My only little disappointment..

[darbyfamily]

We've not seen Autumn nursing at all.. and Spring doesnt have much of an udder on her anymore... I think she's dried off already

Which means we really do need to work on getting her bred I am disappointed since I had really looked forward to milking her and saving money on the dairy products and all.

We tried hard to find a cow in milk so we could start right off milking...I might be more than just a little disappointed in that regard, but dh and I are both so thrilled that we got such good natured cows and such friendly things. We love feeding them treats, scratching their ears and hearing their moos :P

I'd still rather breed them in June for a March calf, so we'll watch her for signs of heat and see if we can figure it out.

What should we be watching for?

And do heifer calves usually try to mount their moms? ROFL... she's definitely a heifer, but she definitely tried to mount Spring while I was out there with them.

[translplant]

How old is Autumn again? A young calf usually won't just self-wean if they don't have to. She may be stressed from the trip or may not be well (check her manure) or may be sneaking when you don't see her. How long ago was Spring's calf taken away? A cow will usually be engourged for a while right after so that doesn't sound right either. They could just all be stressed from the trip - keep at it for at least a few more days. With 8 kids I have a feeling you know something about nursing (wink) so remember some of those tips? Call the seller and get the scoop too.

[translplant]

Oh yeah, and all familial relationships are OFF when a cow is in heat. Mother/daughter/father/brother/son etc. Just don't think about it in human terms and you won't be freaked out.

[darbyfamily]

Autumn is Springs calf, and is 5 mths old..was born in October. So she should still be nursing I guess? I'll keep an eye on them and try to get in there to check for any milk production when I can.

Surely if she's still producing, if I separate the calf for the night, she'll be full in the morning I know how THAT goes! LOL

Thanks!!!

[darbyfamily]

SO.... are there other things that I can watch for to know she's in heat? or would that be a clear enough cue? I guess I need to be writing it down somewhere so I can keep track and know when to breed her, right?

21 days from heat to heat, give or take?

[translplant]

Good morning! Nice to see someone else is an early post-er! I would keep them together for a few days just in case Spring is drying up a bit to get Autumn (now I have the names straight) to nurse. Have you checked out this website?http://dextercattle.proboards84.com/index.cgi or this one? http://familycow.proboards32.com/index.cgi The Family Cow (second one) looks like a lot of people who know what you're up against and could help.

[darbyfamily]

COOL thanks!

yep, up and waiting on dh to finish those biscuits and gravy yummies... and then off to church.

[Dexter_Cattle]

We actually wean dexters at 4 months. They tend to be friendlier, not that you don't have that already down pat. We do that for management. Heifers can come into heat starting at 5 months in dexter-dom.

[darbyfamily]

I gave her some sweet feed in the trough and then rubbed down her side real good and just let her get comfortable... then I reached down and squeezed one teat... Nothing...

petted her a bit longer and then tried the one in back... still nothing and Hmmmm... she has two really small teats on the back of her udder that dont seem to be functional.. a six teated cow... I got the bonus plan???

Well, I do think she's dried up, I couldnt even get a drop out of her... I may try again later, maybe I just didnt squeeze hard enough?

But she's haltered now and doesnt seem to mind it too much. It was a pain getting it on her, but we finally did it.... and it looks purdy! She has bright blue and Autumn has red, and their lead rope is red/white/blue so it matches them both :P

[cowkeeper]

I was checking a cow's teat this morning. I know she is nursing her calf, but I had to rub her udder some and sweet-talk her, and she let down her milk after about ten squeezes! Before that, it was dry as can be.
The non-functional little teats on the back are very common and not a cause for concern.

[darbyfamily]

OHHHHH... thats encouraging to hear! though, I really would think I'd see something in her udder...

maybe Im just used to seeing the pictures of cows udders on here from dairy farms..LOL... DEFINITELY nothing like that around here!

I'll try again.

[darbyfamily]

OH OHOH the calf was on her for about 10 minutes tonight while we were sitting out there watching them. Tomorrow night I'll separate the baby from mama and try to milk her on tuesday morning