New Baby reindeer to my herd

Ahhhhh....lazy days! They look contented.... Is that Elsa on the left, Katya on the right?

 

Love the photos of the babies and the 2 "Ladies in Waiting"

 

Other way round - Katya in foreground.

 

Lol!! One of these days I'll start getting them right....with your help! Thank you, Karen!!

EDIT: WooooHooo!!!
GIFT & TRADE starts tomorrow - May 12, 2017!!!
14:00 CEST (UTC + 2)
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(Sorry - a little off subject....but good, long-awaited news!)(Too bad we cannot trade Reindeer!! Lol!!)

 

NOOOO, no trading reindeer, BUT -a reindeer breeding Event in May... then I'm up for that!! Heehee

 

I dunno, reindeer breeding sounds pretty stressful to me.

 

Shimmer you are right... not just the calving...

Reindeer in UK are not under TB testing regulations....
The bull calve swap, I was hoping for, lives with a dairy/beef herd in excess of 800 head of cattle. They have had a false positive TB test on a beef bull calf, (he had to be slaughtered in order to find out he hadn't got TB).
In order to do the reindeer baby swap we would both need to TB test (I am in a very low risk area - badgers tend to spread it, but our local wildlife are low risk). Unfortunately the test is a small injection of active TB... Vet comes back 5 days later to see if there is a reaction at injection site... if there is then the animal has to be destroyed. Unfortunately reindeer often get abscesses at injection sites... false positives are high risk...
Will I ever find another bull???
Edit..
No pictures today as the weather has been horrible and busy for me. But early checks had Mischa & Freddy laying next to each other in driving rain but they had a fence between them as they have 2 paddocks open.
I picked up Freddy to relocate into Mischa's paddock... BOY IS HE HEAVY now. He didn't honk at all, so not distressed but I thought I would have reindeer pooh all over me, due to noises from his rear end... I didn't so all good..
Tigga and Jeeves doing well. I will try to take photos tomorrow if weather permits.

 

Would it ever be possible to just keep Freddy as an entire?? Maybe pastures at opposite ends with pastures in between him and Hector?? He is such a beautiful, strong bull he could add much to the herd! Then maybe sell his offspring, or alternate with selling his one year and Hector's the next....or just sell all the offspring, or keep only the best one of Hector's and the best one of Freddy's?!! Wow!!
Or maybe alternate stud service each year for other females, keeping one of the female calves each year?? Or maybe.............
Yes! O.K.! Alright!! I am having a hard time thinking of Freddy leaving!!!....Reality check!... I'm o.k.
It must be so much harder for you, Karen. You have my

 

Heehee... It is so difficult Lily. I never want to part with any... Freddy could stay BUT he would need to be castrated as I really need an unrelated bull and although I have invested a lot in new fencing to TRY to cope with 2 entire males... I couldn't do 3!

Tigga today

Freddy

Jeeves

 

Beautiful pictures! Hope Lotte is doing OK.

 

Oh your 3 babies are so so so adorable!!!!

 

Who wouldn't fall in love with those eyes.

 

They are all so sweet and beautiful!

 

I just have to open my mouth one more time...and then I'll try to keep quiet! (No promises...but I WILL really try....sort of. Maybe...okokokok....eeeek!!) Yeeeaaaaahhhhh...it was the eyes...!

Remember when Monte came calling from another herd?? WHAT IF Freddy was loaned out to another farm while in rut, and then returned when it was safe??? The Greater gene pool would be enhanced by him...and he would be no problem at home - 'cause he wouldn't be there when it would be a problem??! Then he could come home and we could all ooooh and ahhh over him again!!
Aaaand...you could trade his services for a new female with new genes! Win/win???
What do you think??
(O.K...NOW I will shut my mouth! Thank you for letting me have my say. )

 

More than happy for you to have your say Lily, keep at it!... I have made absolutely no decisions as yet, which I can't, as although Freddy and the others are past their main "danger" stage, many have lost calves anything up to 12 months old!
While in theory letting him go elsewhere for the rut would be a goodish one (if he is looked after well), the only reindeer owner in UK that I have managed to make contact with, that has a breeding herd & would benefit from new lines, also have a herd of cattle, so TB testing would be required, which is seriously scary due to false positive results. Also taking a calf in exchange wouldn't help as Hector would be Grandfather and I need a separate bull line.

Edit... Freya's HUGE antler Story ... Goodness they have already started to get bumps on them. I thought they'd only be longer spikes this year but it looks as if she'll have a little coronet... Way to go Freya!

 

Looking good Freya. You just keep growing those humungous antlers and show the others how to do it

 

Yay Freya! I know you can grow some awesome "Big Girl" antlers this season!

 

Freya will be a little princess with her coronet!

 

Lol! Thanks Karen!!
Yes, the TB thing is waaaay too scary!! Is there some kind of logical reason - that I cannot see - why anyone who has reindeer would also keep cattle???(Or the other way around??)

What I meant about taking a female calf or adult female in exchange for Freddy's services would be like getting Elsa - all new genetics, so Hector wouldn't be related, and your herd could expand with new genetics.

Soooo many things to consider with reindeer.....and you are so good and careful with your precious, beautiful herd!! It is a pleasure to have conversations with you - you have so much to teach!! And there is so much to learn!! Guess that's one very good reason we love your thread!! (Besides your bouncing babies and gorgeous 'grown-ups'!!)

P.S. WAY TO GO FREYA!!!

 

Farmlily - I think you need to think about quality versus quantity. One cow only has a single calf each season but the bull is the father of each calf whose mother cow he impregnates.

In Karen's herd's case, Katya is Hector's mother, all calves born the year Hector was born have Monty as their father so are siblings, and all calves with the exception of Katya's that are born this year are Hector's sons and daughters. Because Freddy is Hector's offspring, he would have the same breeding issues as Hector.

Add in that a bull in rut just wants to procreate and will fight to the death with any other full male and you can see why Karen is having an issue about finding an unrelated bull to try and break the cycle. Especially as rutting bulls don't care about who is related to whom, all they see is breeding females. And an in-bred herd will quickly become unhealthy and have breeding issues.

Think of a family tree and you will see how quickly the bull becomes a major breeding problem.

I hope I haven't sounded too preaching but sometimes seeing things written down in various ways helps clarify the situation.