If it isn't one thing, it's another

We bought two bull calves to help me take Penny's milk.  She hated them on sight, but I put her head in the stanchion, locked it, and put the kicker on her, so she really didn't have much choice.  She still tried to kick them, but with the kicker on, she couldn't do any damage.  That was Saturday morning when we first got the boys home.  Penny didn't seem to feel very peppy, but she'd had a hard night trying to deliver a calf.

Saturday evening Grace and the bull came up from the pasture.  Grace was mooing herself silly.  Penny wasn't with them.  Now, cows are herd animals, so when you see one animal missing, you know without a doubt something's wrong.  Cliff and I searched as best we could, but we're not able to climb the gullies and hills on our place, so it wasn't a very thorough search.  The first thing that came to my mind was milk fever, because it appears Penny is going to be a very heavy milker.  Jerseys are prone to milk fever.  Usually, however, first-calf heifers don't have a problem with that condition.

The grandson and Heather went looking... did a little mushroom-hunting while they were at it... and found Penny at the bottom of a canyon, lying down.  They couldn't make her get up, but their Great Dane convinced the cow to arise, and the kids drove her slowly out of the holler and up to the barn.  

I got her in, but she wasn't interested in grain and wouldn't put her head in the stanchion, so I put a halter on her and tied her securely so she would be forced to let the new calves nurse.  She still fought hard, but they got their supper.  Because she was so lethargic, I was still thinking perhaps milk fever was a problem.  Cliff and I talked it over and I went out several times to check on Penny.  I noticed she was grazing, and at one point she was chewing her cud.  So I decided to wait until morning, see if anything had changed, and call a vet.  

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that afterbirth was still hanging out of her.  Retained placenta.  So we really needed a vet anyway, to deal with that problem.  This time I had a choice in who I called, so I chose Oak Grove Animal Clinic and set up an appointment with Dr. Neal.  He arrived on time (impressive), put some boluses (pills) inside the cow, and gave her a shot to make her cycle, which he said would help get her uterus back to normal.  Then we had a nice visit about Dr. Findley, the guy who established that veterinary practice and is now retired.  When I inquired, I found out it would cost $18 each for him to dehorn our new baby calves; I told him we'd just use dehorning paste as usual, then.  He didn't know about dehorning paste and was surprised that it is supposed to be used on calves under the age of one week.  I told him we've used it for years, but really hate to because it's nasty stuff to deal with.  It did, after all, destroy part of Penny's ear.  But at six dollars a bottle for something that will dehorn at least 15 calves, compared to $18 for the vet to do one calf, I guess we'll keep on doing what we've been doing.  

I liked Dr. Neal.

This morning Penny had a new lease on life.  She came trotting into the barn, went straight to the stanchion, and started eating her sweet feed.  She still didn't like the calves, but didn't fight them so viciously.  I pulled the calves off her after ten minutes or so because I didn't want them to have belly-aches later and then milked her out.  She stood like a statue as I milked her.    The tide, evidently, has turned.  

Now we wait for several weeks to find out if she will re-breed.  Sometimes when a cow has had retained afterbirth, there are breeding problems.  If that should happen, I would raise calves on her until her milk supply diminished and then she would end up in the freezer.  Meanwhile, all is well.

Penny says "good morning".  Notice her right ear, which was damaged by dehorning paste as a calf.

How much fun can one person have?

I allowed the two new calves to nurse Penny last night.  She fought it tooth and toenail, but with the kicker in place she couldn't kick them hard enough to discourage them.  I noticed she had not lost her afterbirth yet at that time.  Part of it was still hanging out of her.  No big deal, at that point.  

This morning I went out prepared to deal with two cows and four nursing calves, but not a cow was in sight.  Gracie is ALWAYS somewhere close by, waiting, at milking time.  I called a few times, and after about five minutes, here came Gracie out of the dark pasture.  Alone.  That isn't normal.  Gracie is the leader of the three, and usually Penny and the bull follow where she goes. 

I went ahead with Gracie, letting the two older calves in with her to nurse.  By then it was light enough outside to see, so I figured I would follow Gracie back to the pasture.  I had no doubt she would lead me straight to the others, and she did.  Whew.  Penny was just fine, although she still had retained afterbirth.  That's usually not a major problem.  If she doesn't get rid of it in a few days, the vet can take care of it.  So why didn't she come to the barn when I called?

Well, the bull has decided that since she has a different odor coming from her vagina, she must be coming into heat, and he is ready, willing, and able to take care of that.  Of course he's wrong, but the poor runt hasn't had a lot of experience.  One bull, two cows.  

A cow isn't likely to come in heat until at least three weeks after calving, and usually it's longer than that.  

I picked up a dead tree limb and started to drive Penny toward the barn, but every time I tried, the bull would head her off.  He intended to keep her right there.  I've seen border collies that didn't do any better at herding than this bull did.  I did finally get her to the barn and the new calves got to eat; not that Penny cooperated in any way.  

All's well that ends well, and the critters and I all lived through this segment of bovine adventures.

Once Homer-the-bull gets Penny bred, he is off to the butcher shop to become hamburger for the grandson.  I won't be sorry to see him go, although he's really never done anything terrible.  But Jersey bulls have a bad reputation, and even though he's a runt, and still young, I always have one eye on him, wondering if this will be the day he turns mean.  One thing about it, we shouldn't have any problems with calves being too big next year, with puny little Homer as the sire.