Post by DostThouHaveMilk on Jun 29, 2005 9:42:06 GMT -5
Well, some cows you can't let them see you and some need you there.
We brought Frida in for milking last night. This serves three purposes. It allows us to see what shape her udder is in, it gets her used to coming back in to be milked and it gets her separated from the heifer/dry cow herd.
Last night we milked her and then let her go before the rest of the herd were let out. This gives her an opportunity to go to her calf without the entire herd following her.
So I followed her. I watched from afar. She didn't get very far past the heifer/dry cow herd and then she just stopped. It was getting dark and I thought maybe, just maybe, she had her calf next to her and I simply couldn't see it in the tall grass. So I went up to do one last check before trudging home dejected.
She saw me, and took off away from the heifer/dry cow herd in the direction I figured her calf was in. She got part way, looked back and bellowed. I thought she was bellowing at the heifers. Since she was moving fairly quickly I decided to go ahead and follow her. She got to the Thicket (keep in mind the sun has set by now and it is getting dark out) and then looked back and bellowed again, but this time I knew it was at me. We went through the Thicket and up onto Spy Hill. She went straight to her calf and then called to me. Clear out at the very end of the farm and just inside a wildlife area. 1/2 mile from the barn. One thing we have started doing in recent years is to take along a calf halter when going out after the calves. With the purebred Jerseys they weren't very strong or heavy and you ended putting a rope on mama or carrying the calf. Carrying bull calves aways ended with you having been peed on.
These crossbreeds are up and running just about as soon as they hit the ground. The halter makes it simpler if mama takes off.
Well, this two day old calf was *not* interested in having halter put on her. She was struggling and I actually fell on her at one point.
We started heading back to the barn and she did take off with me by her side. She thought I was mama walking beside her. Unfortunately, Frida was still back looking for her calf because she had not seen me take her. Luckily she figured it out and joined us. It is so much easier to move a calf if they can walk with their mother. So we hiked the 1/2 mile back to the barn in the dark.
The new calf...a HEIFER! ...is now in her new pen and dad fed her first bottle last evening. It was quite a chore it sounds like. She is in a smaller pen taht isn't fastened to anything and she was baning around in it. Once she figured out that the bottle had milk she was a dream to feed.
Our last heifer calf will be four months old on the first. It is nice to have a heifer calf again. This makes two out of two for Frida. She had Hermaine last August. Now this one. Jason's first offspring is a heifer calf.
Frida-taken two nights ago. SHe is Freya's twin sister.
Jason-taken when he was nine months old. He settled Frida when he was nine months and 23 days old.
The newest addition to our herd. She has not told us her name yet. It may be a bit.
At least 3 more heifers and 2 more cow due to calve this month.
We brought Frida in for milking last night. This serves three purposes. It allows us to see what shape her udder is in, it gets her used to coming back in to be milked and it gets her separated from the heifer/dry cow herd.
Last night we milked her and then let her go before the rest of the herd were let out. This gives her an opportunity to go to her calf without the entire herd following her.
So I followed her. I watched from afar. She didn't get very far past the heifer/dry cow herd and then she just stopped. It was getting dark and I thought maybe, just maybe, she had her calf next to her and I simply couldn't see it in the tall grass. So I went up to do one last check before trudging home dejected.
She saw me, and took off away from the heifer/dry cow herd in the direction I figured her calf was in. She got part way, looked back and bellowed. I thought she was bellowing at the heifers. Since she was moving fairly quickly I decided to go ahead and follow her. She got to the Thicket (keep in mind the sun has set by now and it is getting dark out) and then looked back and bellowed again, but this time I knew it was at me. We went through the Thicket and up onto Spy Hill. She went straight to her calf and then called to me. Clear out at the very end of the farm and just inside a wildlife area. 1/2 mile from the barn. One thing we have started doing in recent years is to take along a calf halter when going out after the calves. With the purebred Jerseys they weren't very strong or heavy and you ended putting a rope on mama or carrying the calf. Carrying bull calves aways ended with you having been peed on.
These crossbreeds are up and running just about as soon as they hit the ground. The halter makes it simpler if mama takes off.
Well, this two day old calf was *not* interested in having halter put on her. She was struggling and I actually fell on her at one point.
We started heading back to the barn and she did take off with me by her side. She thought I was mama walking beside her. Unfortunately, Frida was still back looking for her calf because she had not seen me take her. Luckily she figured it out and joined us. It is so much easier to move a calf if they can walk with their mother. So we hiked the 1/2 mile back to the barn in the dark.
The new calf...a HEIFER! ...is now in her new pen and dad fed her first bottle last evening. It was quite a chore it sounds like. She is in a smaller pen taht isn't fastened to anything and she was baning around in it. Once she figured out that the bottle had milk she was a dream to feed.
Our last heifer calf will be four months old on the first. It is nice to have a heifer calf again. This makes two out of two for Frida. She had Hermaine last August. Now this one. Jason's first offspring is a heifer calf.
Frida-taken two nights ago. SHe is Freya's twin sister.
Jason-taken when he was nine months old. He settled Frida when he was nine months and 23 days old.
The newest addition to our herd. She has not told us her name yet. It may be a bit.
At least 3 more heifers and 2 more cow due to calve this month.