Post by Deleted on Dec 10, 2007 19:17:51 GMT -5
Hi friends! Have really missed you guys. Life's been kind of challenging and I haven't been able to check in much since summer. Hope everyone is doing well!
Can't believe the time has flown by and Alzesta was due to calve yesterday. The prospect fills me with dread since last time was so difficult with her going down twice with milk fever and having terrible edema that persisted for so long. She is such a sweet and dear cow, I'm praying she doesn't suffer this time.
I hoped to get some pictures of her today, but couldn't manage it. She's big - that's for sure, but it doesn't seem that too much is happening yet. A little discharge, but still clear. Her udder is full, but teats are still a little wrinkled. Tail doesn't really seem loose yet. She's so funny, she'll go and stand at the door to the milking room lately as if to say please give me some relief from this fullness! We are checking on her every hour now, but so far she seems very calm. Sometimes standing, sometimes lying down, chewing her cud and looking at us like we're nuts for coming out there and staring at her so often.
We sharemilked to the end, just weaning Sophia not long before we dried off Alzesta. It worked beautifully for us, milking in the mornings and separating them at night. What a sweet reward to see the two of them together all the time. Of course we have to keep them completely separate now and they take turns on the pasture. Some day we hope to have a better fencing system, but for now it works okay.
Our recent Decembers have seemed so mild, wouldn't you know this one would be different. We have a couple of inches of snow still on the ground and haven't let Alzesta go out from the lot by the barn into the pasture for about three days. She's miffed about that, but we don't want to risk her calving or going down with milk fever out in the weather. Mainly she's been lounging in her stall in the barn.
Now we have the threat of another ice storm moving in. Our vet is great and is willing to come out when we need him, but if the ice gets bad he might not be able to make it. Not only that, but we usually lose power during these storms, sometimes for days. Each time it happens we say we're going to get a generator and be prepared for the next time, but you know how it goes, there never seems to be enough money for something like that. So I may not even be able to get online to beg for advice on the cow board!
Alas, I am too much a worrier! ;D Still, please feel free to beam some good thoughts in our direction for the next few days.
Shari in NE Missouri
Can't believe the time has flown by and Alzesta was due to calve yesterday. The prospect fills me with dread since last time was so difficult with her going down twice with milk fever and having terrible edema that persisted for so long. She is such a sweet and dear cow, I'm praying she doesn't suffer this time.
I hoped to get some pictures of her today, but couldn't manage it. She's big - that's for sure, but it doesn't seem that too much is happening yet. A little discharge, but still clear. Her udder is full, but teats are still a little wrinkled. Tail doesn't really seem loose yet. She's so funny, she'll go and stand at the door to the milking room lately as if to say please give me some relief from this fullness! We are checking on her every hour now, but so far she seems very calm. Sometimes standing, sometimes lying down, chewing her cud and looking at us like we're nuts for coming out there and staring at her so often.
We sharemilked to the end, just weaning Sophia not long before we dried off Alzesta. It worked beautifully for us, milking in the mornings and separating them at night. What a sweet reward to see the two of them together all the time. Of course we have to keep them completely separate now and they take turns on the pasture. Some day we hope to have a better fencing system, but for now it works okay.
Our recent Decembers have seemed so mild, wouldn't you know this one would be different. We have a couple of inches of snow still on the ground and haven't let Alzesta go out from the lot by the barn into the pasture for about three days. She's miffed about that, but we don't want to risk her calving or going down with milk fever out in the weather. Mainly she's been lounging in her stall in the barn.
Now we have the threat of another ice storm moving in. Our vet is great and is willing to come out when we need him, but if the ice gets bad he might not be able to make it. Not only that, but we usually lose power during these storms, sometimes for days. Each time it happens we say we're going to get a generator and be prepared for the next time, but you know how it goes, there never seems to be enough money for something like that. So I may not even be able to get online to beg for advice on the cow board!
Alas, I am too much a worrier! ;D Still, please feel free to beam some good thoughts in our direction for the next few days.
Shari in NE Missouri