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Post by karenp on Dec 8, 2017 14:08:40 GMT
Bad news, the little heifer I kept to be my family cow lost her calf last week. She wasn't due until March. The good news is, she is still producing and I'm getting just over a gallon a day total milking twice a day. This is putting a crimp in my plans for traveling before Christmas, but I'm very happy with her production at this stage.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2017 14:35:55 GMT
sorry to here that
do you know what happened?
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Post by karenp on Dec 8, 2017 15:48:17 GMT
No, the calf looked well formed and appropriate for gestational age, the placenta appeared normal, no odor. I"m going to get some blood work done.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2017 17:34:42 GMT
How is her condition? If she was milking well and raising a calf she may have gotten pulled down to low. some cows will abort if the energy out is more than the energy in and some cows will cary the calf and just get real thin.
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Post by karenp on Dec 8, 2017 19:16:09 GMT
She's a heifer, this would have been her first calf, which is why I'm so impressed with the milk production. If anything, she's on the chunky side.
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Post by otf on Dec 8, 2017 23:40:18 GMT
karenp, sorry to hear this....there are sooooo many things that can go wrong. Your vet will be able to help you sort it all out. Were her vaccinations up to date?
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Post by karenp on Dec 9, 2017 3:17:20 GMT
The vet tries, but she really isn't a cow person and is our only option. The only vaccination she recommended was rabies (as it is endemic in our area). We are considered brucellosis free so vaccine is hard to come by as there isn't a demand. For those of you who drink raw milk in the first place,
you all be comfortable drinking the milk without further testing?
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Post by otf on Dec 9, 2017 14:09:34 GMT
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Post by karenp on Dec 9, 2017 14:51:39 GMT
We have been in contact with the state vet, their office has been very responsive. A fair number of horse vets, but really limited vet options as far as ones that will see cows.
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Post by teatpuller11 on Dec 9, 2017 18:58:59 GMT
Karen, if she's already milking four months before due date, and this is her first calf, I don't see this adding up.
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Post by karenp on Dec 9, 2017 19:13:49 GMT
Karen, if she's already milking four months before due date, and this is her first calf, I don't see this adding up. I don't know what to say. We don't keep a bull, he was only with her for one cycle. He was on the premises a little earlier, but they weren't in adjacent pastures. He would have had to jump two fences and back to have bred her earlier. Not totally impossible, but not likely. I used the chart from the ADCA site to determine due date. From what I've researched the calf was appropriately developed for gestational age. As I said I am quite happy with her production considering the circumstances. I have pictures I can e-mail to someone if they want to post them here. |
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Post by genebo on Dec 9, 2017 23:32:03 GMT
I'm not sure I'd trust a chart off of the ADCA site. That's the only calendar chart I know of without August 31 on it.
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Post by karenp on Aug 10, 2018 12:05:04 GMT
Update, we are now 8 months into lactation. She peaked at about a gallon and a half milking TAD. At the beginning of July I dropped her to OAD milking and her production dropped a little, I was getting about 3/4 of a gallon, still plenty for the house with some left over for the pigs (I haven't mastered cheese making yet). Last week I had to go out of town for a funeral and left DH to milk. She would not let down for him at all, so she essentially missed being milked Wed. and Thur morning. I milked when I got home Thurs afternoon, she was understandably very full. Friday morning almost nothing. Well, this is it I thought, 8 months in there will be no bringing her back, she's just going to dry up. I hated the thought of going that long without milk so I had to try. I went back to TAD milking, lo and behold, she's back to giving about a gallon a day. Lots of rain recently and the abundance of grass helps. I'm just so pleased with this little girl I had to share.
PS she is confirmed bred back with a due date of Jan 30.
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Post by jamshundred on Aug 11, 2018 20:46:04 GMT
Karen,
That is a Christmas daughter, right?
If I recall, was she bred to a polled bull?
Judy
PS - Did you find a home for her dam?
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Post by karenp on Aug 12, 2018 1:44:37 GMT
Karen, That is a Christmas daughter, right? If I recall, was she bred to a polled bull? Judy PS - Did you find a home for her dam? Yes, she is a Christmas daughter, (Candy Cane in his honor). Her dam went to our small animal vet who keeps a few cows. I do have her full sister if you know someone looking for a small milk cow. Yes, she was bred and is bred back to a local polled Dexter. |
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Post by jamshundred on Aug 28, 2018 14:09:50 GMT
Karen,
Have you heard of Lancaster Farming paper? It is published in Lancaster County, PA weekly, usually has five sections, sometimes more, and it is stuffed so for of information you really cannot get through it all before the next one arrives in your mailbox. For the content, the price is excellent. I cannot recall exact, but somewhere around $60 year. If you subscribe, you can place free ads in the ad section, which is always chock full of everything imaginable from Livestock to equipment. . . to . .. . . imagine it. I believe it now reaches NY, NJ, Del, PA, Ohio, WV, MD, Va, and perhaps other states. Each paper will have a section on the geographical area where you are located, and farming related news and info.
You can also just pay for, and place an ad. . . . but the real value is to get the newspaper. Once you subscribe you can read/search online.
That paper is read throughout the Amish communities, and the Amish want A2 milk cows. They have genetic issues with milk intolerance, and not only is A2 digestible for them, the community where I've sold cows can drink Dexter milk without problems but A2 milk from other breeds can still cause tummy distress.
So, you might find a good sale by trying to reach those communities. Especially since she is handled and would be ideal for milking.
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Post by karenp on Sept 5, 2018 13:30:51 GMT
Karen, Have you heard of Lancaster Farming paper? It is published in Lancaster County, PA weekly, usually has five sections, sometimes more, and it is stuffed so for of information you really cannot get through it all before the next one arrives in your mailbox. For the content, the price is excellent. I cannot recall exact, but somewhere around $60 year. If you subscribe, you can place free ads in the ad section, which is always chock full of everything imaginable from Livestock to equipment. . . to . .. . . imagine it. I believe it now reaches NY, NJ, Del, PA, Ohio, WV, MD, Va, and perhaps other states. Each paper will have a section on the geographical area where you are located, and farming related news and info. You can also just pay for, and place an ad. . . . but the real value is to get the newspaper. Once you subscribe you can read/search online. That paper is read throughout the Amish communities, and the Amish want A2 milk cows. They have genetic issues with milk intolerance, and not only is A2 digestible for them, the community where I've sold cows can drink Dexter milk without problems but A2 milk from other breeds can still cause tummy distress. So, you might find a good sale by trying to reach those communities. Especially since she is handled and would be ideal for milking. My friend Pam advertises her Dexter with them. At this point, I've resigned myself to put Carol in the freezer and I'm kind of looking forward to the meat. I'd rather see her humanely go to a quick end than sell her to questionable home. The Amish have a reputation of not caring for their animals well and just using them up and moving on. (sorry if this offends anyone, I'm sure there are exceptions and I guess there aren't too many Amish on line anyway) |
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