Setting Up Your Orchard!

[Catscratch]

Every time I start considering 4H I start looking at time. Both boys participate in 3 sports and make good grades. None of us see daylight most weekdays and we travel for competitions at least twice a week, sometimes more. Dinner often gets eaten in a stadium and homework gets done in the back seat of the car...
As someone who isn't really up on 4H let me ask this; how involved do you have to get? Is it something you can do mostly at home? How often do you meet as a group? It would be much more doable if we could do most of it at home.

 

[MoBuckChaser]

Our chapter was pretty loose on meeting times. Mostly met on sat mornings. Maybe every 3rd sat. Our kids did everything from painting to pickles, rabbits to cattle! And my daughter even took second place at State for a landscape project she designed and installed at our house!

 

[MoBuckChaser]

And your kids can be independent members, don't have to join a club I don't believe.

 

[Turkey Creek]

Dont forget the 4H shooting sports programs as well. Most of us are outdoors people to the 10th degree, but still a good excuse to get your kids shooting at an early age. Even though I am a avid archery hunter, my daughter probably wouldnt have developed her love of of archery with out 4H.

 

[MoBuckChaser]

Dont forget the 4H shooting sports programs as well. Most of us are outdoors people to the 10th degree, but still a good excuse to get your kids shooting at an early age. Even though I am a avid archery hunter, my daughter probably wouldnt have developed her love of of archery with out 4H.

Man I forgot all about that TC, good call! I think that is where my daughter got the start for archery, I gave here the start deer hunting.

 

[sandbur]

Why mini cattle?

Why not regular cattle?

I would rather buy a Holstein bull calf and raise him as a steer, or get full sized bef if you have the range.

 

[MoBuckChaser]

Why mini cattle?

Why not regular cattle?

I would rather buy a Holstein bull calf and raise him as a steer, or get full sized bef if you have the range.

lack of good fences?

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Every time I start considering 4H I start looking at time. Both boys participate in 3 sports and make good grades. None of us see daylight most weekdays and we travel for competitions at least twice a week, sometimes more. Dinner often gets eaten in a stadium and homework gets done in the back seat of the car...
As someone who isn't really up on 4H let me ask this; how involved do you have to get? Is it something you can do mostly at home? How often do you meet as a group? It would be much more doable if we could do most of it at home.

Be tough to juggle all that!
Ours meet every other fri. Apparently not a big issue if you can't make meetings. Honestly all this stuff is new to me. My wife has gotten this all up an running on our end.
I'm excited for the shooting sports as they get older. My boys already ask me 3x a day to shoot their bows

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Why mini cattle?

Why not regular cattle?

I would rather buy a Holstein bull calf and raise him as a steer, or get full sized bef if you have the range.

Well apparently they are better for small acreage and just overall more manageable. They aren't as hard on the ground. Guy can have higher numbers on small acreage establishing a sustainable herd etc... We have 11 acres at the house. I could only allocate about 9 acres for cattle. Bout half that is pasture. Half fenced already. Way I understand it that only be enough for a couple cows. Really jus figured Mini's be easier for the kids to handle as well as myself. Hell When it's time to butcher I could string em up just like my deer and not be overwhelmed with 500lbs of meat!
An my wife thinks their cute haha

 

[Catscratch]

An my wife thinks their cute haha

Enough said!

I see mini's as more manageable, but possibly harder for calving and easier for yotes to get. I hate the thought of pulling a lot of calves, so I would be extra careful to research how small cows do in that regard. I would also hate to loose calves due to yotes because mama wasn't big enough to fend them off easily.
I don't buy the argument that they eat less. I would guess that two 500lb cows would eat as much as one 1000lb cow. I may be wrong though.

4H shooting is sounding really cool. Got to at least look into it. My boys love competition and shooting, might as well try to combine them.

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Enough said!

I see mini's as more manageable, but possibly harder for calving and easier for yotes to get. I hate the thought of pulling a lot of calves, so I would be extra careful to research how small cows do in that regard. I would also hate to loose calves due to yotes because mama wasn't big enough to fend them off easily.
I don't buy the argument that they eat less. I would guess that two 500lb cows would eat as much as one 1000lb cow. I may be wrong though.
.

I have concerns about predators as well. Hell their not much bigger than a fawn when born. May have to keep them pinned up. I have no experience with pulling calves but aint scared to get my meats in there and get r done! Could see calf pulling and high maintenance births getting old for sure though.

I don't disagree 2 500lb cows prolly eat the same as 1 1000lb'r but what I meant by a sustainable herd was that I could have a bull and multiple heifers (more numbers) that reproduce an grow on my smaller acreage. Run it similar to larger ranches that butcher 1 or two every yr that are then replaced by reproducing herd. In this case 2 500lb cows would have its advantage over 1 large cow. I could have as much as half dozen cows opposed to say 3 full size. You follow what I mean?
I may come to find out minis are a big pain in the ass and decide to scratch the entire thing after a trial run! Just figured it be a fun for the family. An teach my boys commitment and responsibility without having to worry about a 1000lb heifer knocking the shit out of them lol

 

[buckdeer1]

Several people around here have dexters for cattle.They look cool.On the 4H shooting,they have both gun and archery in the county.In fact a couple years ago i won a shotgun in the mentors for the outdoors gun-a-week and donated it to the 4H.It was a tactical shotgun but they worked out a deal with a dealer to get one better suited for them.Check into it

 

[Gator]

I had my daughter out at my local gun club shooting some skeet one day last summer and apparently the 4H shooting coach was there. He immediately came over and started recruiting her. It's actually a sweet deal for the kids and parents. They shoot 50 rounds a week, all clays and ammo are free (donated from somewhere). Like others, she's already playing multiple sports and time is the issue.

 

[MoBuckChaser]

I had my daughter out at my local gun club shooting some skeet one day last summer and apparently the 4H shooting coach was there. He immediately came over and started recruiting her. It's actually a sweet deal for the kids and parents. They shoot 50 rounds a week, all clays and ammo are free (donated from somewhere). Like others, she's already playing multiple sports and time is the issue.

So is she on the team now?

 

[Gator]

So is she on the team now?

No, she's focused on volleyball and basketball. Being an 8th grader in middle school, she was able to play middle school b'ball and then turn around and play JV b'ball which is still going now (the seasons don't overlap). Starting point guard and a setter on the v'ball team. She also plays on the softball team, last year she was the only three sport athlete in her school.

 

[MoBuckChaser]

No, she's focused on volleyball and basketball. Being an 8th grader in middle school, she was able to play middle school b'ball and then turn around and play JV b'ball which is still going now (the seasons don't overlap). Starting point guard and a setter on the v'ball team. She also plays on the softball team, last year she was the only three sport athlete in her school.

Cool! But tell her to keep her grades up all through HS. She will go more places with grades, then being able to dunk a basketball.

 

[Catscratch]

No, she's focused on volleyball and basketball. Being an 8th grader in middle school, she was able to play middle school b'ball and then turn around and play JV b'ball which is still going now (the seasons don't overlap). Starting point guard and a setter on the v'ball team. She also plays on the softball team, last year she was the only three sport athlete in her school.

Same as Mo, very cool and congrats. It's fun to have active and successful kids.
I'm going to ask around and see if some locals can tell me about the local 4H chapters. I know they are strong and active around here. Someone will point me in the right direction.

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