Post by Meadow Creek Mama on Nov 11, 2019 17:13:23 GMT -5
We waited to breed Bella for a spring calf, made her 10 months in her lactation. AI tech retired, so didn't happen on time. A bull jumped the fence and breed her but also gave her pneumonia. Upon vet help, found out she was cystic so probably didn't get breed back. He was right. Did a round of fergytril, lyutalase and a CIDR. Got her breed on that cycle, had mucus to the floor, the AI tech joked that that means she'll have twins. What would be 2 cycles later, she's bellowing with no standing heat. We figure she didn't get breed. One week later, we still haven't preg checked her because we are so bad at drawing blood and now she's in standing heat. What???
We have to wait to try the synch on her again until we can confirm Tirzah got breed so that we can space them out. So much for a spring calf. The vet says if she doesn't breed with the second round we should consider a reproductive ultrasound to see what is wrong with her. Uugh.
Tirzah's calf has struggled with scours from either too much milk from her or some other problem we can't diagnose. We weaned the calf at 7 months, began milking Tirzah TAD again. Bella had been at OAD with Tirzah to keep our life simpler. Started milking Bella TAD at the same time again. DH has been milking the cows for me for almost 4 months now, since I had baby #3. I'm getting ready to take over and really don't want to. When I started, I noticed that Tirzah isn't letting down, stands there really tense during milking. Her back left quarter has to be worked by hand with the machine on to get the milk out of the cistern. DH says that's how she always is so what he always does. So now not only is she not letting down sans calf, she seems to also developed a habit of needing to have her udder massaged with the machine on to get the milk out. Uugh.
We have the heifer as a replacement if needed, but we don't really trust her given how much she struggled for her start in life.
Suddenly everything seems like it could go in directions I didn't anticipate.
We have to wait to try the synch on her again until we can confirm Tirzah got breed so that we can space them out. So much for a spring calf. The vet says if she doesn't breed with the second round we should consider a reproductive ultrasound to see what is wrong with her. Uugh.
Tirzah's calf has struggled with scours from either too much milk from her or some other problem we can't diagnose. We weaned the calf at 7 months, began milking Tirzah TAD again. Bella had been at OAD with Tirzah to keep our life simpler. Started milking Bella TAD at the same time again. DH has been milking the cows for me for almost 4 months now, since I had baby #3. I'm getting ready to take over and really don't want to. When I started, I noticed that Tirzah isn't letting down, stands there really tense during milking. Her back left quarter has to be worked by hand with the machine on to get the milk out of the cistern. DH says that's how she always is so what he always does. So now not only is she not letting down sans calf, she seems to also developed a habit of needing to have her udder massaged with the machine on to get the milk out. Uugh.
We have the heifer as a replacement if needed, but we don't really trust her given how much she struggled for her start in life.
Suddenly everything seems like it could go in directions I didn't anticipate.