Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2010 14:32:56 GMT -5
We bought our first family cow 2 weeks ago. We were so excited. Now we are wondering if we should call the butcher to take her off our hands. I am sorry to give you the long version of our story, but I want to tell you everything so anyone can PLEASE tell me where we went wrong and if it's fixable. I did read milkmaid's post on halter-breaking.
I had no idea there were tame cows, halter-broken cows, and wild cows. We bought a wild two year old due to calf in March. She is a jersey/holstein. Well, she calved last week. Luckily, we had already purchased a milker and set up a milking stall in the barn. We thought we were ready. I WISH I had found this forum before we purchased her.
Anyway, the first week we could take her hay, apples, and carrots out in the pasture and she'd eat out of our hands. She would not let us touch her, though, and she would only get close enough to take the feed. If we tried to get close she would back up. She seemed sweet. She would not go near the barn or the loafing shed.
She calved much earlier than we expected. I noticed her calving and watched with my kids. She ignored the calf, and he was lying in the snow, so I took him to the loafing shed. She went in after awhile and cleaned him up. At that point we began trying to get her into the barn. No way. So I dumped her trough over and emptied her feeder and placed all the hay and water in the milking stall. She would follow me if I had an armful of hay, so I tried to entice her into the barn that way. I could get her to the door of the barn, but not inside. My husband and a neighbor and I tried to run her in, but all we got was alot of exercies running around the pasture. We figured her calf was nursing, so we'd try again the next day.
I guess the next day she was hungry enough to go in on our own, and I snuck around the corner and slammed the door to her stall, trapping her in. It took a few minutes of thrashing and then she calmed right down. I milked her a little, and she ate lots and drank thoroughly. I let her out when she had eaten and drunk lots. For the next few days she wouldn't stand all the way in her stall. She stretches and keeps her hind quarters out so I can't trap her in. And if I go near her she paws the ground and tosses her head like she wants to butt me.
After 3 days of that my husband took over, lassoed her, and dragged her into the barn. He tied her to a post so her head was through the stanchion (she broke it earlier so it is unusable) and fed and milked her with the machine. He brought the calf in and put it in the stall next to her so it can nurse through the bars, and left them there overnight, so he'd be able to milk in the morning. She hurt him when he was wrestling her into the barn. And she thrashed like a demon for a good hour or so when he tied her to the post. We wondered if she was going to tear the entire barn down.
So last night I found this forum and milkmaid's post about halter breaking. I had my husband read it, too. We milked her again, tied her to the post and got her halter on, then let her out of the barn and dragged her to the fence where it's in concrete and tied her up. The whole time she was behaving very threateningly toward my husband. Once she was tied to the post she was as docile as could be. Right from the start she let the rope slacken and just stood there. If my husband went near her she'd back around so her head was toward him and paw the ground and snort, but the fence was between them. We left her about 3 hours, and then dh tried to lead her. The moment she was untied she rammed him over and over throwing him in the air each time, and he is a big, strong person. He's 6'9" and close to 300 lbs. He managed to grab her rope and get out of the pasture where we cinched her to the post again, but we are at wits end.
Is there any hope for this cow, or should we fill the freezer with her? We can't afford to get another one because we spent all we'd saved between her ($850) and the milker ($800.) We SO wanted to have a family milk cow! There is only one place near here that sells raw milk, and it's still almost an hour away, and $6.25 per gallon. I have 7 children, and we use about 10 gallons per week. I really hate to give up on her, but I can't let my dh get hurt any more.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
Amy
I had no idea there were tame cows, halter-broken cows, and wild cows. We bought a wild two year old due to calf in March. She is a jersey/holstein. Well, she calved last week. Luckily, we had already purchased a milker and set up a milking stall in the barn. We thought we were ready. I WISH I had found this forum before we purchased her.
Anyway, the first week we could take her hay, apples, and carrots out in the pasture and she'd eat out of our hands. She would not let us touch her, though, and she would only get close enough to take the feed. If we tried to get close she would back up. She seemed sweet. She would not go near the barn or the loafing shed.
She calved much earlier than we expected. I noticed her calving and watched with my kids. She ignored the calf, and he was lying in the snow, so I took him to the loafing shed. She went in after awhile and cleaned him up. At that point we began trying to get her into the barn. No way. So I dumped her trough over and emptied her feeder and placed all the hay and water in the milking stall. She would follow me if I had an armful of hay, so I tried to entice her into the barn that way. I could get her to the door of the barn, but not inside. My husband and a neighbor and I tried to run her in, but all we got was alot of exercies running around the pasture. We figured her calf was nursing, so we'd try again the next day.
I guess the next day she was hungry enough to go in on our own, and I snuck around the corner and slammed the door to her stall, trapping her in. It took a few minutes of thrashing and then she calmed right down. I milked her a little, and she ate lots and drank thoroughly. I let her out when she had eaten and drunk lots. For the next few days she wouldn't stand all the way in her stall. She stretches and keeps her hind quarters out so I can't trap her in. And if I go near her she paws the ground and tosses her head like she wants to butt me.
After 3 days of that my husband took over, lassoed her, and dragged her into the barn. He tied her to a post so her head was through the stanchion (she broke it earlier so it is unusable) and fed and milked her with the machine. He brought the calf in and put it in the stall next to her so it can nurse through the bars, and left them there overnight, so he'd be able to milk in the morning. She hurt him when he was wrestling her into the barn. And she thrashed like a demon for a good hour or so when he tied her to the post. We wondered if she was going to tear the entire barn down.
So last night I found this forum and milkmaid's post about halter breaking. I had my husband read it, too. We milked her again, tied her to the post and got her halter on, then let her out of the barn and dragged her to the fence where it's in concrete and tied her up. The whole time she was behaving very threateningly toward my husband. Once she was tied to the post she was as docile as could be. Right from the start she let the rope slacken and just stood there. If my husband went near her she'd back around so her head was toward him and paw the ground and snort, but the fence was between them. We left her about 3 hours, and then dh tried to lead her. The moment she was untied she rammed him over and over throwing him in the air each time, and he is a big, strong person. He's 6'9" and close to 300 lbs. He managed to grab her rope and get out of the pasture where we cinched her to the post again, but we are at wits end.
Is there any hope for this cow, or should we fill the freezer with her? We can't afford to get another one because we spent all we'd saved between her ($850) and the milker ($800.) We SO wanted to have a family milk cow! There is only one place near here that sells raw milk, and it's still almost an hour away, and $6.25 per gallon. I have 7 children, and we use about 10 gallons per week. I really hate to give up on her, but I can't let my dh get hurt any more.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
Amy