New from Nimbin

[melfromnimbin]

Hello,
I found this forum while searching for information about foster calves.
I live on a 1.6 acre property near Nimbin with my partner, young family and a jersey cow and an Illawara red foster calf. We also have an A2 Jersey cow, and Angus heifer and a 1/2 jersey 1/2 beef steer all of which live on a friends property.
I have been doing the house cow thing for almost four years and eight weeks ago lost my first cow, Brandy. She was living on my friends property with her calves when suddenly she began to drool. She went down and was dead within 30 minutes. The she blew up immediatley. The district vet said it sounded like poisoning, the property they are on is pretty weedy, so I am looking for some new land to adjist close by.
I havent had much luck to tell the truth, but I have learned a lot. Brandy was 6 months old when I got her. She calved at 2 and 1/2 and immediatley developed mastitis in two teats. She was basically over sprung and i didn't get in an milk her straight away because i was given conflicting advice.
I bought a second jersey Buttercup, who came with an Angus heifer, Midnight. She has been a great cow, with loads of milk. We recently dried her up because she was pregnant, but it seems she lost the calf due to mastitis. We are currently trying to get her back in milk, by putting a foster calf on her. Still too early to tell if it is working.
We don't really have enough land for cows so our cow roams around our neighbohood eating at the side of the road or in unfenced paddocks. She comes home a couple of times a day for water. Our neighbor are happy for her to do this. But at the moment she is in our paddock while we try to asses the situation with her foster calf.
Having cows has cost me a lot in vet bills, but i love it.
Mel

[Joann]

Greetings, Mel. Good to have another member from Oz. We have quite a few now. I hope you will visit here often.

One certainly does get conflicting advice on when to start milking but delay in starting has cost many people their cow. It sounds like you have not gotten discouraged, so that's good to hear.

I have family in Adelaide.

Joann

[djb]

Hello Mel,I live in Mt.Gambier SA.It is good to have another Aussie.Yes any high temp.eg.mastitis can make a cow lose her calf;it is heartbreaking is'nt it!Hope you dont have things like that happen again.It is interesting how you dont have fences etc.;must make management difficult at times!Every cow owner needs a cattle yard at some time so this is something to work on.Not so necessary for your halter-trained house cow but needed for any other calf or cow that you own.How do you keep your heifer calves away from neighbouring bulls as they must not be mated before 15 months of age[too small to calve unassisted otherwise,mostly]
It will be interesting hearing from you .I have never been up to your part of the world.

[melfromnimbin]

Hi DJB,
In our immediate neighborhood there is no other livestock. Across the causeway there are farms with cattle, however, my current cow, Buttercup, won't cross the causeway.
Luckily our closest farming neighbor is obsessed with maintaining his fences. We live in an area where there are hardly any farms left, lots of tree-changers buying up land and letting it go to lantana.
Our neighbour is getting a cattle grid put into a paddock next to our place and our cows will go in there, so the days of free-ranging will come to an end.
I should probably start looking around for a portable ramp at least. I have found ways to inject and drench without using a crush, however, when i had to put a tube up Buttercup's teat recently I walked her up to a neighbors crush to do it.
Mel

[Dianne Ader]

Hello Mel,

Welcome, I am sorry to hear of all the sadness. I am glad you still have your Buttercup & her heifer.

I was worried about all that too, to much advise, I was lucky on my account cause I just heard advise from my Uncle who had dairy cows all his life. I knew that if I listened to him I could not go wrong. But illness is all part of the game & I am sure that I will have my share of trouble.

Hang in there! I hope it is easy & free of illness from here on out for you!

Dianne