Post by DostThouHaveMilk on Mar 2, 2010 12:39:30 GMT -5
When I went down to the barn last night, dreading the chore to come (disbudding over 20 head of goat babies past the age of needing to be done), I found Cinderella, finally looking like she may consider doing something about that calving thing there.
We had her due about the 26th of February. She is a first calf heifer and was possibly carrying a Jersey calf. The front hoof made an appearance about 9PM or so. I got down there around 8PM. By midnight we had two front hooves (with the nose just behind) and she just wasn't working all that hard at delivery. She was in the only calving type pen we have in the barn.
During this time, Argo's heifer, another first calf heifer, was incredibly uncomfortable in her stanchion. Lots of rocking, lots of tail held up, lots of rocking, lots of tail held up...move this way, now that way, bug eyed look..."there is something weird going on here", rock some...early stages of labor in any case.
Dad had to be up at 7:30AM to take my nephew to school (since Hannah still shouldn't be driving), so I told him to go bed and I would stick around until they were done and everything settled in.
We took Argo's heifer out of her stanchion and tied her up with a halter in the stalls. She was able to lay down and immediately after that her water broke and she had two feet and a nose showing...keep in mind, Cinderalla worked for almost 4 hours to reach the same stage. You just never know with first calf heifers. There is a lot of stretching to be done for them. We don't do anything unless it looks like something is amiss.
So I am back and forth between the two. I had to be there when Argo's heifer dropped her calf so it wouldn't go in the ditch.
I figured she would beat Cinderella at this stage.
I finally tied Cinderella's head forward since she kept trying to deliver her calf into the wall or the cattle panel. She laid down and got down to serious pushing and had her black, beef cross bull calf out in good time. He arrived about 12:42 AM this morning.
Argos' heifer was working diligently and delivered her calf standing at the end. A heifer calf born about 12:55AM. Argos' heifer and her calf were up and active quickly. Cinderella did not stand for some time and her bull took a bit to stand as well.
I milked 4 pounds of colostrum out of Argos' heifer with little trouble and the calf took it happily and she had colostrum in the first hour.
Cinderella did not take to my hand milking quite as happily. I managed to get the 2 pounds needed to tide him over.
Argos' heifer's heifer had to be put in a pen next to her before I left because she was way too active. Would have been horrible for dad to have to fish her out of the ditch after all the trouble I went to keep her out of it in the first place.
Cinderella and her calf were left in the calving pen.
Dad is down there now, so if they had not figured it out yet (and we rarely rely on a cow and calf to figure it out), he will have had his bottle of colostrum as well.
Zeta delivered her bull calf yesterday morning sometime outside.
We have two more due this month and then one due next month and then another break as far as calves go.
Now to get some of these cows in milk sold!
We had her due about the 26th of February. She is a first calf heifer and was possibly carrying a Jersey calf. The front hoof made an appearance about 9PM or so. I got down there around 8PM. By midnight we had two front hooves (with the nose just behind) and she just wasn't working all that hard at delivery. She was in the only calving type pen we have in the barn.
During this time, Argo's heifer, another first calf heifer, was incredibly uncomfortable in her stanchion. Lots of rocking, lots of tail held up, lots of rocking, lots of tail held up...move this way, now that way, bug eyed look..."there is something weird going on here", rock some...early stages of labor in any case.
Dad had to be up at 7:30AM to take my nephew to school (since Hannah still shouldn't be driving), so I told him to go bed and I would stick around until they were done and everything settled in.
We took Argo's heifer out of her stanchion and tied her up with a halter in the stalls. She was able to lay down and immediately after that her water broke and she had two feet and a nose showing...keep in mind, Cinderalla worked for almost 4 hours to reach the same stage. You just never know with first calf heifers. There is a lot of stretching to be done for them. We don't do anything unless it looks like something is amiss.
So I am back and forth between the two. I had to be there when Argo's heifer dropped her calf so it wouldn't go in the ditch.
I figured she would beat Cinderella at this stage.
I finally tied Cinderella's head forward since she kept trying to deliver her calf into the wall or the cattle panel. She laid down and got down to serious pushing and had her black, beef cross bull calf out in good time. He arrived about 12:42 AM this morning.
Argos' heifer was working diligently and delivered her calf standing at the end. A heifer calf born about 12:55AM. Argos' heifer and her calf were up and active quickly. Cinderella did not stand for some time and her bull took a bit to stand as well.
I milked 4 pounds of colostrum out of Argos' heifer with little trouble and the calf took it happily and she had colostrum in the first hour.
Cinderella did not take to my hand milking quite as happily. I managed to get the 2 pounds needed to tide him over.
Argos' heifer's heifer had to be put in a pen next to her before I left because she was way too active. Would have been horrible for dad to have to fish her out of the ditch after all the trouble I went to keep her out of it in the first place.
Cinderella and her calf were left in the calving pen.
Dad is down there now, so if they had not figured it out yet (and we rarely rely on a cow and calf to figure it out), he will have had his bottle of colostrum as well.
Zeta delivered her bull calf yesterday morning sometime outside.
We have two more due this month and then one due next month and then another break as far as calves go.
Now to get some of these cows in milk sold!