March 2012

March 26, 2012: Bartimeus

Five calves this year, all bullcalves, four of them healthy, four of the cows healthy. It could be a lot worse. I am in no position to complain as Babe was old and suffering anyway and besides I have a lot more heifers than most people, and winter is coming up, so I can save up and get some sexed semen which would be epically exciting just in time for Freya and Barbara to calve and come back into heat.

Bestie was looking pensive and having spasms of pain around milking time this afternoon, so we knew I didn't have much longer to wait.

Twenty minutes later she looked just the same and I started to worry (I am very good at worrying). There was no need to fear, though. Half an hour after that her water broke. I had my two constant companions - a pair of German shepherds named Cyclone and Blizzard - with me, so I was reluctant to go too close, but she seemed to be coping fine.

It was amazingly quick after the water broke. Within fifteen minutes there was a calf on the ground; I tied the colt I was working to a fence and dashed off to see what was happening. It's another boy, but he's big, healthy, and strong, Bestie did remarkably well and is unphased by her exertion, and so all is well.

I promptly christened him Bartimeus, I simply had to have a Bartimeus. Barbara had better have a heifer or I'll be calling him Baptist (John, the) which somehow doesn't roll of the tongue.

Further news is that Blue Star isn't doing terribly well; she has a bit of a persistent cough and the eye infection that goes alongside it. We deworm them every month, but she was looking a bit wormy. Worm-infested calves are easy to spot: shaggy, scrawny little creatures that simply aren't thriving, with little pot bellies. She wasn't looking quite so bad but I wanted to stop her going bad so (Mom's idea) we gave her a dose of stronger deworming. Her cough is getting under control, too, so hopefully Star will soon be fat and happy again. Often the coughers flourish once they're off milk, so I think the little Joyful Jersey will be fine.

Fiona was inseminated 23 days ago. I took a chance and did her with a good bull, Eclipes-P, though she has been struggling a bit, so it would be awesome if she has conceived. Not a peep from her yet, so God willing she will take this time. The milk continues to drop, most of my cows are down by about a litre. It's incredibly hot and we had a dry summer, so it's no real surprise. Borina is doing well in the circumstances; she continues to produce more and more, even though she is a heifer, and she's holding on to her condition too, so I'm pretty chuffed with my little spotty cow.

I am selling Babeica off as I want to sell the bulk of my stock, since they aren't the best quality animals out there, and buy two or three really top-notch heifers. Babeica has a very special place in my heart, though, and being sentimental I had to find an excellent home for her. Her prospective buyers are coming to look at her tomorrow. These are caring people and if she doesn't go to them she'll stay put. (Yes, I know, I am a soft-hearted fool.)

Also, I've hit 9 cows in milk, which means I don't have a single dry cow. It's going to be a long wait to the next calf - and this time it's gonna be a heifer!

Today's stats

Cows in milk: 8 (excluding Bestie)

Total litres produced: 128.2

Average litres per cow: 16.0

Top cow: Bokmakierie 24.6l

March 22, 2012: Bartholomew

Yes, the usual excuse: Life has been really really crazy for the past while, although thank God the crisis is over and our cows are much healthier than before. A metabolic illness was attacking our cows, especially the older ones, often devastatingly coupled with milk fever. This led to the tragic demise of both my beloved Babe and another old Hydeaway favourite, Anemay. We miss them both, but we do have the consolation that they left a legacy of heifers behind. Babe had loads of daughters and granddaughters and, lately, a great-grandson, and Anemay gave us two heifers, Amazing Grace and Astrid.

Bokmakierie gave me a scare by also getting a metabolic illness, followed by a bout of mastitis, but thankfully she was well again within a few days, the only lasting effect being a drop in her milk production. She went from a strong 30 litres/day to a fluctuating 25-27 litres/day. This is still by far the best lactation from any of my cows up till now, so I managed to persuade the parentals to get me a whole straw of semen from T-Bone, one of the top Jersey bulls in the country right now. I A. I'd her with some trepidation but everything went OK and now it's just a long wait until 21 days after her A. I. to see if she has conceived or not.

Bokmakierie's daughter, Borina, finally calved - my first A. I. calf, sired by Access. I was so excited about this calf especially in the light of Bokmakierie's recent production. To my momentary disappointment it was a bullcalf, but just a lovely bullcalf - enormous and strong with white socks to boot. (I have a thing for white socks).

Meet Joyful Bartholomew. My very persuadable parents have decided to let me buy him from them, to sell him as a registered bull when he is weaned. My bullcalves all belong to the parents - as well as the milk - in exchange for paying for my cows' keep.

Borina impressed me by reaching 15 litres/day within the first two weeks of calving. All our cows have had a slight drop in milk lately, possibly due to the extremely hot and dry weather.

Firn Junior has been doing well too, reaching 24 litres per day, an improvement on her first lactation.

That's it for now, but Bestie is being steamed up and should calve within the next week or two. Hopefully the news will be heifer-oriented - I have had 4 bullcalves this year (Frankenstein, Beethoven, Bartholomew and Bokmakierie's stillborn) and not a single heifer!

Today's stats

Cows in milk: 8

Total litres produced: 128.2

Average litres per cow: 16.0

Top cow: Bokmakierie 25.0l