Meet the Freezer Packs

We both happened to be home one Friday, and went up to the weekly Friday Clareville Livestock Sale. We had hastily hammered up a pen at the back corner of our new implement shed (complete with FREE wooden pallet which, tied up with baling twine, has made a splendid gate) and shot up there. Quite a few weaner calves on sale. (No weaner pigs either). We wanted heifers, so while spending half the time keeping an ear out on the going prices for bull calves, we picked 'ours' out. We got one that we wanted, a nice, large friesian/hereford; missed out on another (opposition bidding too high), and were undecided until we realised the auctioneer was trying to get just $5 for a dear little brown friesian/hereford calf that nobody seemed to want. Denise's hand shot up like greased lightning, and she was ours instantly.

We have had a nice solid stock crate with spring-loaded gate tailor-made for our farm runabout ute - one which we middle-aged folk can easily manouevre on and off, so it was no problem getting them home. Unfortunately, we were still suffering from the effects of an extraordinarily wet September, so couldn't drive the ute right up to the shed, so they were lifted off the back of the ute and 'guided' in to their new pen.

Zita, the little $5 bargain baby, being 'guided' towards her new home by her two new Mums. Note our new fence now sealing off the big paddock enabling us to create a 'home garden'. We had the posts put in several weeks ago, and we have been buying and nailing up the planks as we have progressively sold our baleage. There are still 4 gates to be made ...

First thing we did was to give the two babies a couple of litres each of electrolyte solution as a precautionary measure, as we are now going to start feeding them with powdered milk. The solution clears up minor diarrhea and scours which can easily occur through sale stress, change of environment, diet, etc.

Denise enjoying feeding her first calf. This one, we named ZELDA. She is the biggest of the two. The pink spray mark on her head is to show she was our bid.

As stated - Zelda is a big-framed strong little girl - we estimate here, about 6 days old. Unfortunately, at this tender age, the stomach takes a while to tell the brain that the tucker has actually finished. Even at a few days old, she packs a strong 'surprise'.

Zelda and Zita have continued to do well, with only a minor case of scours each in the first few days. Zita is turning out to be a not so tiny calf now, and we are thrilled at how she has come on.

Zelda and Zita enjoying the last of their milk powder feeding. Here - they are about 7 weeks old, and we will be switching to calf growing pellets and hay as alternative grass feed. They have been regularly browsing well on Moozlee, a molasses sweetened crushed grain and corn mixture

Zita and Zelda learned very quickly about electric fences. They are 7 weeks old now, and are hoping for more feed. That's the rest of our new fence, giving us an enclosed home garden.

All going well, we hope to keep Zita and Zelda for almost two years, and then, we are afraid, (but secretly looking forward to) we will have them home-killed. You will all be able to say in a couple of years when you come for a BBQ - 'Oh yes, I remember reading about Zita - she was the $5 runt that nobody wanted, right?'