Calving, finally!

LaurieLovesLearning

Well, its snowing & blowing & the jersey heifer decided that its time.

We have 2 front feet, a head & ears. Its moving too...all good signs. And we watch & wait. She rests well between contractions. She's doing a good job.

@COWLOVINGIRL I know that you wanted to know. I will post updates.

Merin Porter

Oh my goodness, so exciting! Best of everything during this journey!

LaurieLovesLearning

Update: the calf was a heifer. We had to pull very little by hand to get it out. The new mom wasn't able to do it (she is very young). We suspected that this might be an issue. The calf was barely alive by that point. We put it under a lamp, but it died. :( I was hoping to give great news here.

Now our attention goes to the mom. We need to make sure she will be okay. She seems good right now, but we will being her into the barn to watch her.

I only hope the next one gives us a live calf. This is getting discouraging already. She is not too close as her udder hasn't swollen yet. She has historically done well with calving. It will be a while yet.

COWLOVINGIRL

@LaurieLovesLearning I am so sorry to hear about the dead calf. At least the mom is okay! Hey, maybe your other cow will have her calf sooner that you expected!

LaurieLovesLearning

Thanks for the encouragement @COWLOVINGIRL. It is always very difficult when you lose a calf.

Torey

My condolences @LaurieLovesLearning. It is always hard to lose a newborn animal. But I am sure you did everything possible to save the calf. Sometimes it is just out of our hands, no matter how hard we try. I hope the cow will be OK. I'm sure you are doing everything possible for her as well. Best of luck with your other cow.

Michelle D

@LaurieLovesLearning I'm so sorry to hear that. I haven't experienced that, but I'm sure it is very difficult. Hopefully things will go easy for the next one.

seeker.nancy - Central Texas

@LaurieLovesLearning I'm so sorry about the calf. That is an aspect of homesteading with animals that some people are not prepared for. That being said, it is no easier any time after the first one to lose a newborn/hatched creature.

LaurieLovesLearning

Thank you all. You are right. Even if you do all you can, the mind still plays around with the "what ifs." Those were worked through. It never, ever gets easier. It is sad all around.

The calf has now been disposed of, the cow birthed her placenta & we caught her slowly slurping it up in the barn, so we let her be for the night after giving her extra straw to bed down in. The placenta will give her the much needed healing energy moving forward. She also drank a little water and ate a small, but good amount of hay. An appetite is good.

Tomorrow morning will be our next meeting with her and our first attempt at milking her. She seems calm and trusting of us at this point, so hopefully she has no kick. Brushing her all over tonight didn't produce one. I guess we will see what she's got in the morning.

JodieDownUnder

@LaurieLovesLearning sorry to hear your news. It never gets any easier, especially for a first calf heifer. Anyway she is in good hands and she trusts you, so she will get stronger and let her milk down.

tomandcara

@LaurieLovesLearning So sorry for your loss and so glad the mother was able to birth and eat the placenta. yes it will help the mother recover physically.

COWLOVINGIRL

@LaurieLovesLearning How is the mother cow doing?

LaurieLovesLearning

@COWLOVINGIRL Thank you for asking! So far, our little jersey cow is doing well. The first tiny "milking" went very well with no kicks, just a tiny bit of fidgeting. You never take much for the first few days as to not stress the cows body and trigger the release of calcium from the bones. This creates a real emergency which will result in death unless you have calcium drench administered. We take precautions before calving, but the risk remains (although it lessens) for quite some time after calving.

We will be watching for milk fever, as is always the practice, but she has been turned out until milking time tonight.

COWLOVINGIRL

@LaurieLovesLearning She sounds like such a sweet cow!

LaurieLovesLearning

She is turning out to be. She is a jersey, so that makes it even better! I will have to post a picture of her & our others here for you!

COWLOVINGIRL

OOOOO thanks!

COWLOVINGIRL

Jerseys are my first love, when it comes to cows!

spanthegulf

@LaurieLovesLearning What a roller coaster raising livestock can be! I'm so sorry you lost that lovely little heifer, but also grateful mama seems to be doing well. You obviously are a compassionate and skilled livestock manager, and you're obviously doing a great job... sometimes things are out of our control, as all livestock folk understand. She is fortunate to be with someone like you! Cyber hugs!

LaurieLovesLearning

@spanthegulf Thank you.

To update how she is doing...great! She is always eager for milking. We don't have to get her. She still hasn't kicked. She "talks" gently to all of us now and has become very accepting of everyone (she had a bit of attitude before). She is now giving just over 2 gallons a day from her beautiful udder.

She is the storybook cow. :D

DurwardPless

Sorry for the loss, that would be hard on me as well.

Ruth Ann Reyes

Sorry about the babe. Glad mama is okay!

water2world

@LaurieLovesLearning Thanks for the update---I am sorry for your loss, It is hard no matter when it happens.

Good luck with the mama and your other one waiting to deliver.

RustBeltCowgirl

@LaurieLovesLearning Is there an update on Mama #3? She's the most experienced one, isn't she?

LaurieLovesLearning

@RustBeltCowgirl No update! We still haven't had a blizzard here, although you would think that high winds & freezing rain would qualify for perfect calving weather. 😬 Maybe she likes being heavy in calf?

She is the oldest. Man, is she content, even now, being so huge, and that calf moves so much. I would no longer be content!

I keep remembering about pictures when I don't have my camera/phone with me. One of these days, I will take it out with me.

Thanks for asking. 😄

RustBeltCowgirl

@LaurieLovesLearning latest update?

LaurieLovesLearning

Nothing yet. Still a big belly.

RustBeltCowgirl

Really, is she waiting until 2021?

LaurieLovesLearning

I really think so. 😬

I think she enjoys making us wait.

LaurieLovesLearning

@COWLOVINGIRL & others...

No calf yet, but I have pictures! You can see for yourself how the old queen (she likes being the queen) is tired, but contented she is. She is funny with her crooked nose. She is an excellent milker.

Below is the young beauty we're milking

This next one is the one who calves in spring to female specific jersey. Her back is swayed, but we made the deal on her before we were aware of that. Her breeding is still very good. It is the same as the mom of the one we're currently milking. Her temperament is really gentle.

The Luing heifer is behind her. She will never get very tall due to the Highland in her. She reminds us of a little red round very fuzzy bison.

As you can see...we need more snow. We are still waiting on that too.

blevinandwomba

There all so beautiful! Thanks for sharing. I love the last one's little horns.

LaurieLovesLearning

@blevinandwomba We were initially concerned about those horns. She knows how to use them to gain status with the other cows, but she has never shown any tendency to use them on us. We are very grateful for that.

I really admire their messy hairdos at the top of their heads. 🥰