Post by Tamara on Apr 26, 2014 0:03:13 GMT -5
Hello guys!
I haven't posted here in aaages. Things have just been so busy lately. I check in every now and then but haven't had time to keep up with all the posts, new cows, new calves, etc.
My cow life is going pretty well, although it's had ups and downs.
Let's start with Ginger, my dexter/jersey heifer - she's now 16 months old, fat and sassy. She's got a lot of personality. She's a diva, always wanting her way, and a bit of a brat but I keep her in line. She's not cuddly like her mum but friendly enough. At this point I don't have plans to get her bred, as long as I can still milk Tallulah. Speaking of which, Ginger is still drinking from her. I hope I don't get backlash for this, but I do have my reasons to not have her weaned yet. I was already told off by someone on the weaning matter, saying I should have 'properly' weaned her at THREE months, had Tallulah bred and ready for her next calf.
We just went through a crippling drought. Our dam got to record lows and there was barely a scrap of grass left. I managed to keep weight on Tallulah by tethering her in the front paddock, our dedicated wildlife area but the only spot with grass left. I spent almost an hour each day tying her to a new spot, shifting and filling her water buckets.
However, her milk production went down to almost 0. I was absolutely sure she was going to dry up, despite my best efforts to feed her and upping her grain intake. I went out every day to milk despite the fact that I often got a mere quarter of a cup. I was very close to just giving up. But, we had neither the feed nor the money to get a new milking cow and getting one of them bred is going to be a big hassle and/or expense. So rather than wean Ginger, I kept her on Tallulah in an effort to keep her from drying up. Ginger suckling was probably the only reason Tallulah kept producing what she did. It did not seem to put extra strain on Tallulah and she only dropped a tiny bit of weight.
Thankfully, we had a stroke of luck and managed to get a bit of rain at the end of March, before autumn hit and the dry months set in. It was enough to get the grass growing and fill up the dams, taking a huge burden off my shoulders. It also meant Tallulah's milk production shot back up. I've even scored a new record of just under 4 litres - soo close to an actual gallon of milk! We have enough milk in the house to make yoghurt and impossible coconut pies among other yummies, and even give a couple of bottles to some friends. Her production has been a bit lower over the past few days because of coming in heat, but seems to be coming back up now. I regularly get 2 litres a day. Yes, I know this is like a spit in the ocean to a lot of you cow owners who get gallons of milk a day, but to me it is tons.
This was the first time I got 3.5 litres (like my recycled Jack Daniels bottles?)
And Tallulah just after we got some rain, still being tethered but already looking fat and happy. I'm particularly pleased that I don't have to tie her up anymore, separating her is as simple as opening a gate.
Remember MacLeod the Highland steer? This photo was taken some months ago...
He's going well too! He's about 14-15 months old. No, he is not for eating, we keep him as a pet and company for Ginger. They are best buddies. MacLeod came to me unhandled and terrified. I managed to get him relatively tame, at least enough that I can put a halter and fly mask on, brush him, etc. I can't handle him without food though, as he will run off. He's scared of strangers, loud noises, sudden movements...
He's a strange little thing. He's lowest in the herd rank and also seems quite antisocial. He likes hanging around with Ginger but will just as happily hang back if she's chatting with the neighbour's cows. He's quiet and very introverted - never makes a noise, rarely bucks and plays like Ginger. He just sort of stands there and watches things. He's extremely endearing though! Like a shy little boy, content to just live life peacefully. I don't think he will ever fully trust people though, even me, although I spend time with him each and every day. It's just his personality.
I can't tell if he's a midget or if he's normal sized for a highlander... He's so small it's adorable. I really should measure his height. His horns are starting to get big though! I'll take some new photos of him soon
Unfortunately, recently he started scouring. Not completely liquid or anything, but because of his long hair it's got stuck all over his bottom end, tail and legs. It's not particularly smelly, and a fairly normal light brown colour. I haven't identified the cause. He seems otherwise fine, perky, normal appetite, and so forth. I wormed him on Thursday.
Only two things have changed recently - 1. the grass came in, but that was at the end of March and he's only been scouring for less than a week. 2. I changed from alfalfa to oaten chaff, because the feed store didn't have alfalfa in stock That was probably a week ago. MacLeod only gets a very small amount as a breakfast treat, less than half of a 1 kilo scoop or maybe 2-3 large handfuls. Not enough that I would expect him to scour, but maybe he has a very sensitive stomach? Either way, he's pretty messy right now and I need to clean the poor little javascript:void(0);lad up. I can't tell if he's still scouring or if it's just normal poop getting stuck to all the previous built up gunk.
Well, that's my curious cow life as of now... I'm going to get some recent photos of the herd sometime soon. It's getting cold now and they are all getting fluffier. I'm pretty pleased with all of them at the moment, except for MacLeod's scours of course. My poor baby OH, and then there's our darn alpaca Kofi who has gone a little mad after the death of his best friend and has taken to aggressively chasing and stalking Tallulah... Yeah
If you managed to read through all of that, congratulations!
I haven't posted here in aaages. Things have just been so busy lately. I check in every now and then but haven't had time to keep up with all the posts, new cows, new calves, etc.
My cow life is going pretty well, although it's had ups and downs.
Let's start with Ginger, my dexter/jersey heifer - she's now 16 months old, fat and sassy. She's got a lot of personality. She's a diva, always wanting her way, and a bit of a brat but I keep her in line. She's not cuddly like her mum but friendly enough. At this point I don't have plans to get her bred, as long as I can still milk Tallulah. Speaking of which, Ginger is still drinking from her. I hope I don't get backlash for this, but I do have my reasons to not have her weaned yet. I was already told off by someone on the weaning matter, saying I should have 'properly' weaned her at THREE months, had Tallulah bred and ready for her next calf.
We just went through a crippling drought. Our dam got to record lows and there was barely a scrap of grass left. I managed to keep weight on Tallulah by tethering her in the front paddock, our dedicated wildlife area but the only spot with grass left. I spent almost an hour each day tying her to a new spot, shifting and filling her water buckets.
However, her milk production went down to almost 0. I was absolutely sure she was going to dry up, despite my best efforts to feed her and upping her grain intake. I went out every day to milk despite the fact that I often got a mere quarter of a cup. I was very close to just giving up. But, we had neither the feed nor the money to get a new milking cow and getting one of them bred is going to be a big hassle and/or expense. So rather than wean Ginger, I kept her on Tallulah in an effort to keep her from drying up. Ginger suckling was probably the only reason Tallulah kept producing what she did. It did not seem to put extra strain on Tallulah and she only dropped a tiny bit of weight.
Thankfully, we had a stroke of luck and managed to get a bit of rain at the end of March, before autumn hit and the dry months set in. It was enough to get the grass growing and fill up the dams, taking a huge burden off my shoulders. It also meant Tallulah's milk production shot back up. I've even scored a new record of just under 4 litres - soo close to an actual gallon of milk! We have enough milk in the house to make yoghurt and impossible coconut pies among other yummies, and even give a couple of bottles to some friends. Her production has been a bit lower over the past few days because of coming in heat, but seems to be coming back up now. I regularly get 2 litres a day. Yes, I know this is like a spit in the ocean to a lot of you cow owners who get gallons of milk a day, but to me it is tons.
This was the first time I got 3.5 litres (like my recycled Jack Daniels bottles?)
And Tallulah just after we got some rain, still being tethered but already looking fat and happy. I'm particularly pleased that I don't have to tie her up anymore, separating her is as simple as opening a gate.
Remember MacLeod the Highland steer? This photo was taken some months ago...
He's going well too! He's about 14-15 months old. No, he is not for eating, we keep him as a pet and company for Ginger. They are best buddies. MacLeod came to me unhandled and terrified. I managed to get him relatively tame, at least enough that I can put a halter and fly mask on, brush him, etc. I can't handle him without food though, as he will run off. He's scared of strangers, loud noises, sudden movements...
He's a strange little thing. He's lowest in the herd rank and also seems quite antisocial. He likes hanging around with Ginger but will just as happily hang back if she's chatting with the neighbour's cows. He's quiet and very introverted - never makes a noise, rarely bucks and plays like Ginger. He just sort of stands there and watches things. He's extremely endearing though! Like a shy little boy, content to just live life peacefully. I don't think he will ever fully trust people though, even me, although I spend time with him each and every day. It's just his personality.
I can't tell if he's a midget or if he's normal sized for a highlander... He's so small it's adorable. I really should measure his height. His horns are starting to get big though! I'll take some new photos of him soon
Unfortunately, recently he started scouring. Not completely liquid or anything, but because of his long hair it's got stuck all over his bottom end, tail and legs. It's not particularly smelly, and a fairly normal light brown colour. I haven't identified the cause. He seems otherwise fine, perky, normal appetite, and so forth. I wormed him on Thursday.
Only two things have changed recently - 1. the grass came in, but that was at the end of March and he's only been scouring for less than a week. 2. I changed from alfalfa to oaten chaff, because the feed store didn't have alfalfa in stock That was probably a week ago. MacLeod only gets a very small amount as a breakfast treat, less than half of a 1 kilo scoop or maybe 2-3 large handfuls. Not enough that I would expect him to scour, but maybe he has a very sensitive stomach? Either way, he's pretty messy right now and I need to clean the poor little javascript:void(0);lad up. I can't tell if he's still scouring or if it's just normal poop getting stuck to all the previous built up gunk.
Well, that's my curious cow life as of now... I'm going to get some recent photos of the herd sometime soon. It's getting cold now and they are all getting fluffier. I'm pretty pleased with all of them at the moment, except for MacLeod's scours of course. My poor baby OH, and then there's our darn alpaca Kofi who has gone a little mad after the death of his best friend and has taken to aggressively chasing and stalking Tallulah... Yeah
If you managed to read through all of that, congratulations!