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GENERAL BOARDS => DAIRY FARM - Animals => Topic started by: MrsKK on November 21, 2010, 02:38:17 PM
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Warning: This is LONG!
Well, we'll probably shorten it to Stewie.
Just before 9am yesterday, I headed out to do chores and prep for chicken butchering. I glanced up at the barnyard and saw Buttercup lowering herself to lie down. Less than five minutes later, I came out the basement door and saw her get up and walk around, seeming very agitated, so I went up for a visit. While there, she had a contraction, so I knew we weren't too far off.
I went ahead and fed all the animals and Buttercup heartily ate her breakfast, but I could tell she was really uncomfortable. She would eat, but then walk away, stop and hunch up for a contraction. The pigs needed a heated water bucket installed, so I went ahead and worked on that, but she hadn't advanced much by the time I was done. Frank got home at about 11am, so I changed into my tennis shoes to help him bring groceries in. As I got to the truck, I could tell that something was going on, so I went back up for another peek at the cow and could see one little hoof and a bubble of the amniotic sac poking out.
I hollered at Frank and he let Rachel know. I could see that the calf was turned a bit, as the hooves were coming out on the side of her vulva, rather than at the bottom, so I called my friend for some advice. At that point, I couldn't tell if they were front or back hooves, so Amy said I should reach in and feel for the nose. Butter wouldn't let me anywhere near her back end, though, so I had to wait.
After about ten minutes of hard pushing and not much advancement, I approached her again and she allowed me to help. The hooves appeared crossed, so I uncrossed them, she gave a push and a tongue and nose appeared! She pushed 3-4 more times without advancement, so I decided to give her a little help, pulling firmly but gently down toward her hocks. It took a few more pushes for his shoulders to come free of her pelvis and then I knew she didn't need any more of my help.
Poor little guy was born in 20 degrees and wind, so I towelled him off while Butter was indulging in three! buckets of molasses water. He was still damp, even after towelling and being licked by momma, so after about 30 minutes, we gradually moved him up to the barn. I bribed Butter with a bucket of sweet feed while Frank carried the little guy. She'd get to the barn door and get suspicious, so Frank would quickly put him down and back away.
Eventually, though, we got him in under the heat lamp that Frank hung. We put alfalfa hay in the barn to encourage Butter to stay there with him, then we left them, as she didn't want to stay in the barn while we were there. About an hour and a half after he was born, I looked up to see him nursing.
I milked out about six cups of colostrum last night, just to relieve her udder just a bit. Her left front quarter didn't have much in it, so he is eating really well. I checked on them a couple of times during the evening and noted that every time he got up, so would she, he'd work his way around to his favorite spigot and get a tummy full.
She's such a good momma and I'm so thankful that the Lord brought us such a sweet cow. She gets agitated when she can't see him, but she's never been aggressive towards us for helping. I can't ask for much more than that.
BTW, he is named Stewart because he was due on Grandma's birthday and that was her maiden name. He was born two days late, but I still wanted to honor her with this calf. If he'd been a heifer, he would have been named Marie.
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Congrats on the new addition; glad it went well!
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Congratulations!
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How wonderful! Your story even choked me up a bit. Enjoy that new baby. Send pictures!
Susan
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Thanks Karen, for sharing the story and a huge huge Congratulations on the baby. One more relief milker that you are always looking for, :) but unlike any other beforehand. :)
Boy I love reading the archives of all of the forums because I learn so much about cheese making by reading the questions others have already asked and the discussions that ensued. But this forum I read all the archives for purely from enjoyment. I live in an apartment in a big city, so I'm living through you guys vicariously and of course through posts such as this. Thanks again and enjoy the new baby.
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Karen, what a lovely story! Thanks for sharing it with us.
Christine
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Congrats!! ;D Sounds like you have many a cheese making adventure in your near future, Karen! :)
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Thanks everyone! I've been having some massive cheese-making withdrawal and can't wait for the colostrum to turn to milk so the fun can start.
She has calved just in time - I was sweating it, thinking that I might have to buy milk for my cheesemaking class next weekend, but now the day has been saved. I'll make yogurt for culture on Wednesday, then pre-make cultured mozzarella on Thursday. It should be just right for stretching on Saturday.
Milking this morning went pretty well, with her dancing around just a bit when she was done eating and couldn't quite see the calf. I got him up and she was happier, but then he had to do some exploring and started knocking my stuff over. So he's had his first experience being penned up - I have a small pen right next to her stanchion so she can see the little guy. It works really well for us.
And, yes, he is my relief milker. As I work second shift three evenings a week, I will be glad when he is taking enough milk that I can milk just once a day...but that is a few weeks down the road yet.
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Mazal Tov Karen! Congrats!
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That's great Karen. I also am back in the milking business. Two of my cows just had calves within 2 weeks of each other and we are already drinking the milk off the first. The second one has had some problems with a lot of blood in the colostrum from distension but she is almost over it. (Have you ever had this?) I think we will be saving her milk by next week so cheesemaking is just around the corner for me too.
I'm not sure if anyone remembers, but one year ago this week, we awoke to the house on fire and "smoked" our first montery jack cheese.:) Time flies. Ready to post some new cheese makes.
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JD - The blood thing is not unusual. I've not dealt with it myself but it is caused by the post par tum swelling. Tiny capillaries breaking. - Kristin
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JD, I've never had that problem with my cow, but she isn't a really big producer, either. She gives me plenty, freshening at about 4 gallons a day and topping out last year at 5 gallons, but nothing like some of those girls do.
Here are two photos I took today. I took more, but it isn't a great camera.
Here he is, sleeping while Momma got milked:
(http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee217/MrsKK/Cows/Stewart002.jpg)
And here he is getting a snack after milking was done:
(http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee217/MrsKK/Cows/Stewart005.jpg)
We put a weight tape on him last night. He's much bigger than I originally estimated - 79 lbs!
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Magnificent!
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What a sweetie! What kind of cows are they? Brown Swiss? Just guessing. I don't know my cows that well. ;D
Susan
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Boy sometimes we just forget to count our Blessings, and then something like this happens ......
Amazing.
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Beautiful calf, Karen.
Kristin, You are right about my cows problem. I have heard about it on dairies but had never had a cow with it before. This was "Daisy" 2nd calf and I think her bag is having a hard time adjusting to the extra milk. She is half Holstein and half Jersey. I think she has a Jersey bag trying to hold a Holstein's milk. ;)
Kosher, you are so right about being thankful for our Blessings. I have 10 children and my wife and I count them everyday. :)
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Oh he's a beautiful little guy! Congratulations! Makes me want to snuggle up with him ;) I enjoyed reading your story... I love having new goat babies, but the cow having a calf is just awesome.
Here are two photos I took today. I took more, but it isn't a great camera.
Here he is, sleeping while Momma got milked:
And here he is getting a snack after milking was done:
We put a weight tape on him last night. He's much bigger than I originally estimated - 79 lbs!
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Buttercup is 3/4 Jersey and 1/4 Holstein. She was bred by her son in February when I was using him to see when she was in standing heat...I never saw anything happen, but it obviously did. We definitely were blessed with this little guy, as he is incredibly healthy.
The colostrum has finally turned to milk and her birthing hormones have definitely settled down, so milking is going much better.
I'm making Greek yogurt tomorrow and mozzarella on Thursday.
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Hi, we have had that problem before, it is almost always a hematoma from laying wrong or another type of trauma to the udder. Does she have a large or pendulous udder?