Be careful what you wish for!

willow_girl · #1 06/23/11, 12:52 AM

On Friday night, I remarked to my boss that it had been a long time since we had any cows calve in! Like, 3 weeks ...

Now, this wasn't entirely unexpected, as we had a real hot spell last summer and didn't breed anyone for awhile. Still ...

Well, I'm eating those words now ... since Monday, we've had 5 cows and 3 heifers calve!

I have one cow on antibiotics, too, so that makes 9 going in the bucket ... that's a LOT considering we're only milking about 100!

Ended up with 8 healthy calves (one calf was stillborn, but we also had a set of twins). I know there were at least 4 heifers ... not sure what the last one who calved this afternoon had. Had one cow with milk fever; we had to give her calcium 2 days in a row, but she's doing fine now. One retained placenta (the heifer who had twins).

I will be glad when they're all going in the tank, and I don't have to tote buckets up the steps or interrupt milking to make up calf bottles!

Oh well -- all in a day's work, I guess!

springvalley · #2 06/23/11, 08:55 AM

Willow girl I carry all my milk in buckets, I don`t have to walk up steps from a parlor pit. Just a small ramp into the milkhouse, but I also don`t mind, I could put in the pipeline. Hehe, > Thanks Marc

**gone-a-milkin** · #3 06/23/11, 09:18 AM

Willow girl, this post makes me feel a bit better.

We have calved out so danged many ff heifers this spring. Over 50.Plus the older ladies.
Right now I am only dumping 3.

One is a 2 y/o holstein of the franken-udder variety. A really big girl.
She came in w/ lots of aedema and a damaged rr quarter.
I think she is going to be okay, but the first few days I spent quite a time getting her milked out and rubbed down.
Thank goodness she is a sweet tempered girl and seemed to appreciate my minstrations instead of offering to kick my face off.

Enjoy your bottle-babies. They are a pain, but so adorable too.

willow_girl · #4 06/24/11, 07:36 AM

Yeah Marc, I was thinking of you when I posted that!

I don't think I'd enjoy milking nearly so much without a PIPELINE!

Well I have 4 going in the tank today, yippee!

One calved early and we had dry-treated her, so we have to dump her milk until July 10. What fun! She had a full-term calf but apparently had been pregnant by the previous breeding. Actually, her daughter (who also calved in this week) did the same thing! We had dried her off a month or so early (according to her anticipated calving date), though, due to low production, so we won't have to withhold her milk beyond the usual time.

When we dried off these cows, I wasn't certain either of them actually were bred, because I'd seen them bulling after their last breeding. Must be a family trait! They also are freakishly huge cows, too ... I think the momma is the biggest Holstein I've ever seen. I call her "Sideways" because she doesn't fit in our parlor very well and has to be backed out. So far, she has put 2 daughters into the herd, and they take after her in every way. I was kinda glad she and her daughter had bulls this time around ... I don't think we need any more of those genetics in the herd!

HOTW · #5 06/27/11, 07:30 PM

How big is she estimted? My DH cousin had a family of Hosteins heifers that were massive! ONe of the AI guys told themhe bet that the one was not a pound under 1800! And the whole family had a Love theme..pretty funny cause we used to laugh at the AI guy he had to get the tall step ladder to AI them! He was a tiny guy but never saw anyone so good at handling cows in my life

willow_girl · #6 06/30/11, 11:29 PM

I don't know ... I suppose I could try to put a weight tape on her (if it would fit). My biggest cow, Twister, weighed 1710# when I got her and she is WAY bigger than Twist! The only cow I've ever seen that was even close to her size was on a farm I used to test, and her owner was trying to get her listed in the Guinness Book of World Records!

Anyway ... 7 more have freshened this week, including 4 tonight!

We are milking around 100, which means 15 percent of the herd has come fresh in the past 2 weeks.

One new heifer with mastitis in one teat tonight ... everyone else looked good, and one even overflowed the bucket ... go, #886!

**gone-a-milkin** · #7 06/30/11, 11:40 PM

I have everyone in the tank tonight.

6 more due this weekend.
The weather is ferocious hot/humid and the faceflies have now begun.
Add in the fireworks and we might be searching far and wide for calves this weekend. LOL

I love me some bucket over-flowers. ( esp once they can go in the tank).
Then we are making money. A happy Farmer Boss is a good Farmer Boss.

65284 · #8 07/02/11, 01:58 PM

What do you folks do with the milk you "dump"? Do you literally just dump it? The reason I asked is because I read an article in the Stockman Grass Farmer magazine about what a great soil amendment milk is. It made some interesting claims about the pasture improvement in areas where milk was applied to the ground.

Jcran · #9 07/02/11, 03:48 PM

wouldn't dumping soil in the ground make it STINK for a while? Would the meds dissipate or cause issues down the road (not the colostrum girls but the sick string group)

willow_girl · #10 07/02/11, 08:07 PM

Any calves yet, Gone-A-Milkin? I hope all your deliveries are uneventful!

On the farm where I work, one of the farmer's friends picks up the waste milk for his hogs and sheep. (Yes, sheep will drink milk!)

**gone-a-milkin** · #11 07/02/11, 08:24 PM

Oh yes, we have 3 new little knucklehead bull calves this week.
Last week there were 4 heifers and 1 bull.
This year has been almost exactly half and half.

These fresh cows are all the older ladies and a couple of them I have really missed while they were on vacation.

willow_girl · #12 07/03/11, 10:41 AM

Quote:

3 new little knucklehead bull calves

That is a perfect way to describe them!

Bet you wish you had 3 hands at feeding time!

I miss some of my girls (other, not so much!) when they're on their "Holstein's holiday" too, although the dry cow lot is just across the lane from the main barn, so I can see them lazing around when I'm bringing in the rest of the girls at milking time.

Last Thursday was test day and my favorite cow only made 48 lbs. She didn't breed back in time ... she will be coming to live with me soon! I better get to work enlarging the paddock.

**gone-a-milkin** · #13 07/03/11, 11:39 PM

Enlarge the paddock and buy more hay.

Surely you will give us some new pics, once she gets to your place?

I am off until tuesday. Then I am doing double shifts all week.
We are having a good thunderstorm right now.
Who knows what next will hold for me?
Plenty of WORK, likely.

Bret · #14 07/08/11, 03:42 PM

Good work.

Bret · #15 07/08/11, 03:43 PM

Good work.