Sunday, February 23, 2014

The Farm


Ben the bull, now a steer,  came to us at 2 days old.  I had been praying about raising our own beef. We live on 3 acres with a huge pasture. We have the room and the grass to feed animals!

 We found out that our neighbor raises calves for beef each year. We asked if he could get one for us too.

 We waited for several weeks until we finally got the call, a calf had been born, do we want it? Yes we do!!
The barn was ready, the cow pen mucked out, fresh straw put in.  

Ben was brought to us in a trailer on the back of Mr. C's  riding mower.  (yes, we live in neighborhood where lawn mowers are a mode of transportation)


David and Elizabeth were given the responsibility of  feeding and caring for Ben. They have done a wonderful job. We bottle fed him 3x a day for 2 months. They were very dedicated. They were careful to watch for any health issues/concerns. They made sure his pen was dry and clean.


When Ben was approximately 3 months old, our friend Miss B came over and did a quick "surgery" on him. Miss B is great with kids and knows I love for everything to be "educational". So the big kids got to watch and got a good explanation on the procedure.


Ben has been a good experience for the kids in so many ways. They have fed him, kept him warm, dry and safe. He is growing quite big.





 They are working on teaching him to lead and other tricks. I have tried to explain the importance of not getting attached to our future hamburgers. They don't seem to grasp this concept. I am afraid that by this fall, all my children will be vegetarians.  They were quite disgusted when I suggested names such as meatloaf, hamburger, and steak instead of Ben.















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