Post by mazurzoo on Jan 23, 2008 16:42:32 GMT -5
As the world turns..............
Yesterday we decided with all our probs with Bella that we really need to cut our losses financially and emotionally and just send bella in for meat. I was so at peace and actually feeling like doing a happy dance because this will mean less pressure on me and freedom. We now have our other cow on OAD and she's still giving 2 gal a day. Things were looking up...yesterday.
Her shipping appt is sunday, butcher monday. Originally we were sending Jug Head our steer in, he's a 13 mo old holstein. I just wanted him out and beef in. But w/ bella and her probs she is now taking his ride sunday.
Let me explain what led to this decision, because I dont think I posted the most recent "tragedy". Friday morning, I go out to milk, Bella is gasping for life. I call vet immediately. He says she's having an allergic reaction! To what I say? vet says to her milk! What I dont feed her her milk! vet says, because you keep the calves on her all day after morning milking, she's used to being dry all day, and then you seperate and night, forcing her system to hold all that milk for 12 hrs til morrning milking again, so she has developed an allergy to her milk! I say thats crazy, but he treats her and within 15 min she's 80% better and by evening you wouldnt have known she was almost dying this morning! By the way, dont worry this prob wont happen to you, if you calf share, because this is only a rare occurance that happens to a cow that the vet calls a jinx!
So the vet says if I keep her the calves should stay w/ her 24/7. The one calf is already scouring bad from all the milk. So we took him away and are feeding him calf medic until he clears. So we still have to milk TAD for now.
Besides what happened friday...most of you know that she freshened w/ a bad case of common staph mastitis in one quarter, then she developed it in another. This was DEC 2 when she freshened, and the 2nd qtr is just starting to look normal ( I think) but the bad one I doubt will ever clear. I hardly get milk out of it, and it has lots of big cheesey chuncks. I have tried almost every natural treatment, and even put her on a 5 days rnd of antibiotics. Vet says that the really bad qtr was prob that way in her last lactation and he thinks she prob wasnt dry treated.
Besides the medical issues, her udder is really low, she pees and poos chronically during milk time. Even if we wait for her to do so before bringing her in. She just does it out of spite, I think.
All around she's a royal pain to us.
We paid $1500, we now have $3300 in her from all the vet visits and food we've fed her since Sept. Thats right we have only had her since Sept 13th.
Trying to rehab her and reselling her for a milk cow price is risky, she may never clear in that qtr, what if she has another allergy attack. So we could dump a ton more $ and energy into her, and get squat in the end!
If we auction her now, for a cull cow we'll get $200-400 at best for her. So then essentially we'll get squat for her. So that leaves us with butchering her for meat which we could really use right now. Shes only 3.5 yo, so her meat should be ok. Then that will spare Jug Heads life until he's 24 mo old and nice and big, at least we'll be able to profit off him for beef sales.
Honestly, I really believe that if someone that wasnt as burnt out as me, who had a good outlook on healing, took her , they could rehab that one last bad qtr.
Her 2nd bad qtr, was only clotty for a couple days, and has been clot free most of the time, but showing thick on the CMT. The last couple days its showing thinner and thinner on that CMT test.
So this is what confuses me, the day I finally say, we're shipping her, I realize that one of the bad qtrs is probably alright now, and will be alright. I feel renewed hope for her ability to kick this, maybe even in the remaining bad qtr. But I dont think I could help her, I am just done with her.
But no one with half a brain will pay me a decent price for a cow w/ 1 bad qtr!
Then I have to consider the price of milk replacer for the 2 calves. The one calf is 8 weeks and prob would only need a month on it, but the other is 3 weeks, might just sell him anyway to avoid having to fool w/ him.
I am even talking my self in circles on this post! So yes I am confused and embarrassed as well!
Yesterday we decided with all our probs with Bella that we really need to cut our losses financially and emotionally and just send bella in for meat. I was so at peace and actually feeling like doing a happy dance because this will mean less pressure on me and freedom. We now have our other cow on OAD and she's still giving 2 gal a day. Things were looking up...yesterday.
Her shipping appt is sunday, butcher monday. Originally we were sending Jug Head our steer in, he's a 13 mo old holstein. I just wanted him out and beef in. But w/ bella and her probs she is now taking his ride sunday.
Let me explain what led to this decision, because I dont think I posted the most recent "tragedy". Friday morning, I go out to milk, Bella is gasping for life. I call vet immediately. He says she's having an allergic reaction! To what I say? vet says to her milk! What I dont feed her her milk! vet says, because you keep the calves on her all day after morning milking, she's used to being dry all day, and then you seperate and night, forcing her system to hold all that milk for 12 hrs til morrning milking again, so she has developed an allergy to her milk! I say thats crazy, but he treats her and within 15 min she's 80% better and by evening you wouldnt have known she was almost dying this morning! By the way, dont worry this prob wont happen to you, if you calf share, because this is only a rare occurance that happens to a cow that the vet calls a jinx!
So the vet says if I keep her the calves should stay w/ her 24/7. The one calf is already scouring bad from all the milk. So we took him away and are feeding him calf medic until he clears. So we still have to milk TAD for now.
Besides what happened friday...most of you know that she freshened w/ a bad case of common staph mastitis in one quarter, then she developed it in another. This was DEC 2 when she freshened, and the 2nd qtr is just starting to look normal ( I think) but the bad one I doubt will ever clear. I hardly get milk out of it, and it has lots of big cheesey chuncks. I have tried almost every natural treatment, and even put her on a 5 days rnd of antibiotics. Vet says that the really bad qtr was prob that way in her last lactation and he thinks she prob wasnt dry treated.
Besides the medical issues, her udder is really low, she pees and poos chronically during milk time. Even if we wait for her to do so before bringing her in. She just does it out of spite, I think.
All around she's a royal pain to us.
We paid $1500, we now have $3300 in her from all the vet visits and food we've fed her since Sept. Thats right we have only had her since Sept 13th.
Trying to rehab her and reselling her for a milk cow price is risky, she may never clear in that qtr, what if she has another allergy attack. So we could dump a ton more $ and energy into her, and get squat in the end!
If we auction her now, for a cull cow we'll get $200-400 at best for her. So then essentially we'll get squat for her. So that leaves us with butchering her for meat which we could really use right now. Shes only 3.5 yo, so her meat should be ok. Then that will spare Jug Heads life until he's 24 mo old and nice and big, at least we'll be able to profit off him for beef sales.
Honestly, I really believe that if someone that wasnt as burnt out as me, who had a good outlook on healing, took her , they could rehab that one last bad qtr.
Her 2nd bad qtr, was only clotty for a couple days, and has been clot free most of the time, but showing thick on the CMT. The last couple days its showing thinner and thinner on that CMT test.
So this is what confuses me, the day I finally say, we're shipping her, I realize that one of the bad qtrs is probably alright now, and will be alright. I feel renewed hope for her ability to kick this, maybe even in the remaining bad qtr. But I dont think I could help her, I am just done with her.
But no one with half a brain will pay me a decent price for a cow w/ 1 bad qtr!
Then I have to consider the price of milk replacer for the 2 calves. The one calf is 8 weeks and prob would only need a month on it, but the other is 3 weeks, might just sell him anyway to avoid having to fool w/ him.
I am even talking my self in circles on this post! So yes I am confused and embarrassed as well!