| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| CloversMum |
Posted - Jan 08 2015 : 8:54:58 PM
Clover was confirmed pregnant today via a blood test. Thank you MaryJane for all of your help!! I was getting concerned that perhaps she had breeding issues due to her rough birth and beginning.
However, this confirmation means that she was bred by Beau Vine during her first visit (over Thanksgiving week) and that she was, indeed, going through her heat cycles exactly every 21 days. Way to go Beau Vine!
MaryJane sent me an email this afternoon and I squealed with delight when I read it on my phone! I'm so relieved to know for sure now...I won't second guess every time Clover moos or is extra friendly or shows some other behavior that I cannot explain away. I fully expect Clover to moo a lot after I pick her up at MaryJane's tomorrow morning. She seems to enjoy being around all of the other cows. But just a few more months from now and she will have her own little companion. And we will have milk!
Our little farm is brimming with pregnant farm critters...that is a blessing for sure! We have a pregnant Jersey, five pregnant goats, and our incubator is full of fertilized chicken eggs. Truly lovely.
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| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| CloversMum |
Posted - Jan 12 2015 : 9:14:59 PM
We've all been giving Clover lots of love! And will continue to do so... It was amusing to watch her today. I would come out on the front porch and she would see me from the top of the pasture (pasture is on a hill). She'd start mooing and cow-trotting down to "talk" with me. My son who was home from the farm today said that she would settle down and then see me, immediately start mooing and coming down the hill, every time. My son fed her pellets this afternoon and loved on Clover so she is very much a spoiled, well-loved cow.
Hopefully in a few days she'll settle in. I will make sure I spend extra time with her...her tail sure looks beautiful now! |
| Ron |
Posted - Jan 12 2015 : 8:41:54 PM
Harriet mooed allot when I took Her home from the dairy but after a couple weeks Shecsettled right in. Clover will be fine as long as She has you Char! |
| NellieBelle |
Posted - Jan 12 2015 : 8:38:22 PM
I didn't mean that all cows may not form friendships with horses, I'm saying my cows don't form friendships with our horses. The cows stay together and the horses stay together, separately. It's rare if you seem them all together for any length of time. No, I doubt if will be stressful for Clover without a companion, but cows like company is all I'm saying. I don't believe it will effect her pregnancy at all. She will be fine. She has you and your family. |
| Ron |
Posted - Jan 12 2015 : 8:08:37 PM
Guernsey therapy? |
| CloversMum |
Posted - Jan 12 2015 : 8:00:03 PM
So...I need a companion for Clover before her calf is born? What would be best for her? Good to know that the cows will not form friendships with horses. I did not known that. So would a calf be a good companion or another full grown cow? Will having no companions until her calf is born be damaging to Clover? Could the stress be bad for the pregnancy? |
| NellieBelle |
Posted - Jan 12 2015 : 5:51:34 PM
Charlene, when I bought my first little calf, the dairyman told me, "you will want to get a companion for her because they are a social animal." They form friendships. So if Clover just got home, she is probably missing the cow/bull friends she made. I bought two more calves to be with my first calf and they were inseparable. Now Nellie and Sienna don't want to be apart either. I have horses but they don't form friendships with the horses. |
| CloversMum |
Posted - Jan 12 2015 : 4:39:50 PM
Clover's mooing has increased all day long...but this time I know she's pregnant so I cannot be tricked. I think she really is lonely, even though she has a horse right over the fence and can see five of the neighbor's horses. I've gone out and talked with her several times today. |
| CloversMum |
Posted - Jan 12 2015 : 08:17:59 AM
Clover seems to be doing well...knock on wood. Yes, traveling over to MaryJane's Farm was getting to be routine. I remember Clover running to greet all of her cow friends after we brought her back a week or so ago...pretty funny to watch. It was as if Clover was running over, greeting her Beau and then running down to talk to the "girls" over the back fence...catching up on the latest news.
Clover moo-ed to greet us this morning, but not the nonstop mooing she was doing before. But this is early so that just may start up again. I'll go and brush her out again and take her for a walk today.
"Fun youthfulness" is just the right description of Clover as she dances and prances out in the field. I suspect she'll mature just like my goats have. Giving birth for the first time really settles my youthful goats down as well. So I will enjoy this time with Clover...
Although, I am eagerly waiting to see what her babe will look like and start milking Clover! |
| maryjane |
Posted - Jan 12 2015 : 04:49:31 AM
How did Clover do through the night and how is she this morning? Lonely again or adjusted this time (coming here was starting to be routine:)
Charlene, that Clover of yours (combined with Beau Vine) is going to give you a beautiful calf. She's a lovely, lovely cow with such a fun youthfulness to her. I love her face. Enjoy it while you can, because she'll mature quickly once she gives birth and nurses a baby of her own.
Just think. Come Sept. 4. you'll be drenched in milk! Let us know how she's doing! |
| CloversMum |
Posted - Jan 11 2015 : 7:55:03 PM
The roads were finally clear enough and not icy so my husband and I drove over to MaryJane's to pick up Clover. Nick and MaryJane are absolutely some of the nicest people around...they are in the middle of caring for Maizy who is ill (part of the reason we were hoping to get Clover home...one less cow for them to be watching) and, yet, when we drove up they already had my Clover up to the gate and ready to load. Nick helped encourage Clover's back end to load up. Just genuine caring people!
MaryJane had even spent time this past week brushing out Clover and watching her behavior. She was able to give me some clues about my young pregnant heifer who doesn't like her routine to be messed with. Clover expresses herself with her mooing. And, since I am new at this "cow stuff" I kept thinking she was going back into another heat. She was bred November 26th! And, MaryJane also reminded me to be stern with Clover when she would try to "gallop" beside me when I was leading her. I put my thumb under her halter and told her a loud "NO" when she tried after unloading her back at home. As soon as she stopped, I started talking calmly and sweetly to her. She was perfect the rest of the way down to her pasture gate!
MaryJane said that I hadn't given myself permission to be stern enough with Clover...MaryJane was completely correct. So, thank you MaryJane for your tips on getting her to obey. Ethan and I will work on her. Reminds me of the time that we struggled to get our youngest daughter (one with special needs) to eat…her oral aversion was so bad that she could throw up merely by us stroking her cheek. We practically danced on our heads doing everything trying to get her to eat. One feeding specialist sat us down and reminded us that we were the parents and the ones in control (what a concept!). We just had to set the guidelines and not Cecily. Thus began a huge transition and we were successful. Cecily is able to eat anything now and tries more new foods than some of my other kiddos. So, same principle with Clover. We are in charge with love, but firmness.
I spent a long time this afternoon brushing Clover and she loved it. She closed her eyes, hung her head down and just soaked the lovin' in. I brushed out her tail which is almost touching the ground now...just beautiful.
When I first released her out in her pasture, she took off running up the pasture...I think she was excited to be home! Went right up to the top of the pasture to greet the neighbor's horses and then sauntered back down for her treats. She licked my hand and the brush as I groomed her. I'd say a perfect Sunday afternoon!
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| CloversMum |
Posted - Jan 09 2015 : 8:35:40 PM
Whoops...yes, I will sip catnip tea, NOT catnap tea. Although tonight I think an early bedtime is the plan...regardless of whatever tea I drink.
I already get Acres...love the magazine, if I can keep it away from my son long enough to read it!
Mother Earth News...I'll tuck that one away for another time since I have a couple to digest now. Thanks, Keeley for the suggestion. My family also eats lots of fresh salsa...I like to freeze it to keep the fresh taste.
Off to read some great magazines!
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| farmlife |
Posted - Jan 09 2015 : 7:03:32 PM
Mother Earth News has some helpful gardening information, too, Charlene. I don't regularly subscribe, but I'll pick one up now and then and always find good ideas in it. I'm like you, trying to be a better gardener. This summer I hope to get a salsa garden going where my failed fruit patch was. I swear my family could eat our weight in salsa! |
| Ron |
Posted - Jan 09 2015 : 5:40:31 PM
Acres is a good publication too...hmmmmmm while soaking in salt water and drinking catnap tea....don't know about all this. |
| NellieBelle |
Posted - Jan 09 2015 : 5:09:22 PM
Catnip tea is okay Charlene, it's catnap tea you have to watch out for. :) |
| CloversMum |
Posted - Jan 09 2015 : 4:42:58 PM
Picked up a copy of Organic Gardening this afternoon but did not see Hobby Farms. I'll sit and enjoy Organic Gardening later tonight, as long as I don't drink any catnip tea I might be able to stay awake for a few minutes of reading!
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| NellieBelle |
Posted - Jan 09 2015 : 3:49:45 PM
Hobby Farms is a nice magazine too and loaded with info on farm animals and life. Just in case you want to pick up two different magazines. |
| CloversMum |
Posted - Jan 09 2015 : 3:21:57 PM
Love Epson salt baths! |
| NellieBelle |
Posted - Jan 09 2015 : 3:14:23 PM
I'll tell you what's nice. A epsom salt soak in that tub. That's about all I ever use it for anymore. I use the shower mostly, and Joe won't go near the bathtub, afraid he couldn't get out. So he is a shower only man. Thank goodness I can still get up and down out of a tub when I want to soak my rusty bones. |
| CloversMum |
Posted - Jan 09 2015 : 3:12:14 PM
Beautiful bathroom, Janet! Absolutely love that tub. What luxury. Now I know we all are friends...sharing bathrooms & libraries! I have to stop at the co-op today so I will look for Organic Gardening. |
| Ron |
Posted - Jan 09 2015 : 2:18:38 PM
Niceeeeeeeee |
| NellieBelle |
Posted - Jan 09 2015 : 1:54:01 PM
I'm beginning to think so MaryJane. Thanks everybody. Past issues are on the little shelf on the table. Of course current issues are on my coffee table. We remodeled the bathroom some years back. Probably further back than I think. But tried to keep it looking like the old bathrooms from years ago.  There are cows in my Ansel Adams picture too. |
| maryjane |
Posted - Jan 09 2015 : 1:28:12 PM
Here we go again, Janet. I have the exact same wire shelf over my claw-foot bathtub--separated at birth I'd say. Lovely place of tranquility BTW. "When in repose, she dreamed of cows." |
| Ron |
Posted - Jan 09 2015 : 1:07:34 PM
What a nice bathroom Janet. What don't you have. |
| NellieBelle |
Posted - Jan 09 2015 : 11:22:33 AM
As you might guess I keep MaryJanesFarm magazine in my bathroom. |
| NellieBelle |
Posted - Jan 09 2015 : 11:12:07 AM
When you don't sleep, there is plenty of time to read. But I wouldn't wish it on anybody. My Aunt Elsie always kept Farm Journal and Capper's Weekly in the bathroom in a pile. Bathroom libraries from coast to coast. |
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