Post by lilosbornefarm on Apr 17, 2016 21:08:37 GMT -5
So as I've posted we've had our new cow for a couple of weeks now. I hadn't milked any for us this last week like I did the first week because the calves picked up and were able to take all the milk. I was coming up on 10 days of milk and I figured it wouldn't last much longer and I needed fresh so I decided to milk tonight first. Well I couldn't get but a few squirts! I then let her calf in and stayed on one side but it still wasn't much on my side. I was so worried she was drying up or something I just let the other calves in to nurse.
They bumped her bag and nursed. Her teats were not full when I first started to milk so I feel like she was holding up. I was concerned because one calf was really bumping her hard over and over, but it is also the overly eager calf anyway. My husband was panicked he said maybe we should feed her more and blah blah blah but she is eating plenty and looks much better then even when we got her as far as filled out so I don't think feed is the problem.
I then worried she was self sucking but all the quarters looked even. I let the calves nurse and then decided to try the food coloring thing like I saw another KFCer do when she had a self sucking cow but I even think I did that wrong because I put red on the front two and green on the back two. I probably should've just done it on the front quarters.
Anyway I came in and got it my KFC book and read about Joann's experience having cows that hold up so I felt a little more at ease.
Is this what holding up is, how do I know that she still has plenty of milk and isn't drying up or something weird like that? Can you tell I'm a little panicked?? And now what do I do when we need milk for the house?
Also I collected enough I decided to try out our brand new cmt test. No I didn't do each quarter but I thought well if something has mastitis surely it will show up if they are all combined. And nothing, nothing gelled, no thickening nothing so I don't feel like it is mastitis.
Does anyone have any thoughts?
They bumped her bag and nursed. Her teats were not full when I first started to milk so I feel like she was holding up. I was concerned because one calf was really bumping her hard over and over, but it is also the overly eager calf anyway. My husband was panicked he said maybe we should feed her more and blah blah blah but she is eating plenty and looks much better then even when we got her as far as filled out so I don't think feed is the problem.
I then worried she was self sucking but all the quarters looked even. I let the calves nurse and then decided to try the food coloring thing like I saw another KFCer do when she had a self sucking cow but I even think I did that wrong because I put red on the front two and green on the back two. I probably should've just done it on the front quarters.
Anyway I came in and got it my KFC book and read about Joann's experience having cows that hold up so I felt a little more at ease.
Is this what holding up is, how do I know that she still has plenty of milk and isn't drying up or something weird like that? Can you tell I'm a little panicked?? And now what do I do when we need milk for the house?
Also I collected enough I decided to try out our brand new cmt test. No I didn't do each quarter but I thought well if something has mastitis surely it will show up if they are all combined. And nothing, nothing gelled, no thickening nothing so I don't feel like it is mastitis.
Does anyone have any thoughts?