Three firsts: first heifer born on property (Gabe and Adam were other two), first birth we have watched on the property, and first cow separated from calf to enable milking without nursing.
In a marvelous unassisted birth, Feliz opted to calve in the pen we had prepped with clean bedding and a gate to enable us to separate them. She spent the first minutes licking little Hannah before we coaxed her out (heartless, but necessary for dairy cows). We carried Hannah out of the pen while Kyra/Isaiah played defense, and we put her in the feed trough in front of the milking stanchion to lure Feliz in. After head-catching Feliz, we moved Hannah back into the birthing pen and milked Feliz for the first time getting over a gallon of colostrum! Hannah drank from a bottle with a few minutes of coaching to our relief and the kids' jubilation!
1 Comment
Dean
4/7/2020 11:41:37 am
Great time of year. Spring calving brings hope of newness to come.
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May 2023
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