Pictures of the new gal!

allenslabs · #1 01/19/12, 11:09 AM

I am thinking of calling her Evie Lee. I had a goat once named that that was really pretty but cantankerous and I think she will be too. LOL!
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Now we go to the business end of things. Her udder is nice but my hands are weak I guess as I have a hard time getting things going right. Out of practice I guess.
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Here is the little one month old bull calf we went ahead and got too just to have something to feed the milk to till I found a holstein steer or two. He is about the most cantankerous little thing. He hadn't eaten when we got him so knew he would be hungry last night. Nope. Wouldn't even THINK about taking a bottle. So, I figured I would wait till morning. Fought me and fought me and fought me!! Granted, he'd been eating the hay and alfalfa pellets he noticed while out in with Evie Lee but still...no desire whatsoever to take the bottle. No desire to try out of a bucket and I was getting pretty annoyed. Finally I gave it one last shot and I guess it all came back to him cause he started sucking and downed it. Silly little thing.
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allenslabs · #2 01/19/12, 11:12 AM

This mornings milking went is about all. LOL! She did great at first but I guess got bored cause she still has no interest in my grain at ALL. I even bought some alfalfa pellets and put in there hoping that would entice her but still, nope. So, I had about 3qts out and she was done and did the pulling back, stepping to the side thing. So, I got the steer in hopes of him wanting to nurse and probably being quicker than I was. He had no interest whatsoever. I think I ended up wearing about a quart or two on me personally and my milking stool got a nice milk bath. LOL! She is tolerating and nosey to a point then.....she's just done. LOL!

6e · #3 01/19/12, 12:01 PM

LOL Sounds like about par for the course. When we first brought our Jersey Sweetie home, they had never grained her. The way I got her to LOVE grain time is the sticky sweet stuff and stocker pellets. She'll kill for it and it makes her stand still. LOL Sometimes milking can be a real rodeo, but honestly, I'd much rather rodeo with a goat than a great big cow! LOL

She's a pretty cow and I LOVE the calf! Love all those spots!

allenslabs · #4 01/19/12, 12:32 PM

Yes, goat rodeos are so much easier to deal with aren't they? LOL!

6e · #5 01/19/12, 03:05 PM

Yeah. When they kick you aren't in as much danger of a broken arm. LOL There was a girl on here some while back that had an unruly cow she was trying to milk and it kicked her and broke her arm! I went searching and found a milking stall you can build that you can milk around the boards, but the cow can't kick you. I think if I ever have a cow that screwy, I'm building one of those!

Charleen · #6 01/19/12, 03:15 PM

Sounds like you're all having to get used to each other. Nice looking animals!

allenslabs · #7 01/19/12, 05:41 PM

I hope this getting to know each other speeds up cause it bothers me that she gets so nervous when I'm out there. She'll even start shaking some. So far she's only drank about 4 gallons of water in a 24hr time frame and maybe 1/3 of a square bale and no grain. I even bought some alfalfa pellets and she's not interested in those either. Soooo....hope it speeds up some. The calf on the other hand is doing good! Think we're gonna call him Gizmo like the grimlins cause he just looks like him! LOL!

janij · #8 01/19/12, 07:48 PM

Do you have a stand or stall to milk her in? I got a new jersey about 2 weeks ago. She kicked me in the face. So we put sides on the stand my husband made for me. The pressure on her sides keeps her from kicking and I can chain her halter to the front so she can only back up so much. I am very grateful for my stand. I would be in the same boat with a cow all over the place.

janij · #9 01/19/12, 07:49 PM

Oh, and she sure is pretty!

6e · #10 01/19/12, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janij

Do you have a stand or stall to milk her in? I got a new jersey about 2 weeks ago. She kicked me in the face. So we put sides on the stand my husband made for me. The pressure on her sides keeps her from kicking and I can chain her halter to the front so she can only back up so much. I am very grateful for my stand. I would be in the same boat with a cow all over the place.

In the face?

OUCH!

allenslabs · #11 01/19/12, 08:22 PM

OH my GOSH! The face? I would be so mad. I hate it when an animal tries to hurt me for no real reason which I am sure there probably wasn't there. Goodness.
I wish there was some sort of way to speed up the calming her down process. She did good for the first part of it this morning, she had her head kinda turned my way like she was watching me out of the corner of her eye and maybe was listening to me as I was trying to talk the whole time to get her used to my voice. Hoping now that the calf has figured out I = milk, he'll try nursing on her and speed up the milking process some and make her tolerate it quicker. LOL!

**gone-a-milkin** · #12 01/19/12, 09:01 PM

Your new cow looks like a good one to me.

If you are struggling to stay calm while you work, try singing!
Cows dont seem to mind if you make up the lyrics or if you are off-key.

allenslabs · #13 01/19/12, 10:20 PM

SUCCESS!! I know, for every success is an inevitable disappointment BUT....tonight went great!!! She stood still the whole time, I got 6qts and she even mooed after me when I left. She has a real quiet moo too. Very cute. Haven't heard her bawl once.
I guess this is one of those times when it helps to have a gift for gab cause I tried talking the whole entire time. She learned about all kinds of things tonight! LOL! Good thing cows can't talk lol!! I told her all about the kids on my bus route and how large crowds make me nervous, I explained the origin of the name Evie Lee and how it came to be and just a little bit of everything. She nibbled a LITTLE bit of her grain but mainly kept her head turned so she could see me out of the corner of her eye and stood there. She was tied up in the corner in front of her feeder and her body was against the wall. Worked for the most part. Only time she pulled back was when she knew I was done and was ready to be done too and I was right there ready to unlatch her but still...not quick enough! LOL! So glad for a quiet night!

loislanefl · #14 01/19/12, 11:46 PM

Maybe some molasses on her grain would entice her.

6e · #15 01/20/12, 06:09 AM

Glad it went well.

I talk to my cows too....and my goats and sheep and horses. LOL I can tell my deepest, darkest secrets and they don't tell a soul.

Hope this morning goes just as smoothly!

farmgirl6 · #16 01/20/12, 09:12 AM

she is gorgeous, so is the baby, so glad you guys are forming a good relationship...have been rubbing ABs udder and belly from the time I got her, shoving her gently with my body when I handle her so she is not a bit jumpy, don't want to get kicked when the time comes as I am a newbie.

mozarkian · #17 01/20/12, 04:21 PM

Very pretty cow and calf too. Do whatever you need to do to get her eating and drinking, otherwise the cold weather, stress of new surroundings and an empty stomach could push her into ketosis. Here is hoping that 2012 is a better year than 2011!