Post by Lannie on Jan 31, 2009 13:07:30 GMT -5
Bandit acted VERY strange this morning during milking. I haven't been able to figure out what it was, or if she was just having "a mood."
Everything went fine for the first letdown. She munched her alfalfa and I milked. She stood still and quiet and everything was great. I always talk to her softly while I'm milking, and I did that this morning.
I let Cricket out to start the second letdown and that was OK, too. Here's the part that was different. I decided to try that massaging the milk vein thing while Cricket was on, thinking maybe it would get her to let down quicker, and fuller. I'm not sure if I was massaging her milk vein, though, because on Bandit I can't see it at all, and I was feeling for a largish vein in about the spot I thought it should be. When I found it, I rubbed in a circular motion for a little while, not very long. Then she let down and I thought "AHA! It worked" but it could have been a coincidence. I'd have to try it again and see if she let down quickly again. But after what happened later, I don't think I want to try again.
I pulled Cricket off and put her back in her stall and started milking the second letdown. Partway through that, Bandit started moving. She stepped completely off the plywood at one point, but she wasn't pulling back against the headlock at all, which was weird. Then she stepped back toward me and was OK for a minute, then the dancing started again. I was just about done with that letdown anyway, so I stopped and brought Cricket back out to jump start the cream letdown. I did the massaging thing again while she was on there, but Bandit was kicking her. She was bunting pretty hard, though, so I thought that was why she was irritating Bandit. Meanwhile, Bandit stopped eating in mid-flake. She left a great deal of her alfalfa completely untouched. That is absolutely unheard of!
I pulled Cricket off again and put her back in her stall and tried to finish milking that last letdown, but Bandit wouldn't hold still. She never dances around this much. Again, she wasn't pulling back like she wanted to leave, she was just going side to side. I thought maybe she was telling me she wanted her pellets instead (I usually give her a few of those when she's finished), so I went and got them and put them in her feed box, but she didn't even LOOK at them. I managed a few more weak squirts, but I wasn't getting enough to warrant following her all over the stanchion to get it. I even popped her at one point and told her sharply to stand STILL. But that didn't work either (usually it does if she's practicing the tango in there).
Oh, and while I was still trying to get the last of the milk, she pawed with her left front foot. It wasn't a slip, because the rubber mat is dry, and she wasn't pushing against the headlock because she wasn't even trying to eat at that moment. It was a pawing motion.
So I took my pail and stockpot into the other room and came back to let her out. Her butt was out on the floor again, back feet completely off the stanchion, but still not pulling back. There was air space between her neck and the headlock boards. I unlocked her and tapped her on the shoulder and she backed right out. Now, also, I was expecting a big splashy poop during all this, which would be normal if she was agitated about something, but she didn't. She went and stood in the open barn doorway and pawed a couple more times, using both her front feet, one at a time. Then she kicked at herself, both sides, like she was kicking at her elbows or just behind them. Maybe she had a bellyache? I'm at a loss.
I let Cricket out to finish her off while I took the milk in and finished doing the horse chores, but she would NOT let Cricket nurse at all. She thumped her good several times. Cricket, having no sense at all, didn't get the message, and kept trying. Bandit kept kicking her off. She NEVER has done that. I took what was left of her alfalfa hay from the stanchion feeder and put it in her regular feeder, then went in and got a couple of flakes of mixed grass hay and put that in there, too, but she wasn't interested. By that time, she was standing by the gate out of the pen, and Cricket was finally nursing and Bandit had left off kicking at her.
After I finished up with the horses, picked up eggs, and took the milk in and strained it, I came back out to let Bandit and Cricket out into the pasture (it's going to be nice today), and Bandit was eating the last of the alfalfa hay from the feeder and acting completely normal. Cricket had limboed under the stanchion bar and was licking the stanchion feeder clean. So I opened the gate, and they both went out and they're fine.
Sorry that was so long, but I wanted to include all the information I could remember. Anybody have any ideas what could have triggered her to be this way this morning? Was it because I massaged her milk vein (or at least SOME vein!)?. I'm almost afraid to try that one again, just in case for some reason it agitated her rather than soothed.
~Lannie
Everything went fine for the first letdown. She munched her alfalfa and I milked. She stood still and quiet and everything was great. I always talk to her softly while I'm milking, and I did that this morning.
I let Cricket out to start the second letdown and that was OK, too. Here's the part that was different. I decided to try that massaging the milk vein thing while Cricket was on, thinking maybe it would get her to let down quicker, and fuller. I'm not sure if I was massaging her milk vein, though, because on Bandit I can't see it at all, and I was feeling for a largish vein in about the spot I thought it should be. When I found it, I rubbed in a circular motion for a little while, not very long. Then she let down and I thought "AHA! It worked" but it could have been a coincidence. I'd have to try it again and see if she let down quickly again. But after what happened later, I don't think I want to try again.
I pulled Cricket off and put her back in her stall and started milking the second letdown. Partway through that, Bandit started moving. She stepped completely off the plywood at one point, but she wasn't pulling back against the headlock at all, which was weird. Then she stepped back toward me and was OK for a minute, then the dancing started again. I was just about done with that letdown anyway, so I stopped and brought Cricket back out to jump start the cream letdown. I did the massaging thing again while she was on there, but Bandit was kicking her. She was bunting pretty hard, though, so I thought that was why she was irritating Bandit. Meanwhile, Bandit stopped eating in mid-flake. She left a great deal of her alfalfa completely untouched. That is absolutely unheard of!
I pulled Cricket off again and put her back in her stall and tried to finish milking that last letdown, but Bandit wouldn't hold still. She never dances around this much. Again, she wasn't pulling back like she wanted to leave, she was just going side to side. I thought maybe she was telling me she wanted her pellets instead (I usually give her a few of those when she's finished), so I went and got them and put them in her feed box, but she didn't even LOOK at them. I managed a few more weak squirts, but I wasn't getting enough to warrant following her all over the stanchion to get it. I even popped her at one point and told her sharply to stand STILL. But that didn't work either (usually it does if she's practicing the tango in there).
Oh, and while I was still trying to get the last of the milk, she pawed with her left front foot. It wasn't a slip, because the rubber mat is dry, and she wasn't pushing against the headlock because she wasn't even trying to eat at that moment. It was a pawing motion.
So I took my pail and stockpot into the other room and came back to let her out. Her butt was out on the floor again, back feet completely off the stanchion, but still not pulling back. There was air space between her neck and the headlock boards. I unlocked her and tapped her on the shoulder and she backed right out. Now, also, I was expecting a big splashy poop during all this, which would be normal if she was agitated about something, but she didn't. She went and stood in the open barn doorway and pawed a couple more times, using both her front feet, one at a time. Then she kicked at herself, both sides, like she was kicking at her elbows or just behind them. Maybe she had a bellyache? I'm at a loss.
I let Cricket out to finish her off while I took the milk in and finished doing the horse chores, but she would NOT let Cricket nurse at all. She thumped her good several times. Cricket, having no sense at all, didn't get the message, and kept trying. Bandit kept kicking her off. She NEVER has done that. I took what was left of her alfalfa hay from the stanchion feeder and put it in her regular feeder, then went in and got a couple of flakes of mixed grass hay and put that in there, too, but she wasn't interested. By that time, she was standing by the gate out of the pen, and Cricket was finally nursing and Bandit had left off kicking at her.
After I finished up with the horses, picked up eggs, and took the milk in and strained it, I came back out to let Bandit and Cricket out into the pasture (it's going to be nice today), and Bandit was eating the last of the alfalfa hay from the feeder and acting completely normal. Cricket had limboed under the stanchion bar and was licking the stanchion feeder clean. So I opened the gate, and they both went out and they're fine.
Sorry that was so long, but I wanted to include all the information I could remember. Anybody have any ideas what could have triggered her to be this way this morning? Was it because I massaged her milk vein (or at least SOME vein!)?. I'm almost afraid to try that one again, just in case for some reason it agitated her rather than soothed.
~Lannie