Post by Shawn on Feb 1, 2017 11:31:29 GMT -5
Round 2:
Last night I shut her calves up and hoped she'd be calmer since it was night and everybody could just sleep through it. The calves went right to work, laying down and were totally relaxed.
She was content eating the buffet I had set out for her.
This morning, she only started mooing when I got to the barn. I had set everything up last night to speed through the prep, so I hustled her babies into the milk room and clipped them to their chains at the stanchions just to her left. I had made them a small tub of alfalfa leaves to get them into the idea that treats await and this is a good place. They have only been tied one other time, and so they were flipping and almost flopping like fish for a little bit, but by the time I let her in, they were calm. She came in, saw them there and went right to eating. She did poop again, which I was prepared for, and then later peed. Hopefully, we can get that stopped soon.
I have to give her credit, though, she lets it all down when you turn that milker on. I milked until I hoped I had 1.5-2 gallons and then let her babies do the rest.
I feel like it's a step in the right direction. She didn't seem as wigged out about it this time. I realize that part of the issue is I haven't been bringing her into the milking room to feed her TAD, I've just been putting stuff out for her since she separated from the herd. I did that because I was really trying to get her to finish all her grain and she was picking at it so badly, she'd barely eat any during the time she was in the stanchion. So we're going to have to get back into a routine of coming in and eating grain only in the stanchion.
Anyway, at least we have milk in the refrigerator to last a few more days and baby steps in the direction of getting a cow acclimated to this idea and her calves halter broke and friendlied up again.
Last night I shut her calves up and hoped she'd be calmer since it was night and everybody could just sleep through it. The calves went right to work, laying down and were totally relaxed.
She was content eating the buffet I had set out for her. This morning, she only started mooing when I got to the barn. I had set everything up last night to speed through the prep, so I hustled her babies into the milk room and clipped them to their chains at the stanchions just to her left. I had made them a small tub of alfalfa leaves to get them into the idea that treats await and this is a good place. They have only been tied one other time, and so they were flipping and almost flopping like fish for a little bit, but by the time I let her in, they were calm. She came in, saw them there and went right to eating. She did poop again, which I was prepared for, and then later peed. Hopefully, we can get that stopped soon.
I have to give her credit, though, she lets it all down when you turn that milker on. I milked until I hoped I had 1.5-2 gallons and then let her babies do the rest.
I feel like it's a step in the right direction. She didn't seem as wigged out about it this time. I realize that part of the issue is I haven't been bringing her into the milking room to feed her TAD, I've just been putting stuff out for her since she separated from the herd. I did that because I was really trying to get her to finish all her grain and she was picking at it so badly, she'd barely eat any during the time she was in the stanchion. So we're going to have to get back into a routine of coming in and eating grain only in the stanchion.
Anyway, at least we have milk in the refrigerator to last a few more days and baby steps in the direction of getting a cow acclimated to this idea and her calves halter broke and friendlied up again.
