Post by posspix on Mar 26, 2010 12:54:49 GMT -5
I've posted about Pixie, my 1.5-2-year-old grade Jersey heifer before. She was AI'd on October 22, and came into heat unexpectedly last week. She was mounting my other cow on Tuesday I saw dried blood around her tail last Thursday. Her rear udder quarters had gotten huge, and her front teats were hidden in the crevice behind her front mammary mounds. The vet came and said she had started "spurious lactation": she may have aborted, or may have never been bred but was stimulated by my calf had sucking on her (which I doubt because the calf always got kicked away and she'd not come into heat before, since being AI'd.)
Anyway, the vet said her type of badly conformed udder IS genetic, so I shouldn't breed her to produce anything but cattle to be eaten. She said I might as well milk her throughout this lactation. I hand milked her last night, for her first time; she kicked the bucket and tried to kick me a few times. It was really difficult to do since her teats are only about one inch long. I had to strip them; couldn't use my entire hand to milk. And the front teats can only be stripped one at a time, by using one hand to support and hold away the front udder mass that is blocking the front teats. Then there is the hair around her front teats in the crevice to try to not pull. I can't imagine getting a scissors in there to give her a trim!
Last night's milking product tasted like colostrum and was amber colored, with no strings or globs. I gave up before I got her completely stripped out because it was so difficult and everyone's patience was wearing so thin. This morning the rear quarters' fluid started to look whiter, as though true milk were starting; but the front quarters' fluid showed chunks of cheesy stuff. So now I have mastitis to deal with also!
I'm going to talk to the vet again today, but in the meanwhile, any thoughts? If I milk just the back quarters, could my 7-month-old calf reach the front teats and drain them? Could Pixie have a future as a 2-teated hand-milked nurse cow for foster calves and mother of beeves that way? Or will I have to sell Pixie for hamburger, either now or at the end of this lactation? She is a sweet cow, except she doesn't yet like to be milked.
We'd so much rather have a mini Jersey as our second cow, and with only 2 1/4 acres, I can't keep more than a few animals.
If Pixie is destined to be food, should I not have the mastitis treated with drugs since they'd taint the meat?
Help!?
Anyway, the vet said her type of badly conformed udder IS genetic, so I shouldn't breed her to produce anything but cattle to be eaten. She said I might as well milk her throughout this lactation. I hand milked her last night, for her first time; she kicked the bucket and tried to kick me a few times. It was really difficult to do since her teats are only about one inch long. I had to strip them; couldn't use my entire hand to milk. And the front teats can only be stripped one at a time, by using one hand to support and hold away the front udder mass that is blocking the front teats. Then there is the hair around her front teats in the crevice to try to not pull. I can't imagine getting a scissors in there to give her a trim!
Last night's milking product tasted like colostrum and was amber colored, with no strings or globs. I gave up before I got her completely stripped out because it was so difficult and everyone's patience was wearing so thin. This morning the rear quarters' fluid started to look whiter, as though true milk were starting; but the front quarters' fluid showed chunks of cheesy stuff. So now I have mastitis to deal with also!
I'm going to talk to the vet again today, but in the meanwhile, any thoughts? If I milk just the back quarters, could my 7-month-old calf reach the front teats and drain them? Could Pixie have a future as a 2-teated hand-milked nurse cow for foster calves and mother of beeves that way? Or will I have to sell Pixie for hamburger, either now or at the end of this lactation? She is a sweet cow, except she doesn't yet like to be milked.
We'd so much rather have a mini Jersey as our second cow, and with only 2 1/4 acres, I can't keep more than a few animals.
If Pixie is destined to be food, should I not have the mastitis treated with drugs since they'd taint the meat?
Help!?