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Betsy

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T O P I C R E V I E W
CloversMum	Posted - Sep 01 2015 : 2:28:51 PM Betsy is 1 year and 1 week old today! She's a sweetheart as well. Ron, Harriet sure delivered a great little heifer! Betsy is a beauty and gets compliments frequently. The night little Humble was born, she and Clover kept talking to each other back and forth for hours. Then, after Humble was up walking around, Clover led him around to the shared fence line (we had Betsy and Clover separated in preparation for Clover's delivery). It appeared as though Clover was showing Betsy her new baby and asking for approval! Betsy most definitely gave it. In the morning, little Humble had wandered through the fence and was by Betsy who was okay with being his babysitter! Clover was keeping a close eye on him but I think she approved of Betsy's care. This fall I hope to breed Betsy. We will see what happens ... lots of milk in our future I do believe!
25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
CloversMum	Posted - Jul 21 2016 : 8:03:59 PM At the moment with once a day milking, we are getting around a gallon. Mabel is not shy with her consumption of milk and we are not separating her from Betsy at all. And, unlike Humble, Mabel does not have a favorite teat. :) She eats from all four. I don't know if it will dramatically increase with time since Mabel isn't even a week old. But after Mabel is weaned, it will be interesting to see what Betsy's production is. I know Betsy's mama was a fantastic milk producing cow ... sure hope Betsy takes after her.
farmlife	Posted - Jul 21 2016 : 11:21:19 AM How much milk is she giving, Charlene?
CloversMum	Posted - Jul 19 2016 : 09:11:55 AM I thought I'd update this thread ... Betsy is doing really well with her calf and she's milking great! The first day required a flank rope, more for reassurance for us than for Betsy. And yesterday she milked without any flank rope at all!!!!
CloversMum	Posted - Feb 12 2016 : 09:54:42 AM Well, since Betsy isn't giving milk at this time I'm hopeful that she is bred and it isn't a hormonal problem! What a nice resource Lisa can be for you, MaryJane. Fantastic!
Sydney2015	Posted - Feb 12 2016 : 06:14:47 AM Interesting MaryJane, I'll have to remember this for when I breed AppleButter. Charlene, Lets hope!
maryjane	Posted - Feb 11 2016 : 9:29:38 PM Yes, fingers crossed! I learned some cool things today about cattle reproduction. A woman from N. Idaho called to buy 3-4 straws of Samson's semen, but she said what she really might be needing is a new cow because their family cow (from a former dairy) was with a bull for a couple of months while they were milking her. They continued to milk her thinking she was pregnant. 60 days out, they dried her up. As it turns out she's not pregnant but wasn't showing signs of heat after being with the bull so she's thinking her beloved cow is infertile. Luckily for me I had someone handy who could provide her with some hope. Dr. Lisa Pearson, DVM, in WSU's Theriogenology Department decided at the end of Dec. not to continue on at WSU. Seeking a career change and loving photography and editing, she's here one day/week as an apprentice in our design studio. She can't work on my animals because she isn't licensed in Idaho but I was more than happy to have her explain cattle reproduction to me today. She said an ultrasound (hand-held/portable) will tell if the cow is cycling and whether or not her ovaries are producing and whether or not her uterus is healthy. Sometimes, high-producing dairy cows don't show signs of heat because all their energy is going into milk production. They actually metabolize the hormones needed to bring them into heat, making it difficult for them to get pregnant. Now that she's dried up, she might be more likely to get pregnant. An ultrasound would help determine whether or not to try hormone protocol or let her rest a bit more. Based on whether or not her ovaries and uterus looked healthy, there's still hope.
CloversMum	Posted - Feb 11 2016 : 8:45:21 PM So Betsy was due to come back into heat end of last week ... no signs. Fingers are crossed for a pregnancy. We will have a vet come at the end of the month to do a few pregnancy tests on the farm to confirm.
CloversMum	Posted - Oct 10 2015 : 8:44:18 PM Wouldn't that be cool if Betsy had a heifer too! I'd sure like it if she took after Harriet ... Clover is nursing Humble and still giving us 1-2 gallons per day ... I cannot imagine 6-8 gallons in addition, but I'd love it! Our family goes through the milk for sure and I love having extra to share with extended family and friends.
Ron	Posted - Oct 09 2015 : 5:13:43 PM She will serve you well for many years Charlene. I don't know what milk goes for there but milk off the farm ( whole not skimmed ) goes for $10.00 a gallon here. Harriet once freshend is good for 6 to 8 gallons a day. Leaving Her with the bull is best chance of a heifer calf. Harriet has only calved heifers every calf....see how it goes for Betsy.
CloversMum	Posted - Oct 09 2015 : 4:05:10 PM Here's hoping Betsy comes into heat the several days. We think she should be since we think she was in heat 20 days ago. Ron, I'm so looking forward to her milk and think she looks especially contented with Mr. Tony. Love, love, love having cows on our little farmstead!
Ron	Posted - Oct 09 2015 : 08:59:00 AM Thank you Charlene. This is just all I ever wanted for this cow. A loving home on a family farm. As it should be.
NellieBelle	Posted - Oct 09 2015 : 08:28:56 AM I can't wait to see the calves from Betsy and Tony!
farmlife	Posted - Oct 08 2015 : 7:28:05 PM They are going to make beautiful babies together!
txbikergirl	Posted - Oct 08 2015 : 6:04:16 PM they really do make a lovely pair!
CloversMum	Posted - Oct 08 2015 : 5:50:19 PM Don't they make a lovely pair? Their coloring is so very similar!
Sydney2015	Posted - Sep 04 2015 : 6:39:24 PM Betsy is so sweet! Reminds me of AppleButter.
CloversMum	Posted - Sep 04 2015 : 4:16:47 PM My Betsy under the big blue sky!
CloversMum	Posted - Sep 03 2015 : 11:10:32 AM Wouldn't that be fun to actually have photos of Betsy's extended cow family? Maybe a project for this winter while in front of the woodstove! :-)
Ron	Posted - Sep 03 2015 : 06:50:46 AM Being they are registered Charlene the Guernsey Association can help you trace genealogy and even might have some pictures on file of sires and dams in her background .... Mail Men Mary Jane? We have a contracted rural carrier...does that count?
CloversMum	Posted - Sep 02 2015 : 9:35:29 PM And, MaryJane has solved the mystery and saved me from searching it out at some future date when I have nothing else going on! They are all related which is why there are some similarities. Regardless, I feel very blessed to have two beautiful cows out in my pasture with little Humble added to their mix. It truly is a beautiful sight and Clover & Betsy compliment each other beautifully.
maryjane	Posted - Sep 02 2015 : 9:34:23 PM From what I've read, different locales in the UK started breeding for certain traits to create distinct breeds and today we have Ayrshire, Jerseys, and Guernseys from that area of the world. It's called marketing I think:) To this day, breeders dream up (create) new breeds all the time. Some catch on, most don't.
maryjane	Posted - Sep 02 2015 : 9:31:02 PM Ayrshires, Guernseys, and Jerseys all descend from the same breed, way back when.
CloversMum	Posted - Sep 02 2015 : 9:29:18 PM Harriet is a beauty too! And, isn't that little Betsy hiding behind her? I recognize her tail, Ron! :-) I was thinking, too, that Guernseys are rarer around here so perhaps people try to fit them into a category or breed that they already know. I'd like to learn more about the history of all these breeds to see how they are related, if they are. Some day when I have absolutely nothing to do! It will be fun to see what Betsy's calves look like.
maryjane	Posted - Sep 02 2015 : 9:24:36 PM Betsy does look more Jersey than Guernsey. Do you have mail men out there Ron?
Ron	Posted - Sep 02 2015 : 8:04:57 PM Betty's Mom