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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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 Posted - May 26 2019 : 3:41:53 PM
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| Millie had her first calf, Otis on May 20th. So many new experiences with this calf. Millie had a long labor, difficult delivery, and Otis had problems of his own. Tendon contracture of his back Rt. hoof. I had the vet look him over and with physical therapy for a couple of days, Otis is fine now. He couldn't get up and nurse as his hoof would knuckle under. I milked Millie by hand and fed Otis colostrum the first hours of life. He is now running around the pasture like nothing was ever wrong. All is well with Millie other than she is very possessive of Otis and has tried to take Joe and I down more than once. She did get a good kick in and injured my upper arm. No break, just bruised badly and sore. She was able to do this with the flank rope and being hobbled. She absolutely doesn't want milked and so this is still a challenge. Not sure how it will end, but haven't given up. I've never experienced anything like this. I blame her hormones. Time will tell. So that is the cow news for now. Oh, and Millie had blood in her colostrum in one quarter. It cleared up on it's own, but that was another first that I never experienced. Things are all going well now except for her contrary and dangerous behavior to milking. Darla is due June 12th, and looking forward to this. Hope everyone is having a great spring/summer. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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maryjane
7072 Posts
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Posted - May 28 2019 : 05:22:35 AM
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Happy to hear that Otis isn't permanently lame. Now if you can just get Millie to behave. First-time heifers can be anybody's guess. Turning them into good milk cows can be touch and go in the beginning, no matter their genetics. I was pondering that recently and thought about the trust they have to muster once their head is locked in and someone starts handling them. I think any of us would have a panic reaction ... until we came to know it as routine and safe. That's why I'm always so nervous about vet work--it can set them back. We just completed another round of hoof trims; they don't like them and neither do we. Glad to have it over with for a few more months.
Linus' banded "package" fell off last week. He's a big boy already. Connie said she could give him a home at her place, so I think I'm going to wean him sooner rather than later. He's eating good (if anything, he's a tad chunky); puts his head right into the feeder with everyone else. One thing I've observed about him is the fact that he's always very gentle with Maggie's udder--I've never once seen him nudge or butt it.
Anyway, good luck Janet. Sorry to hear about Millie's antics. Soon you'll be playing the towel game with Darla again--that'll be nice. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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Posted - May 28 2019 : 08:19:00 AM
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| Good morning MaryJane! Yes, little Otis is running around fine. I guess the tendon contracture and knuckle under are not that uncommon. Cramped quarters for Millie's calf. I'd never heard of it until Otis. So life is a learning continuum for sure. Millie was a trifle better this morning. I milked her out by hand and she didn't fuss as much, but she did bring up a hoof. So I continued with the milk machine and she was some better but has a way to go. I try combing and brushing her and talking to her which helps but I have to pay attention to the bottles also. So, it's going to take some time, and like you said trust issues. The head stall isn't new, she has been fed from it plenty of times, but she never had a calf to worry about. She has heard the milk machine before, but it's never been used on her, so many firsts that I'm certain are quite nerve wracking for a new momma. One thing for certain, it will either work out or it won't. Time will tell. Oh, and Miss Darla is just as protective over little Otis as Millie, so having to watch two cows. Goodness. Never a dull moment. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
Edited by - NellieBelle on May 28 2019 08:20:32 AM |
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Millie and Otis
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