I have pictures of the girls

[Cheryl aka JM]

Yesterday I posted about being afraid of my girls and how I hate that feeling. Well~ I'm still feeling pretty cautious but my Dr told me yesterday afternoon that I don't have to be any more cautious with my left hip than with my right hip any longer and the limp will eventually work itself out. So I feel much easier about being near the girls. Still feel jumpy though~ the neighbors bull was a little threatening to us last night when we went out to pick blackberries and I nearly wet myself and refused to pick blackberries! But I consider that good sense not cowardice~ Never mind that I tried to scramble over a barbed wire and electric fence while screaming like a girl......(stop laughing now Carol)

So~ anyway~ I'm working on my nerve and I have new pictures of the girls. Those that helped me two years ago remember when I got them



Well they are much bigger now and getting ready for their first calves! I hate to admit it~ but they have been a bit neglected the last couple months and feed did run a little short this spring but I think we made it through ok. Just the same~ I'd love to hear more experienced opinions as we are getting ready for our first calves.

Here they are yesterday
Bessy


and Bossy


You don't think that chain I hung off her halter will hinder her eating do you? She was a real pill about letting me bring her in and put that halter on her~ so I hung that chain off her so I could more easily snag it when I wanted to put the lead on her. I also needed to get a better look at Bossys udder because one of her teats looked wounded. Once I got her in and got a good look at it didn't look so bad~ so I just sprayed some vetracyn and some blue cote on it to keep it clean while it heals. I don't know what happened to it. What do you think? Should I be more worried?


And I'd like everyones opinion of Bessy's udder too. It's looking really full and leaks. Don't know when the calf is due but she's got me on pins and needles waiting!

[mary,tx]

I'm not an expert, but I think they are beautiful cows. Very impressive start and finish photos. Could the cow also have tangled with the barbed wire?

[Cheryl aka JM]

Anything is possible but I don't think any of my barbed wire is loose.

[willow_girl]

Bovine herpesvirus 2? (Hope not!)

[Cheryl aka JM]

WHAT IS THAT? Sounds horrible! I'm going to Google it!

[willow_girl]

I tested a farm that had this problem with some of their cows. The teat lesions looked similar. Sometimes they'll get so bad the teat can't be milked. A real problem in dairy cows.

I hope I'm wrong, and that it's just insect bites, or something.

[Cheryl aka JM]

I'm looking it up~says it is usually spread through milking machines and poor hygiene in milking parlors. She has never been milked, the calf she is pregnant with will be her first. What other symptoms are there, how do I test for this? There does not seem to be a lot of good information out there just a whole lot of "this is what it is" not much "this is how she got it" or "this is how you know she has it" or "this is how you treat it"

[linn]

If you could get a picture of Bessie from behind it would help us guess about how soon she will calve. That teat looks like it has been stepped on or that a calf with sharp teeth has been nursing her. Do you have any calves in with the heifers?

[Madsaw]

That teat looks like a hock burn from the udder getting big. Seen some times a cow will hook herself and skin the teat too. Just put somthing on it to keep it soft. Looks to be healing great.
Bob

[Cheryl aka JM]

There is one calf who was in with the girls. I sure hope this is nothing serious. I wasn't too worried but now I am.

I'll try to get another picture of Bessie today. I'm hoping to convince Bessie to be a nurse cow when she freshens so a guess when that might be would be nice!

[willow_girl]

I'm looking it up~says it is usually spread through milking machines and poor hygiene in milking parlors. She has never been milked, the calf she is pregnant with will be her first. What other symptoms are there, how do I test for this?

I don't know. My only experience with it was the one farm that I tested. I don't think there is a cure. You could have a vet look at it ... or just apply "tincture of time," and see if it clears up on its own.

[CarolT]

That's the only lesion she had and it was already looking better by the next day. I still lean to someone trying to nurse that shouldn't be and scaping her teat with it's teeth. It's more like a scrape than a blister, too.

[Madsaw]

You can see in the pic the scraps are in a diagonally from upper left to lower right. Also they go from a narrow to a wide injusre. When a cow is laying down they sometiems hook them selves with their hocks. Or too she tryed to step over something
Bob

[willow_girl]

That's the only lesion she had and it was already looking better by the next day. I still lean to someone trying to nurse that shouldn't be and scaping her teat with it's teeth. It's more like a scrape than a blister, too.

That is good! I will be keeping my fingers crossed for you.

[CarolT]

linn, the picture with the red leash in the hand that's taken from behind _is_ Bessie :-) There were pictures of both girls there.

[gone-a-milkin]

CarolT, she means we need pictures of Bessie's lady parts in order to determine how close she is to calving.

She is bagging up, which means she is getting close.
I am keeping my fingers crossed for easy calving on these 2 girls.

[CarolT]

Should've known that. Even asked if I should pull her tail up LOL but was worried she wouldn't hold still. Maybe we can get one after while if it's not a moot point, since I think I'm headed to Cheryl's later.