Post by anneneedscowbell on Jan 6, 2012 12:10:28 GMT -5
I am so upset. I have had beef cows for years, and milked one for a while before getting our cow "Blue" this summer. She was a 10 year old holstein/shorthorn. She milked great and had a huge healthy calf.
When I started milking her again she didn't put out hardly anything unless I separated the calf for a while. I started milking her right after the calf was born because I was worried she would get mastitis (she had it once from the stress of moving her and the heat this summer).
She gradually started increasisng supply and after a week we were up to a gallon once a day. I was careful to make sure her bag was slack and no signs of milk fever or mastitis. After almost 3 weeks I would separate the ginormus calf for a few hours and get a gallon and a half. Things were getting better.
One day I saw her in the morning, Looking totally fine, eating at the bale. That evening when I got home she was dead. The neighbor I bought her from told me she must have had ketosis. I researched the heck out of the topic and she didn't seem to fit. She had no symptoms at all. I figured she was almost 11, had a huge calf, and maybe kicked over from something natural. I was devastated. We were so excited to have a real milk cow and she was so odd looking with her color, we even named our farm Blue Moon Pastures and she was the mascot.
Now this morning I found out that this neighbor I got her from is telling people I killed her cow! These people are the godparents of two of my children and they don't believe me that she was fine that same day and are bad talking me. I feel bad enough already because there is always that "If I found her 3 hours earlier...." feeling. THough, I've had cows (beef) for years and I know sometimes there is just nothing you can do. But now all those little guilt voices are making me feel terrible again.
Sorry to vent, and I'm new here so I don't know anyone yet, but I figured if anyone would understand someone here would. I hear a lot of, "It was a cow... sad, but just a cow. Get another one." I know I won't hear that from other family milk cow owners.
When I started milking her again she didn't put out hardly anything unless I separated the calf for a while. I started milking her right after the calf was born because I was worried she would get mastitis (she had it once from the stress of moving her and the heat this summer).
She gradually started increasisng supply and after a week we were up to a gallon once a day. I was careful to make sure her bag was slack and no signs of milk fever or mastitis. After almost 3 weeks I would separate the ginormus calf for a few hours and get a gallon and a half. Things were getting better.
One day I saw her in the morning, Looking totally fine, eating at the bale. That evening when I got home she was dead. The neighbor I bought her from told me she must have had ketosis. I researched the heck out of the topic and she didn't seem to fit. She had no symptoms at all. I figured she was almost 11, had a huge calf, and maybe kicked over from something natural. I was devastated. We were so excited to have a real milk cow and she was so odd looking with her color, we even named our farm Blue Moon Pastures and she was the mascot.
Now this morning I found out that this neighbor I got her from is telling people I killed her cow! These people are the godparents of two of my children and they don't believe me that she was fine that same day and are bad talking me. I feel bad enough already because there is always that "If I found her 3 hours earlier...." feeling. THough, I've had cows (beef) for years and I know sometimes there is just nothing you can do. But now all those little guilt voices are making me feel terrible again.
Sorry to vent, and I'm new here so I don't know anyone yet, but I figured if anyone would understand someone here would. I hear a lot of, "It was a cow... sad, but just a cow. Get another one." I know I won't hear that from other family milk cow owners.