Post by Selden on Jan 19, 2008 18:36:29 GMT -5
Clearly I need to get the vet out to palp Katika. I dried her off at the beginning of October, 2.25 years into her first lactation, because I'd had to switch OAD milking from morning to evening and at this her system said, "I'm done!" and she went down to a quart.
Hughie, my bull, had turned 1 in June and to my eye couldn't get anywhere close to Katika without her bashing him and throwing him into a wall. This fall, he seemed to make a bit of progress in that he was much larger and she couldn't throw him quite so hard. Still, as late as November all she would have to do would be to glance at him and he'd cower. So I despaired of her getting bred.
Now, Hughie is 19 months and I HAVE to put him in the freezer. Still not dangerous directly to me, not at all threatening in his gestures, but he is a major liability around the barnyard. His new "trick" is to attack the water trough, up-end it, dump it, and push it outside the pasture. The filled 70-gallon trough weighs 560 lbs. I weigh 140. So it makes me think. Also, he does this EVERY DAY, despite everything I have been able to think to stop him -- chaining the trough to the wall, double chaining, etc., etc. Every night at evening chores I find the trough outside the pasture and everyone eyeing it thirstily.
Anyway, in the past week I've been thinking that it's possible that Katika is bred because he's suddenly blossomed in confidence. Though still nervous around her, I have seen them eating so close together that their heads are almost touching.
But now suddenly I'm wondering... could action have taken place long, long ago?
I have been watching Hughie so hard that I haven't paid as close attention to Katika. However I did notice a recent change to her udder. After she was dried off she was nice and floppy and empty, no heat or swelling anywhere. Well, about a week ago I noticed it was not floppy anymore. I felt it -- no heat -- but definitely firm. Well, tonight I really groped her and she's definitely bagging up!
The reason the headline says "oh dear!" is because I am committed to going away for 2 weeks in March. With all the crises in my family life last year, we haven't been away for two years and we are due to drive to Florida for a much-needed family snooze by the pool, books in one hand and grill lighter in the other. An April calf would be fine, May, June, whatever, but not February or March!
How early can a cow's bag start to fill back up? I am remembering that I started bagging up within about 2 weeks of being pregnant, especially the second time. But I'm not sure this is germain.
Please tell me that Katika might not be due in the next eight weeks!
Hughie, my bull, had turned 1 in June and to my eye couldn't get anywhere close to Katika without her bashing him and throwing him into a wall. This fall, he seemed to make a bit of progress in that he was much larger and she couldn't throw him quite so hard. Still, as late as November all she would have to do would be to glance at him and he'd cower. So I despaired of her getting bred.
Now, Hughie is 19 months and I HAVE to put him in the freezer. Still not dangerous directly to me, not at all threatening in his gestures, but he is a major liability around the barnyard. His new "trick" is to attack the water trough, up-end it, dump it, and push it outside the pasture. The filled 70-gallon trough weighs 560 lbs. I weigh 140. So it makes me think. Also, he does this EVERY DAY, despite everything I have been able to think to stop him -- chaining the trough to the wall, double chaining, etc., etc. Every night at evening chores I find the trough outside the pasture and everyone eyeing it thirstily.
Anyway, in the past week I've been thinking that it's possible that Katika is bred because he's suddenly blossomed in confidence. Though still nervous around her, I have seen them eating so close together that their heads are almost touching.
But now suddenly I'm wondering... could action have taken place long, long ago?
I have been watching Hughie so hard that I haven't paid as close attention to Katika. However I did notice a recent change to her udder. After she was dried off she was nice and floppy and empty, no heat or swelling anywhere. Well, about a week ago I noticed it was not floppy anymore. I felt it -- no heat -- but definitely firm. Well, tonight I really groped her and she's definitely bagging up!
The reason the headline says "oh dear!" is because I am committed to going away for 2 weeks in March. With all the crises in my family life last year, we haven't been away for two years and we are due to drive to Florida for a much-needed family snooze by the pool, books in one hand and grill lighter in the other. An April calf would be fine, May, June, whatever, but not February or March!
How early can a cow's bag start to fill back up? I am remembering that I started bagging up within about 2 weeks of being pregnant, especially the second time. But I'm not sure this is germain.
Please tell me that Katika might not be due in the next eight weeks!