I've seen what watercures can do. You know it can kill you?

[Saartje05]

@gerrygermoney What does this have to do with how calves live in these stables?

[rubytails]

Calves are kept somewhat isolated from their "friends" until their immune systems can handle illness. I am sure there are many moms out there that would LOVE to isolate their newborn from everyone, especially other children (aka daycare). They are able to see and mingle with the other calves without touching. They are only in individual pens until they are consuming enough calf feed and "graduate" as I call it. At that point they are moved into group housing with thier "friends." (8-10 wks)

[rubytails]

The calves in this barn range in age from one day old to about 60 days old. Each "baby" as I call them is in its own pen, with plenty of room to move about. The barn is well ventilated and the pens are kept dry and clean at all times. To help protect calves, we place the babes in their pen shortly after birth to control their environment, administer proper nutrition and vaccinations, and get them off to a healthy start. The calves are fed whole milk or a milk replacer twice daily.

[rubytails]

A 5th generation dairy farmer myself, my families' committment to providing high-quality milk begins with taking good care of our cows and calves. The health of both the cow and her calf is of utmost importance to me. On our farm, caring for my calves' well-being is my #1 priority and I work hard every day ensuring the comfort and safety of my animals and providing them a nutritious diet. I would love to answer your questions, and I appreciate your inquiry.

[beaelliott]

Where the calves live for how long??? Why are they removed from their mothers? Why can't they consume their own mother's milk? Why aren't they allowed to mingle with the other calves? Why are they in isolation their entire short lives? What happens to the males? Almond, rice, soy, oatmeal, flaxseed - All great alternatives to dairy!