Post by Shawn on Nov 15, 2008 20:43:55 GMT -5
Well, I went to look at cow # 2 today, which Tracey has dubbed Elizabeth or Lizzy Beth for short. I think she's a classic looking girl, quite the looker in fact. But, I get ahead of myself.
Help me choose which one I should do further testing on.
Both cows are the same price.
Cow # 1 - Polly
6 years old.
bred to Holstein bull/ due in March
Currently dry but was giving about 5.25 to 6.25 gallons
I have had all testing done on her and confirmed pregnant by a vet. She would need to have the PCR test run to find out if she has the DNA of BLV before I would bring her home.
Cow # 2 - Elizabeth "Lizzy"
2 years old last month.
3 mos. into current lactation. Was giving 3.5 gallons after having been moved a long way.
She was put in yesterday with Tracey's Jersey bull, Baby.
Her tail is docked
She has had no testing and I would do a thorough testing on her, too, before bringing her home.
She has a definite boss cow attitude and is trying to take on the herd cow at Tracey's. They didn't get her milked last night when they got home as she charged out of the barn and couldn't be caught. The "trader" they bought her from, a friend of theirs, had her in a box stall for 10 days, so I'm sure she has a bunch of pent up energy. Hopefully she'll cooperate with Tracey tonight and she can get her milked. It will be interesting to see how she settles down in the next few days.
So before I show you the pictures, I will tell you my personal "problems" & thoughts on the matter.
Pros of Polly: would give me some time to get to know her as she's not due until March. I would have the advantage of fostering on a calf with her own calf present. She probably would take a calf better in that situation. She has her tail.
Cons: She's 6.
Pros of Lizzy: She's 2.
Cons: Docked tail = fly problem at my place.
I would have to foster a calf onto her as soon as I got her here (probably 6 weeks or so) and run the risk of her not taking it.
All of these excluding the tail, are obviously short term problems.
So here you go, I hope these pictures are better than they look. My monitor went out and I'm using an ancient one of my son's.
Of course the camera died before I could get a good pic of the back of Lizzy's udder.
#1 - Polly
#2 - Lizzy
Oh, and here's her bull, Baby.
This one's for you, Roseanne.
Help me choose which one I should do further testing on.
Both cows are the same price.
Cow # 1 - Polly
6 years old.
bred to Holstein bull/ due in March
Currently dry but was giving about 5.25 to 6.25 gallons
I have had all testing done on her and confirmed pregnant by a vet. She would need to have the PCR test run to find out if she has the DNA of BLV before I would bring her home.
Cow # 2 - Elizabeth "Lizzy"
2 years old last month.
3 mos. into current lactation. Was giving 3.5 gallons after having been moved a long way.
She was put in yesterday with Tracey's Jersey bull, Baby.
Her tail is docked
She has had no testing and I would do a thorough testing on her, too, before bringing her home.
She has a definite boss cow attitude and is trying to take on the herd cow at Tracey's. They didn't get her milked last night when they got home as she charged out of the barn and couldn't be caught. The "trader" they bought her from, a friend of theirs, had her in a box stall for 10 days, so I'm sure she has a bunch of pent up energy. Hopefully she'll cooperate with Tracey tonight and she can get her milked. It will be interesting to see how she settles down in the next few days.
So before I show you the pictures, I will tell you my personal "problems" & thoughts on the matter.
Pros of Polly: would give me some time to get to know her as she's not due until March. I would have the advantage of fostering on a calf with her own calf present. She probably would take a calf better in that situation. She has her tail.
Cons: She's 6.
Pros of Lizzy: She's 2.
Cons: Docked tail = fly problem at my place.
I would have to foster a calf onto her as soon as I got her here (probably 6 weeks or so) and run the risk of her not taking it.
All of these excluding the tail, are obviously short term problems.
So here you go, I hope these pictures are better than they look. My monitor went out and I'm using an ancient one of my son's.
Of course the camera died before I could get a good pic of the back of Lizzy's udder.
#1 - Polly
#2 - Lizzy
Oh, and here's her bull, Baby.
This one's for you, Roseanne.