Post by lew92 on Jul 31, 2011 8:44:00 GMT -5
I know this won't be taken well, but I have to say it. "So indirectly, yes, it was the cow's fault." Don't blame her - your husband broke his hand himself.
You either need to learn how to deal with this cow WITHOUT losing your tempers (breaking bones while escalating the force of hitting IS abuse) or you need to sell her to someone who knows what they are doing.
Even people who truly know what they are doing end up with cows that get mastitis - read all about Adele - and your cow is, quite frankly, turning into a demon from h*ll through mismanagement. It sounds like she naturally has a very sweet temperament, from the way she is with your children. However, using abuse in the stanchion is not going to get you anywhere. Taking out your frustrations by striking a cow with your hand is not the way to go.
She's used to being locked in for milking. It would take about an hour and $40-50 to make a head lock. It will give her security at a time when everything else has to be different.
It sounds like she's probably a pretty high producer - your calf is getting scours because she's got a lot of rich milk that his stomach can't handle. I had one calf that was very tiny at birth - maybe 35 pounds - and at 3 weeks old he got scours each and every time he nursed. Even when we limited it to 5 minutes, probably because she was fully letting down for him and he was getting all of the cream in that time frame.
You'll need to be milking her out completely and bottle feed him, most likely. Or you can try separating them and only allow him to nurse before you milk her out. That will hopefully keep him from getting all the cream and will put an end to his scours. It will also get her to give a more complete letdown and it will be easier to milk her out.
If you forget the bag balm, either leave it off or hobble her again before trying to put it on. She's won the battle, but may lose the war at the expense of her health or her life. This is not a toy, it's not a tool or a car, it is a living animal - two living animals - that you are putting in jeopardy.
I won't apologize for being harsh, not when it comes to the welfare of animals and it could have all been avoided by taking the time to learn what you are doing first.
You either need to learn how to deal with this cow WITHOUT losing your tempers (breaking bones while escalating the force of hitting IS abuse) or you need to sell her to someone who knows what they are doing.
Even people who truly know what they are doing end up with cows that get mastitis - read all about Adele - and your cow is, quite frankly, turning into a demon from h*ll through mismanagement. It sounds like she naturally has a very sweet temperament, from the way she is with your children. However, using abuse in the stanchion is not going to get you anywhere. Taking out your frustrations by striking a cow with your hand is not the way to go.
She's used to being locked in for milking. It would take about an hour and $40-50 to make a head lock. It will give her security at a time when everything else has to be different.
It sounds like she's probably a pretty high producer - your calf is getting scours because she's got a lot of rich milk that his stomach can't handle. I had one calf that was very tiny at birth - maybe 35 pounds - and at 3 weeks old he got scours each and every time he nursed. Even when we limited it to 5 minutes, probably because she was fully letting down for him and he was getting all of the cream in that time frame.
You'll need to be milking her out completely and bottle feed him, most likely. Or you can try separating them and only allow him to nurse before you milk her out. That will hopefully keep him from getting all the cream and will put an end to his scours. It will also get her to give a more complete letdown and it will be easier to milk her out.
If you forget the bag balm, either leave it off or hobble her again before trying to put it on. She's won the battle, but may lose the war at the expense of her health or her life. This is not a toy, it's not a tool or a car, it is a living animal - two living animals - that you are putting in jeopardy.
I won't apologize for being harsh, not when it comes to the welfare of animals and it could have all been avoided by taking the time to learn what you are doing first.