Post by hoperefuge on Sept 5, 2012 12:22:34 GMT -5
And it's another bull....final count is 5 boys, 2 girls. Oh well, at least we're done for awhile. And we won't be wanting for beef.
This cow is a new girl to me, 6yo that we bought this spring. I had her in our front paddock, away from the herd. She calved right at the top of the slope, so as baby was trying to stand he kept sliding & rolling farther down the hill into the woods. Problem is, she became extremely protecive & aggressive, so we (ds & I) were basically risking life & limb to get the poor bugger back up on the flat & into a stall-sized enclosure we set up right by the gate. Turns out he has pretty badly contracted tendons in his front legs & can barely get up on his tippy-toes, and then his feet still keep buckling under. Poor kiddo! 5 hours after calving, he still hadn't managed to nurse (I had tried to help him earlier, but Vanna wouldn't have it), so at 9:00 last night after dh got home from work, we were out there trying to help. I had managed to get a halter on Vanna (she's NOT halter-broke!) so we tied her to the stout, concreted-in gatepost, but she was still thrashing around so much I couldn't get him latched on. We had to swing the one panel over & squeeze her to keep her still and once we finally got a teat in his mouth, she eventually relaxed a bit. It was a 3-person job, dh being human squeeze chute, ds supporting baby's hind end, me supporting brisket & guiding his mouth. Ugh! But we got him a good belly full out of 2 quarters, then left them for the night, hoping for the best.
This morning when I went out first thing to check on him, I could see he had definitely nursed off the other side. He got up then & had another snack, no problem. He seems to have more strength & energy this am, thank goodness, and seems to be doing OK getting around. He can't go real far at a time, before he has to lay down & rest his front legs, but he seems to managing. I hope they don't take too long stretching out for him...it makes me hurt watching him hobble around. Of course come to think of it, my whole body hurts after all that activity last evening. I also hope Vanna's momma-hormones soon settle down. She has been milked a little bit before & I'd like to have a go at milking her.
So there's my little adventure. Did I mention I'm glad we're done calving for the year?
Kim
This cow is a new girl to me, 6yo that we bought this spring. I had her in our front paddock, away from the herd. She calved right at the top of the slope, so as baby was trying to stand he kept sliding & rolling farther down the hill into the woods. Problem is, she became extremely protecive & aggressive, so we (ds & I) were basically risking life & limb to get the poor bugger back up on the flat & into a stall-sized enclosure we set up right by the gate. Turns out he has pretty badly contracted tendons in his front legs & can barely get up on his tippy-toes, and then his feet still keep buckling under. Poor kiddo! 5 hours after calving, he still hadn't managed to nurse (I had tried to help him earlier, but Vanna wouldn't have it), so at 9:00 last night after dh got home from work, we were out there trying to help. I had managed to get a halter on Vanna (she's NOT halter-broke!) so we tied her to the stout, concreted-in gatepost, but she was still thrashing around so much I couldn't get him latched on. We had to swing the one panel over & squeeze her to keep her still and once we finally got a teat in his mouth, she eventually relaxed a bit. It was a 3-person job, dh being human squeeze chute, ds supporting baby's hind end, me supporting brisket & guiding his mouth. Ugh! But we got him a good belly full out of 2 quarters, then left them for the night, hoping for the best.
This morning when I went out first thing to check on him, I could see he had definitely nursed off the other side. He got up then & had another snack, no problem. He seems to have more strength & energy this am, thank goodness, and seems to be doing OK getting around. He can't go real far at a time, before he has to lay down & rest his front legs, but he seems to managing. I hope they don't take too long stretching out for him...it makes me hurt watching him hobble around. Of course come to think of it, my whole body hurts after all that activity last evening. I also hope Vanna's momma-hormones soon settle down. She has been milked a little bit before & I'd like to have a go at milking her.
So there's my little adventure. Did I mention I'm glad we're done calving for the year?
Kim