Cool story: Got my first cow back! (PICS!)
Sept 20, 2013 13:37:25 GMT -5
AnnB (NE), simplynaturalfarm, and 9 more like this
Post by hoperefuge on Sept 20, 2013 13:37:25 GMT -5
Sara was the first cow I ever bought. I wanted a Dexter for a family milk cow, and she was the only thing we could find within a reasonable distance for a reasonable price at that point in time. But she wasn't really quite what I wanted...she was black & horned, and didn't have a very nice udder, but I could walk up to her & touch her. So I bought her anyway. Sara is one of those girls that is quite driven to be the boss cow, no matter what, and for the first year I never went in the pasture without my big, stout stick because she would get pushy. About a year in though, we had a day of reckoning, and Sara was finally convinced that actually I *was* the Boss around here. From that day on I didn't need my stick anymore...Sara would move where I asked her to with a wave of the arm, and she still trusted me & allowed me to come up & pet her.
She calved about a month or two after we bought her, and I proceeded to milk her outside in the simple stanchion DH built me (we didn't even have the cow barn built yet). The people we had bought her from had only milked her "a little bit once or twice, just to see if we could", but Sara never flinched or fussed for me...just patiently ate her hay while I fuddled through. By her second lactation with us, the barn was finished & I had my parlor & milking machine. She adjusted to machine milking without batting an eye.
By this time, though, her first heifer (here) was growing up & ready to breed...and Keira was so much nicer than her momma. So I decided to sell Sara...because she wasn't really what I wanted. Some nice folks, Herb & Susan, bought Sara, in the hopes of milking her. We kept in touch & became friends...but Susan never did get to milk Sara. I think they were both always a bit intimidated by Sara & her big horns, and they never established clear dominance over her. So they always had a difficult time managing her. But she gave them a nice heifer also, who just calved this summer so now Susan is milking Sara's daughter.
(Sara Jane)
Susan contacted me this summer, shortly before Sara calved. She had Sara tested, and she's A2/A2, so she wanted to bring Sara back here to breed her to Rousseau for a chance at an A2/A2 heifer. I told her that would work fine. So after she calved, we planned a date. When they got here with Sara & her new heifer (a Taco daughter!), Susan told me she had given up hope of ever milking Sara, and they had decided to sell her, heifer at side & bred back. Then she would just try to find another A2/A2 cow that she *could* milk, since both heifers they got out of Sara were only A1/A2. She wanted to know if I had any girls for sale...which I, unfortunately, did not. They had time for a short visit, so I got to introduce them to Sara's granddaughter Ebby, and great-granddaughter Zoie. Then they left for home again.
So there I was, looking at Sara in my "front yard" paddock, with 4 more years of experience under my belt & a better breeder's eye...and I liked what I saw. I hadn't realized before how well put-together she is...length & depth like I haven't often seen in Dexters. And a Taco heifer, too! He should clean the udder up for sure. Now the wheels in my head were really turning. I have Ebby...2 generations down from Sara and the horns are gone, sweet-as-pie temperament, and a beautiful udder. I can deal with that! Why not buy her?! But since we're kinda maxed out in numbers, if I buy her I need to sell somebody...so who *could* I sell to Susan to replace Sara for her? Well, I had pretty much figured already that Ebby would be next to go...just not yet. I just AI'd her to Hedgehog for cryin' out loud! But I know Susan doesn't want to build up a herd, just wants her 2 milk cows, so I bet they'd let me have the Hedgehog heifer back (if it *is* a heifer ).
(Sara & Tundra)
Well, I'm thinking this must just be a hare-brained idea, but I run it by DH to see what he thinks. He says no, that makes sense...go for it. So I contacted Susan & told her what I was thinking, including my hang-up with the Hedgehog breeding & really wanting a heifer. She was delighted that I wanted Sara back, and said no problem, we'll be happy for you to have Ebby's Hedgehog heifer back, just put it in the sale contract.
So....I'm selling Ebby to them. They'll pick her up in Oct. once Zoie is weaned. And if they have a live heifer out of this AI, I'm guaranteed to buy it from them. Plus, I get old Sara Jane back, and her Taco heifer, Tundra. How cool is that!?
(Tundra - Taco heifer)
OH yeah....Sara has settled in nicely here again. The first day she was a bit skittish around me, but the second day I fed her some apple slices from my hand & that seemed to trigger her memory somehow. She allowed me to pet her at that point, but she also clearly remembers what the score is, because she moves when I ask her to still. And she's quite happy to be queen of a herd again! BoPeep obviously recognized her upon sniffing noses through the fence, and gave absolutely no arguments about surrendering the throne when I turned Sara in with the herd.
Kim
Wow, that got longer than I intended, but I figured you'd all enjoy a happy story.
She calved about a month or two after we bought her, and I proceeded to milk her outside in the simple stanchion DH built me (we didn't even have the cow barn built yet). The people we had bought her from had only milked her "a little bit once or twice, just to see if we could", but Sara never flinched or fussed for me...just patiently ate her hay while I fuddled through. By her second lactation with us, the barn was finished & I had my parlor & milking machine. She adjusted to machine milking without batting an eye.
By this time, though, her first heifer (here) was growing up & ready to breed...and Keira was so much nicer than her momma. So I decided to sell Sara...because she wasn't really what I wanted. Some nice folks, Herb & Susan, bought Sara, in the hopes of milking her. We kept in touch & became friends...but Susan never did get to milk Sara. I think they were both always a bit intimidated by Sara & her big horns, and they never established clear dominance over her. So they always had a difficult time managing her. But she gave them a nice heifer also, who just calved this summer so now Susan is milking Sara's daughter.
(Sara Jane)
Susan contacted me this summer, shortly before Sara calved. She had Sara tested, and she's A2/A2, so she wanted to bring Sara back here to breed her to Rousseau for a chance at an A2/A2 heifer. I told her that would work fine. So after she calved, we planned a date. When they got here with Sara & her new heifer (a Taco daughter!), Susan told me she had given up hope of ever milking Sara, and they had decided to sell her, heifer at side & bred back. Then she would just try to find another A2/A2 cow that she *could* milk, since both heifers they got out of Sara were only A1/A2. She wanted to know if I had any girls for sale...which I, unfortunately, did not. They had time for a short visit, so I got to introduce them to Sara's granddaughter Ebby, and great-granddaughter Zoie. Then they left for home again.
So there I was, looking at Sara in my "front yard" paddock, with 4 more years of experience under my belt & a better breeder's eye...and I liked what I saw. I hadn't realized before how well put-together she is...length & depth like I haven't often seen in Dexters. And a Taco heifer, too! He should clean the udder up for sure. Now the wheels in my head were really turning. I have Ebby...2 generations down from Sara and the horns are gone, sweet-as-pie temperament, and a beautiful udder. I can deal with that! Why not buy her?! But since we're kinda maxed out in numbers, if I buy her I need to sell somebody...so who *could* I sell to Susan to replace Sara for her? Well, I had pretty much figured already that Ebby would be next to go...just not yet. I just AI'd her to Hedgehog for cryin' out loud! But I know Susan doesn't want to build up a herd, just wants her 2 milk cows, so I bet they'd let me have the Hedgehog heifer back (if it *is* a heifer ).
(Sara & Tundra)
Well, I'm thinking this must just be a hare-brained idea, but I run it by DH to see what he thinks. He says no, that makes sense...go for it. So I contacted Susan & told her what I was thinking, including my hang-up with the Hedgehog breeding & really wanting a heifer. She was delighted that I wanted Sara back, and said no problem, we'll be happy for you to have Ebby's Hedgehog heifer back, just put it in the sale contract.
So....I'm selling Ebby to them. They'll pick her up in Oct. once Zoie is weaned. And if they have a live heifer out of this AI, I'm guaranteed to buy it from them. Plus, I get old Sara Jane back, and her Taco heifer, Tundra. How cool is that!?
(Tundra - Taco heifer)
OH yeah....Sara has settled in nicely here again. The first day she was a bit skittish around me, but the second day I fed her some apple slices from my hand & that seemed to trigger her memory somehow. She allowed me to pet her at that point, but she also clearly remembers what the score is, because she moves when I ask her to still. And she's quite happy to be queen of a herd again! BoPeep obviously recognized her upon sniffing noses through the fence, and gave absolutely no arguments about surrendering the throne when I turned Sara in with the herd.
Kim
Wow, that got longer than I intended, but I figured you'd all enjoy a happy story.