| Author |
Topic |
|
|
maryjane
7074 Posts
|
 Posted - Jan 03 2016 : 2:19:22 PM
|
| I thought this was the case from my past experiences but this time I kept track on a calendar. I weaned Sweet William from his mother when he was around five months of age. I use a slowly-separate method, getting them down to one nursing and little time together and then I wean. It was five weeks before I could put Sweet William back in the same area as his mother. Now that they're together, she licks him occasionally but if he tries to sniff around her udder, she kicks him off. So, five weeks separation is the rule of thumb for me. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
|
|
CloversMum
3486 Posts
|
Posted - Jan 03 2016 : 3:13:24 PM
|
| Thank you! This helps so much. Humble has a few more weeks before we could consider putting him back in with Clover; however, he and Mr. Tony seem to enjoy each other so we have another option for him. |
Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
 |
|
|
txbikergirl
3197 Posts
|
Posted - Jan 03 2016 : 4:11:08 PM
|
timely info for me too mary jane, thanks for this. now i just need to go back to the calendar and see when we separated, but i remember it was as i was heading out for the work trip so must have been right around dec 1st. i think i'll give it another few weeks just to be sure.
we have had only one time where elsa showed interest in sally when moving them into the corrals at night, and sally immediately kicked elsa off the teat. so momma will probably take care of any continuing interest. |
_(199x300)_(66x100).jpg?v 93697001) Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
|
|
|
CloversMum
3486 Posts
|
Posted - Jan 03 2016 : 5:16:27 PM
|
| Clover was with Mr. Tony this past week, fingers crossed, hopefully bred now. Today Ethan put Humble back in with Mr. Tony and Clover is up in her normal pasture. It was getting too dark for a photo, but I was down spending time with Betsy and was watching Mr. Tony with Humble. So darn cute! Humble standing beside Mr. Tony, half his size, and both were contentedly chewing their hay side by side. No moo-ing for Clover at all. Now, Clover was moo-ing for Mr. Tony, though. She just wanted everyone to notice that she had moved locations, silly girl. |
Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
|
|
|
txbikergirl
3197 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 07 2016 : 3:52:22 PM
|
we put elsa back in with sally o'mally this week, so 9-10 weeks separated. at 5 weeks they accidentally got in together as i didn't watch some gates, and elsa managed to go for the teats and sally didn't kick her off... i intervened and moved her on, but after that i thought we needed a bit more time apart to ensure they were both done.
first thing this week when i let elsa in with sally, elsa smelled her rear and tried to mount her (but elsa is not in heat). then she went for the udder. and sally kicked her off. this took place three times , then elsa gave up. second day when i let them in together elsa didn't even try. sally's milk production is still the same each morning and udder is full at night so elsa and sally must be cooperating with the weaning program ;> |
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
|
|
|
CloversMum
3486 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 07 2016 : 7:00:05 PM
|
| Hurray for Elsa and Sally! And for you for observing so well to know when it was working or not. |
Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
|
|
|
maryjane
7074 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 07 2016 : 7:28:54 PM
|
| Ditto! |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
|
|
|
Sydney2015
1156 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 08 2016 : 06:16:16 AM
|
| This is good to know for when AppleButter has a calf, but it will be a little while. |
A good laugh overcomes more difficulties and dissipates more dark clouds than any other one thing - Laura Ingalls Wilder
I live on a small farm of seventy acres called Green Forest Farm, with 10 horses, a donkey, 5 beef cows, 2 beef heifers, 3 Hereford heifers, around 60 chickens, 8 dogs, my amazing cow, AppleButter, and her little Jersey calf HoneyButter! |
|
|
|
CloversMum
3486 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 08 2016 : 10:24:01 AM
|
| Just remember the "search" feature on this chat room, Sydney. You can search for any topics words after you click on the search button near the top of the page. This page just might not be easily found by the time you need it with ButterButt....oops, I mean AppleButter! :) The search feature is a wonderful tool! |
Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
|
|
|
txbikergirl
3197 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 27 2016 : 09:10:45 AM
|
BIG disappointment this morning. to cut to the chase, sally is letting elsa nurse again. seriously.
milk production was down this morning and it was strange as it has been a roller coaster this last week, i expected a decrease with the lack of grain but not the up/down when nothing else has changed. well now i know, baby is nursing again.
in the past two weeks, i had seen a chewed teat twice and put arnica salve on it - but thought to myself that she must have just got into fencing, laid down wrong, perhaps the silicone inflation irritated it, who knows...
when i took elsa down to the pasture this morning, sally was waiting at the gate in this stance and the first thing i thought was, she looks like she is standing to nurse. and guess what? elsa runs straight to her and goes around the backside and proceeds to nurse. and sally doesn't flinch or kick her off at all. at all. of course there wasn't much milk left so elsa was moving from teat to teat, but she was getting a bit and sally was just a happy nursing mom. so pulled elsa off and moved her to the separate paddock.
they were separated for 9 weeks total, with an accidental get together for 2 minutes at week 5, and have now been together for a'most four full weeks. and until the last two weeks i know there wasn't nursing going on. so obviously taking sally off grain and changing diet is doing something here. and she was experiencing that neediness two weeks ago that i noticed, and jealousy against elsa again... bovine psychologist anyone?
i was going to start drying her off tomorrow by milking less, so they are in separate pastures now and will stay that way for the next two months i guess.
this is a little discouraging as i am wondering if in 8 more weeks elsa will just start nursing with the new calf? any advice or experience appreciated. |
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
|
|
|
CloversMum
3486 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 27 2016 : 09:14:42 AM
|
I'm sorry Cindy. We've had the same problem with Betsy and she is actually separated from Clover & Flossie by a fence. All seem happy and no complaints as they see each other easily.
I'll be curious as to what others have to say... |
Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
|
|
|
NellieBelle
11217 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 27 2016 : 11:23:15 AM
|
| Sorry too Cindy. IMO. The only way to be absolutely sure your calves don't nurse to is separate them. If you have the space to keep them separated then that's what I'd do. I've had my calves away from the mothers for up to 5 months and they would still nurse if put back in with mother, so I just keep them separated. I even had a calf that nursed with a wean guard on, and through a fence. If there's a will there's a way. Elsa doesn't need to nurse, she's a big girl, (even though she is a beautiful princess), and this will assure Sally's condition is optimum for her new calf that will soon be arriving. That's in May if I remember correctly. I don't think Elsa will try and nurse once the new calf arrives. My two cents worth. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
|
|
|
NellieBelle
11217 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 27 2016 : 11:29:38 AM
|
| Oh and I might add. It isn't always the calf. A mother is a mother is a mother. Nellie, being the momma that she is would encourage the calf to nurse. So you never know, Elsa may have been doing fine like you said and with Sally's neediness she may have encouraged Elsa to nurse. It's happened here. Don't you love the cow goings on. Love to know what they're thinking. Don't get discouraged, it's just part of the whole cow thing. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
|
|
|
txbikergirl
3197 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 27 2016 : 12:18:49 PM
|
thanks charlene and janet. i guess it was just disappointing as i did the whole separation thing, then put them back together, and then felt that i was a tremendous success and got this thing down. HA! nothing like the animal world to humble one a bit ;>
we left the separate paddocks up when we put them back together, so it was easy to separate them again. and they have been in separate barn corrals at night forever - so it isn't like this is an inconvenience, just something i thought i tackled already.
lover boy and i took a pasture walk this afternoon to see the far corners of our property that we can't get into most of the year due to growth. during that time i was telling him that it isn't elsa, its sally. sally has to stand there and not kick and encourage it. and it was sooo easy to just tug elsa off and move her to the other paddock, it was never that easy when weaning her. elsa didn't fight me at all, just came off the teat and followed along with me.
i'll have to go take the duchess an apple and have a little talk and see what is going on with her. |
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
|
|
|
maryjane
7074 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 27 2016 : 2:14:08 PM
|
Sounds like I've lucked out with my weaning routine. Sweet William is in with Miss Daisy full-time right now and nary a suck.
Speaking of good and bad luck, Dr. O'Connell was here on Friday for Finnegan's vaccinations (boosters) so I had her palpate Miss Daisy because she's shown heat symptoms the last two times Ester Lily has gone into heat. Dr. O'Connell wasn't able to clearly determine pregnancy. She's going to come back on Wednesday with her portable ultrasound so we can take a closer look at Miss Daisy's uterus, but we're doubtful she's pregnant, even though at 80 days into her pregnancy, we were able to determine the sex of her calf. In other words, she must have miscarried 2-3 months ago. In replaying the last few months, I'm feeling like it might have happened around the time Rosetta died. Miscarriages before the 5th month of pregnancy often have few external signs and are seldom followed by retention of the placenta (but we'll make sure on Wednesday). Miscarriages toward the end of a pregnancy can be caused by an injury or extreme stress. Stress can trigger the release of hormones in the body that can start the cow into labor, calving prematurely. Usually when a cow aborts following injury, it's the stress (pain, inflammation) that triggers the actual miscarriage, rather than the injury itself, because the uterus and its fluids cushion the fetus so well. So, stress from Rosetta's death maybe? I had to tell Stella yesterday because she started talking about Buttercup so I wanted to prepare her for what we might find out on Wednesday.
Although, like my daughter told me when she was a mere tyke, there's always something good out of something bad. We'll continue to have milk now. I won't get Miss Daisy pregnant again until August around the same time I breed Ester Lily. Lacy Lou is due to deliver in August.
Janet, I do in fact have some Lenten Roses in bloom.
|
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
|
|
|
NellieBelle
11217 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 27 2016 : 5:12:17 PM
|
| That is a beautiful Hellibore (Lenten rose), MaryJane, I haven't checked my red ones yet. Guess I'll do that tomorrow, too dark now. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
|
|
|
txbikergirl
3197 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 27 2016 : 5:12:43 PM
|
| mary jane i am so sorry, this is heartbreaking. i can deal with my little minor annoyance of momma wanting to nurse ;> sending kind thoughts, hugs and blessings from texas. |
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
|
|
|
NellieBelle
11217 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 27 2016 : 5:26:21 PM
|
| I'm hoping you get some answers MaryJane. Let's just hope Daisy continues to do well. One just never knows. Like I was telling Cindy above earlier, sometimes just part of the cow thing. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have answers for everything that happens? Sorry MaryJane. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
|
|
|
CloversMum
3486 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 27 2016 : 6:07:56 PM
|
I'm sorry MaryJane. Ethan just told me to remember that Daisy gives great milk ... now you can have more of it for longer. Silver lining in the midst of a gray cloud, perhaps? How is Stella taking the news? Hard life lessons for your sweet grandgirls.
We had some friends who thought their cow was bred right up until the due date ... they were staying home to watch her and thought she was in distress, only to find out that she was never bred. That would also be heartbreaking.
I do hope you can find out some answers and again, we are learning through your experiences. Thank you for all of your explanations about miscarriages and reasons for them.
Cows are much more complex than one would first think that's for sure! |
Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
|
|
|
farmlife
1413 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 29 2016 : 05:33:09 AM
|
Selfishly, I'm glad that other people in this chat room experience strange cow happenings. It makes me feel like we are all in this together and that I'm not the only one left wondering sometimes what on earth is going on with my cow. However, I'm sure Elsa's nursing is super frustrating, Cindy, and Miss Daisy's miscarriage is very sad, MaryJane.
Personally I would imagine that allowing the nursing on Sally's part has to do with the ramping up of her hormones. She's feeling like a mama again because she is getting close to calving. I'm sure that cows feel things just as deeply as people do and the loss of Rosetta was very hard on Miss Daisy. It wouldn't be surprising at all that she would lose her calf in a time like that, but it doesn't make it easier to accept. So sorry, MaryJane. |
|
|
|
CloversMum
3486 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 29 2016 : 09:56:53 AM
|
I, too, Keelsey am thankful that everyone can share the good and the not-so-good experiences so we are, indeed, in this together. It is reassuring and we can learn from each other as well. I'm continually amazed at the depth of animals ... they are complex creatures, wonderfully made.
Yesterday, both Ethan and I were concerned about Clover ... we found a tooth (see another thread) and immediately were checking her temp, her attitude, her eating, etc. We were most definitely wondering what on earth is happening with our cow! |
Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
|
|
|
txbikergirl
3197 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 29 2016 : 4:17:19 PM
|
| yes ladies, this forum is such a blessing (thanks mary jane!). i learn so much on here, and not just about cows either. and i have fun with y'all too! |
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
|
|
|
CloversMum
3486 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 29 2016 : 7:26:28 PM
|
| It's a good group of folks, that is for sure! |
Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
![[flourish]](/images/flourish-txt_mobius.png)
After weaning how long separated from mother?
![Heritage Jersey Organization [logo]](/images/HJO-logo.png){kind=logo}
