On the top of the list of who is staying ... is Marjori. Marjori is a two year old ... and the hands down favourite of my grandchildren. So ... she stays for this round at least ... ;-)
Also ... Whiskers and Whinka who came from Quebec in April. There are pictures of them on my blog from back then.I am also selling Millie to my dear friends Heidi and Steve ... along with a yearling half sister to Madge ... and a 5 year old cow named Razzle Dazzle.
Oh my, this sounds complicated.
In my next post I will tell you exactly who I am keeping ... but then ... there is this 19 year old cow about to calve ... and if it is a heifer ... I want it ... :-)
5 comments:
Hey Bill
I know sheep things, but not cow things-- so tell me about that ring through the nose? A smooth one, I've seen, but this one has spikes on it?
Hi Gail,
That is a weaning nose ring. It is plastic and tightens with a wing nut until it is snug, but not creating pain. When the animal goes to nurse it can't get the teat in its mouth and the harder it tries, the more those spikes jab into mom's udder.
Marjori has one because she tried to steal milk from the cows when they nursed their calves. Chuck has one because he has been weaned using it.
They are a great way to wean as they are not taken away from their mom, so there is not the bawling that I have right now from poor Amber who was taken away from her dam yesterday.
Thank you, Bill. All I can say is, I'd wean my baby if she was wearing that nose-jewelry!
And I, likewise, have two lambies crying in the yard today as their mother was sold away yesterday. The other two lambies, in the same situation, are more stoic.
Do you find the nose rings to be effective?
I ran into a problem this last year when my two year old cow decided to start nusing my dexter cow that I was drying off!! They aren't related and before the dexter cow used to hate this young cow. What a pill. I ended up selling both.
Right now I have three young heifers that I'm growing up that were bucket and bottle raised. Occasionally I catch one of them sucking the other which is not good. I can just imagine when it comes time to turn these girls back in with my milk cows that they will do the same thing as my two year old did this year.
If you have found them to be effective I may try them.
-Susan
Hi Susan,
Really effective to wean (although the calf WAS about 5 months old at the time) and TOTALLY cure the milk thief. I don't have the space to keep a lot of groups of cattle, so this is how I will wean from now on.
Mom and boy get separated tomorrow night as I have sold Chuck. They lie together and she still grooms him, so the emotional attachment is still there. I hear lots of bawling for a couple of days. Hate it ... but know that it is for the best.
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