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Post by willowgirl on Jul 9, 2016 4:57:36 GMT
MARIANNE! lol My boss is kind enough to let me send in a milk sample for DHI testing every month along with his herd. (I like to keep an eye on her fat, protein and SCC.) This month, I was shocked and horrified to see her number on the list of cows recommended for culling! Well, it's true that she's 333 days in milk, open, and only making 38 lbs. (We decided not to rebreed her, as -- after more than 17,000 lbs. of milk -- we currently have 3 chest freezers filled with cheese and butter.) It's hilarious and at the same time sad to me that our precious, pampered family cow is, in the eyes of the dairy industry, just a substandard unit that ought to be sent off to slaughter.  |
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Post by barefootfarmer on Jul 9, 2016 5:20:20 GMT
I'm curious if you're still milking her twice a day? I bought a Holstein back in in early December and she calved for the first time a couple of weeks later. She's milking between 3.5 to 4.5 gallons on once a day milking. She was the cow that the vet said was hypocalcemic and advised that I dry her off immediately...at less than a week fresh. I love once a day milking and I think I'll keep that for as long as possible. Lucky Marianne, living "the good life". I've got a Brown Swiss who let me milk her for almost two years straight. I figure she's earned her keep so she gets to play auntie to all the calves. She just loves the calves.
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Post by willowgirl on Jul 9, 2016 13:17:33 GMT
Bitey was like that. When Lillian was born, she only went to her momma to nurse ... the rest of the time, she was with Aunt Bitey.  (Not the greatest pic, but I cherish every one I have of her!) Yes, we're still milking twice a day! She makes about 2 gallons each time, which is perfect because that's what the pasteurizer holds, lol. I'm not sure how long we'll keep it up ... it will be a year Aug. 2. We'll probably dry her off before winter.  |
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Post by aoconnor on Jul 10, 2016 2:21:58 GMT
I simply can't imagine Marianne going to slaughter. SO glad you have her now!!
What a darling picture:-)
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Post by willowgirl on Jul 10, 2016 13:41:47 GMT
I can't believe Lil was ever that small, lol! She is huge now.
It's been almost a month since we lost Bitey, and man has it been hard. I miss her so much! She had been with me for the last 11 years, and I had milked her for another 2 years before that at the first farm I worked on. She had always been my favorite, right from the start. She was at least 18 and had multiple age-related issues though, and very likely was suffering from BLV. She let us know when it was time to go ... stopped eating. We tried so hard to get her to change her mind, but she was always a stubborn one, lol. In the end, we had the vet out ... I didn't want to let her go until she was down and suffering. She is buried out at the farm.
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Post by countrymom22 on Jul 11, 2016 2:48:31 GMT
So sorry to hear that you lost Bitey. She had a great life at your place, and you did right by her in the end.
I wish they could all be treated that way!
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Post by willowgirl on Jul 12, 2016 4:40:38 GMT
Me too!
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Post by willowgirl on Jul 12, 2016 14:59:10 GMT
That is great. My boss hates to cull. It's one of the reasons I like working there. I especially hate repro culls! I try really hard to get the girls bred back on time. |
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Post by comfortablynumb on Jul 13, 2016 3:42:45 GMT
She is in hiding, pretending to be be a chicken today.  |
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Post by willowgirl on Jul 13, 2016 12:41:17 GMT
We got a cheap first-cutting round bale to use as bedding for her sheds, and she totally demolished it! She has been having so much fun pushing it around, eating some and sleeping in it that we decided to just chalk it up as $25 worth of cow entertainment, lol.
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Post by countrymom22 on Jul 13, 2016 21:56:21 GMT
That is the way to spend a hot July day! Thanks for the comic relief!
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Post by Awnry Abe on Jul 14, 2016 3:44:38 GMT
Day spa.
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Post by copperkid3 on Jul 15, 2016 2:16:32 GMT
We got a cheap first-cutting round bale to use as bedding for her sheds, and she totally demolished it! She has been having so much fun pushing it around, eating some and sleeping in it that we decided to just chalk it up as $25 worth of cow entertainment, lol. $25 for a 1st cutting round bale around here isn't exactly considered cheap.....more like average and perhaps a bit over. When I can get them for $10 and under, than that's considered cheap..... and I'm cheap. Right now I've got some bales that fell apart a couple years ago when the goats got to them BEFORE they were supposed to and I'm using it as bedding inside the barn to help keep my Cornish X's and Peking ducks from getting too dirty. Seems to help and even if it doesn't do that much good, it's not going to waste. Eventually it will have to be hauled out and placed on the garden....so all is good. |
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Post by comfortablynumb on Jul 15, 2016 3:35:48 GMT
We get 800# square bales of 2nd cut grass hay for $50 a pop.... It's cheaper that way than for small squares for 4+ a bale.
This roll is pretty nice for 1st cutting. She's eaten a lot of it. The 2nd cut rolls will be $35.
Its delivered so its not a bad deal.
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Post by aoconnor on Jul 15, 2016 12:46:26 GMT
We just cut our first rounds, will be selling our cow hay for 45 a bale, horse hay for 80.
I love that pic of her in the hay, she is so pretty:-) I do love me some cows!
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