Post by anuttama on Feb 8, 2010 2:35:10 GMT -5
Hi, I found this site while researching whether my cow has mastitis and if she does, what to do. There is a lot of good information here for me as I am quite new at keeping cows.
For the last four winters, I have been caring for a cow that belongs to a local museum. When they close for 3 and a half months I get the cow, Rain, and keep her milking. Her job when she is at the museum is to let children experience milking a real cow. Two years ago I took Rain to be bred (her milk production was very low at the time) and the museum people let me keep the calf. It was a heifer, Dhana, and she had her own little girl three weeks ago. Her udder was quite hard for several weeks and it seemed to be edema. However when I milked her last night, the milk clogged the filter somewhat. The milk tasted salty, too. I've been giving her usnea lichen tincture, a immune system booster that I make from a local lichen. It has worked wonderfully for people with swine flu and infections and also worked well when the new heifer had diarrhea.
I could use advice about mastitis because I've never encountered it before. She is letting her calf milk that quarter, so it probably isn't too painful. Should I milk her extra times during the day? How can I apply heat? Is that necessary?
Rain also gave us a bull calf two months ago. He is being trained to work as an ox and we are considering let him remain a bull if he behaves himself. His sire is a top jersey, Iatola, and I've been told that Rain has excellent conformation for a jersey. Our little bull, Makani has never been bottle fed and is still with his Mom, so we're hoping that he doesn't have any identity problems and knows that he's bovine and not human.
For the last four winters, I have been caring for a cow that belongs to a local museum. When they close for 3 and a half months I get the cow, Rain, and keep her milking. Her job when she is at the museum is to let children experience milking a real cow. Two years ago I took Rain to be bred (her milk production was very low at the time) and the museum people let me keep the calf. It was a heifer, Dhana, and she had her own little girl three weeks ago. Her udder was quite hard for several weeks and it seemed to be edema. However when I milked her last night, the milk clogged the filter somewhat. The milk tasted salty, too. I've been giving her usnea lichen tincture, a immune system booster that I make from a local lichen. It has worked wonderfully for people with swine flu and infections and also worked well when the new heifer had diarrhea.
I could use advice about mastitis because I've never encountered it before. She is letting her calf milk that quarter, so it probably isn't too painful. Should I milk her extra times during the day? How can I apply heat? Is that necessary?
Rain also gave us a bull calf two months ago. He is being trained to work as an ox and we are considering let him remain a bull if he behaves himself. His sire is a top jersey, Iatola, and I've been told that Rain has excellent conformation for a jersey. Our little bull, Makani has never been bottle fed and is still with his Mom, so we're hoping that he doesn't have any identity problems and knows that he's bovine and not human.
