Post by Lannie on Sept 30, 2007 19:24:45 GMT -5
I've been trying to get Bandit to go into her new milking stanchion to eat lately, but she figured out how to just bend her neck around and stick it through the slot to eat the few pellets I was giving her, without actually getting IN there like she should if I was going to try milking her. If she ever calves.
So today (with Rich out there as a backup) I put some alfalfa/grass hay in there, thinking that she'd get tired of bending her neck so far to eat. I finally had to push her a bit, but she got on the "platform" and ate for quite a while. At one point, a couple of the cats went at it out in the corral, which spooked her and she got out to go investigate, but she went right back in, all four feet in. So this is progress. ;D
She stayed in there long enough for me to get a few pics, so here they are.
Rich made this bar set-up for me for in case I have to leave her in there to think about something later on. I was kind of hoping I could milk around it, and maybe it would keep her from kicking me, but right now it's too high, and even if we lower it, all she'd have to do is step to the left and I wouldn't be able to reach her. So the bar will be put up only if she's fussing and I'm losing my temper and have to walk away for a bit.
She didn't even notice it was there, she was so busy with her hay.
Here it is without the bar.
I just wish I knew for sure when she was due to calve. The only information I got from her previous owner was sometime late in September, probably. She still doesn't look like she's close, and in fact there were times I wondered whether she was even pregnant at all, but I can definitely see the increase in size on the right side, and just in the last few days it seems like her lily is a bit poofy. Although that might just be my imagination.
She's also getting more irritable. Is that a sign of impending labor? She's hauled off and tried to kick me twice, and I'll tell you, if she'd connected, I wouldn't be walking today. I was just lucky I saw it coming both times and got out of the way. Fortunately, I've started carrying my crop around with me for just in case, and she got whacked hard both times. I started carrying the crop because she's become rather pushy in the last couple of weeks, trying to knock me down to get to her pellets. So I wave it in front of her to keep her back, or sometimes smack her lightly with it to make her move out of the way. I don't hit her hard unless she tries to kick me, though, so don't think I'm abusing her or anything. Sheesh, she's probably the most spoiled cow in the county! Which is why she's getting pushy, I'm sure...
Anyway, I just felt good finally getting her to go IN the stanchion and I wanted to share. ;D
~Lannie
So today (with Rich out there as a backup) I put some alfalfa/grass hay in there, thinking that she'd get tired of bending her neck so far to eat. I finally had to push her a bit, but she got on the "platform" and ate for quite a while. At one point, a couple of the cats went at it out in the corral, which spooked her and she got out to go investigate, but she went right back in, all four feet in. So this is progress. ;D
She stayed in there long enough for me to get a few pics, so here they are.
Rich made this bar set-up for me for in case I have to leave her in there to think about something later on. I was kind of hoping I could milk around it, and maybe it would keep her from kicking me, but right now it's too high, and even if we lower it, all she'd have to do is step to the left and I wouldn't be able to reach her. So the bar will be put up only if she's fussing and I'm losing my temper and have to walk away for a bit.
She didn't even notice it was there, she was so busy with her hay.
Here it is without the bar.
I just wish I knew for sure when she was due to calve. The only information I got from her previous owner was sometime late in September, probably. She still doesn't look like she's close, and in fact there were times I wondered whether she was even pregnant at all, but I can definitely see the increase in size on the right side, and just in the last few days it seems like her lily is a bit poofy. Although that might just be my imagination.
She's also getting more irritable. Is that a sign of impending labor? She's hauled off and tried to kick me twice, and I'll tell you, if she'd connected, I wouldn't be walking today. I was just lucky I saw it coming both times and got out of the way. Fortunately, I've started carrying my crop around with me for just in case, and she got whacked hard both times. I started carrying the crop because she's become rather pushy in the last couple of weeks, trying to knock me down to get to her pellets. So I wave it in front of her to keep her back, or sometimes smack her lightly with it to make her move out of the way. I don't hit her hard unless she tries to kick me, though, so don't think I'm abusing her or anything. Sheesh, she's probably the most spoiled cow in the county! Which is why she's getting pushy, I'm sure...
Anyway, I just felt good finally getting her to go IN the stanchion and I wanted to share. ;D
~Lannie