tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603041983365886322024-02-08T10:14:21.215+10:00Our Experience with House Cows- house cow - family cow - milk cow - dairy cow -Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-13143872559559767812017-08-09T07:00:00.000+10:002017-08-12T23:06:32.836+10:00The story of our house cows - part 4I haven't updated the story of our house cows lately, but its necessary now because Molly, our younger house cow, died a couple of weeks ago. It was strange because I really thought that we were going to lose Bella first, but she is a resilient old thing, and seems in good health at the moment. We are not sure what happened to Molly, it was not a long illness, she seemed fine one day and was found dead the next morning. Anyway, I better <a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/the-story-of-our-house-cows-part-3.html" target="_blank">start where I finished Part 3</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wish our pasture looked like THIS all the time!</td></tr>
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If you need to catch up, you can find <a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/the-story-of-our-house-cows-part-1.html" target="_blank">Part 1</a> and <a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/the-story-of-our-house-cows-part-2.html" target="_blank">Part 2</a> here.<br />
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Back in November 2015, we were still milking Molly and not sure what to do with Bella after she lost another calf and had severe mastitis. We continued to milk Molly once a week, while Charlotte milked her foster mother Bella and Rosey had some of Molly's milk. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bella and Molly</td></tr>
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Around July 2016 we started to run out of grass at Eight Acres and decided, rather than keep buying hay, we should move all our cattle to Cheslyn Rise, where we had plenty of grass and they needed to move eventually anyway. In the first load, we took Nancy, Ruby and Fatty (all animals that were destined for the freezer), we put them in our cultivation/pasture paddock, separated from the bull.<br />
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When we returned the next week with Bella and Molly, we found that the little <strike>shit</strike> bull had got under the fence and was in the paddock with our future eaters. We pushed him out of the paddock, unloaded Bella and Molly, drove into town to buy fencing gear, spent the weekend building a new electric fence along the entire fence line (nearly 1km) and went home pleased in the knowledge that there was no way he could get back in.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Molly</td></tr>
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The next weekend we arrived to find that he had opened the gate and let himself into the paddock with the cows. So that gave us a deadline! We worked out that we would have to be moving to the property ourselves by April 2117 (<a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2017/04/we-moved-house.html" target="_blank">and we did!</a>). The intervening months were pretty uneventful for the cows, we just checked on them once a week and fed hay as required.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Molly with her calf (that she hid from me for two days!)</td></tr>
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Molly had her little calf a few weeks after we moved. We were not quite set up ready to milk, so we decided to monitor her and not milk unless we needed to. She was not in a particularly good paddock, so her udder was not very full and the little calf was soon taking all her milk. This seemed to work well, as we were busy with the house and didn't have time to deal with 20L of milk anyway. The problem is even if you don't want that much milk, you have to feed the cow grain to get her into the bales and then she makes more milk. Nancy has also had a calf and we're not sure if Ruby and Fatty will be having calves too, not sure about Bella either.<br />
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Anyway, that seemed to be going really well with Molly <a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2017/08/rip-molly-moo.html" target="_blank">until we found her dead three months later</a> (just to be clear, we were checking her regularly and she seemed fine, so I would try this again, for a more flexible milking routine, possibly keeping her in a closer paddock separated from other cows so she could be fed more if required.). We don't know if it was an issue with not milking her, not getting enough to eat, or even if she ate something poisonous, or was bitten by a snake or had an infection or disease, it is a total mystery and not worth paying for an autopsy as its likely to be inconclusive.<br />
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The baby house cows, Charlotte and Rosey, stayed at Eight Acres until we were ready to move, as our neighbour let us use their property as well and because we couldn't trust the bull with our little girls! We moved them in April 2017, and they are with the bull now. Bella is also with the bull, but doesn't seem to be in calf, which is probably a good thing, she is a useful tame cow to have around at the moment, at least she knows her name and mostly does what she is told! I can't face a decision about Bella's future now that we have lost Molly.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosey </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlotte</td></tr>
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Pete asked if I still wanted to have cows at all, after this saga and as we didn't milk Molly. The truth is that I really wanted to milk Molly, but we weren't set up and didn't need the extra stress at the time. However, when things are organised, a house cow isn't much more work and the milk is amazing. So by the time Rosey and Charlotte are ready to calve, we should have our milking bales organised and be able to milk again. And eventually we want to raise pigs on the extra milk....<br />
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<i>So this is not the end of the story at all. Do you have a house cow? How is she going? </i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b>Getting started with homestead dairy</b><br />
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<strong><a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/getting-started-with-dairy-interview.html" target="_blank">Interview with myself</a></strong><br />
<strong><a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/getting-started-with-homestead-dairy.html" target="_blank">Interview with Mark and Kate from Purple Pear Permaculture</a></strong><br />
<strong><a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/getting-started-with-homestead-dairy_18.html" target="_blank">Interview with Kim from the Little Black Cow</a></strong><br />
<strong><a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com/2013/09/getting-started-with-home-dairy-rose.html" target="_blank">Interview with Rose Petal</a></strong><br />
<strong><a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com/2013/10/getting-started-with-homestead-dairy.html" target="_blank">Interview with Marie from Go Milk the Cow</a></strong><br />
<b><a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/getting-started-with-homestead-dairy_16.html" target="_blank">Interview with Ohio Farmgirl</a></b><br />
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If you want to know more about house cows, my eBook is now available, for details see my <a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/p/buy-ebook.html" target="_blank">house cow eBook blog</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/230229811/Our-Experience-With-House-Cows" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijagsYvR6FRTd8rA5OOQoVYa-Cwqr4TxdNVit5yVE6qqNBD_eoTr1is_maxdyXPsCDdSk__DtDgh88872MCHl_BQMF7CjL-AvlGWNJz8rwrIdcycHaV197OMKNgg-eerc0LIg2LeR9BoE/s1600/ebook+front+page.jpg" title="eight acres: house cow ebook" width="276" /></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-36295030577555102522016-06-20T07:00:00.000+10:002016-06-20T07:00:08.777+10:00My favourite house cow blogsI don't know many people in real life who have house cows. A few acquaintances, but no good friends with whom I can talk regularly about cows. Like many of my interests, I turn to blogs to find like-minded people who are happy to talk non-stop about cows, manure, hay, minerals, pasture, milking schedule and bottle-feeding calves! As well as enjoying the topic of conversation, I also learn so much from these blogs, even though they are in different locations. It seems like you can always learn more about house cows (aka family cows, dairy cows or milk cows). I want to share my favourite house cow blogs with you today and I hope you can tell me about other sources of house cow information.<br />
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<b>Jembella Farm</b><br />
Sally writes from 16 A in South Australia's Barossa Valley, where she has " 2 dogs, 7 cows, 2 alpacas, 5 geese, 35 chickens, 78 sheep and a few bee hives". Among the cows are <a href="http://jembellafarm.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/introducing-bella-daisy-mulga-bill.html" target="_blank">three special house cows</a>, Daisy, Bella and Lavender. Sally raises foster calves with her house cows and her blog contains <a href="http://jembellafarm.blogspot.com.au/search?q=cow" target="_blank">plenty of advice about house cows and calves</a> - <a href="http://jembellafarm.blogspot.com.au/2016/04/new-calf-paisley-and-other-matters.html" target="_blank">here's one of my favourites</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTjbHYfqiIhkH4Ghx5DkfRR_X9oMu9Zjsl8dxj5IWNsB8GJ6wUcspQ8kv6-xxdg65wiBkpXDrV42pHaJPmVrZziBxCafMKEyBSU9nW3fDUswOsqWvaXPbx1CbYZxu8o2zU0Q-i0yWC6e7/s1600/jembella.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="eight acres: favourite house cow blogs" border="0" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTjbHYfqiIhkH4Ghx5DkfRR_X9oMu9Zjsl8dxj5IWNsB8GJ6wUcspQ8kv6-xxdg65wiBkpXDrV42pHaJPmVrZziBxCafMKEyBSU9nW3fDUswOsqWvaXPbx1CbYZxu8o2zU0Q-i0yWC6e7/s400/jembella.JPG" title="eight acres: favourite house cow blogs" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Source: </span><a href="http://jembellafarm.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Jembella Farm</a></td></tr>
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<b>Throwback at Trapper Creek</b><br />
Matronofhusbandry writes from her 180 A farm and homestead in Oregon, USA. Sharing gems of wisdom about growing and eating real food, including an extensive vegetable garden, beef cattle, chickens and of course, her gorgeous cow. Jane. Although the climate there is very different, observations about grass growth, paddock divisions, milking schedules are all relevant and useful. I have learnt to much from this blog, and the photos are amazing. <a href="https://matronofhusbandry.wordpress.com/tag/family-cow/" target="_blank">Here's all the cow posts,</a> and a couple of my favourites:<br />
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<a href="https://matronofhusbandry.wordpress.com/2012/06/07/share-milking/" target="_blank">Share Milking</a><br />
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<a href="https://matronofhusbandry.wordpress.com/2009/09/09/is-my-cow-getting-enough-to-eat/" target="_blank">Is my cow getting enough to eat?</a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Source:</span><a href="https://matronofhusbandry.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"> Throwback at Trapper Creek</a></td></tr>
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<b>The Prairie Homestead</b><br />
Based in Wyoming, Jill has shared her homesteading journey on her blog. She has goats, chickens, and a lovely <a href="http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2011/03/the-latest-addition.html" target="_blank">family cow called Oakley</a>. You will find plenty of basic information about house cows, most of it is <a href="http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2014/03/family-milk-cow.html" target="_blank">summarised in this post - Owning a family cow: your questions answered</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJZiQUF05oDBevqEBvjKHTcn8nZaJeJTaiDoFeojpF0zM3U3zLmvtdmvG12VxedyFKoNUE1OvawDMt4VmApZ8LUWH2C6UiL6Rt11LEQ_Ct8_3dAGzqxVmKvpx8t9PVCB4x4i4OzSOFD9R/s1600/prairie+homestead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="eight acres: favourite house cow blogs" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJZiQUF05oDBevqEBvjKHTcn8nZaJeJTaiDoFeojpF0zM3U3zLmvtdmvG12VxedyFKoNUE1OvawDMt4VmApZ8LUWH2C6UiL6Rt11LEQ_Ct8_3dAGzqxVmKvpx8t9PVCB4x4i4OzSOFD9R/s400/prairie+homestead.jpg" title="eight acres: favourite house cow blogs" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/" target="_blank">The Prairie Homestead</a></td></tr>
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<b>Homestead Honey</b><br />
Teri homesteads in Missouri on 10 A. She blogs about topics such as gardening, building a tiny house, living off-grid and homeschooling. Most importantly, she also has a <a href="http://homestead-honey.com/2015/12/22/a-year-with-our-family-milk-cow/" target="_blank">sweet cow called Creme Brulee</a>, and <a href="http://homestead-honey.com/?s=cow" target="_blank">many posts about family cow ownership</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikThuteXWlonZE-gD8gm5ch06IDtSn0PIgv-BUBHGUP4Lof-jK1xiAiIAUcKkRvW-RmHDEZK8QXCb-04wjFqNmbuG10-klnu_dl-ojXJHmvWcTCH-sguPBy-qJEzqVSOIVjMy1W5nU2Hyc/s1600/homestead+honey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="eight acres: favourite house cow blogs" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikThuteXWlonZE-gD8gm5ch06IDtSn0PIgv-BUBHGUP4Lof-jK1xiAiIAUcKkRvW-RmHDEZK8QXCb-04wjFqNmbuG10-klnu_dl-ojXJHmvWcTCH-sguPBy-qJEzqVSOIVjMy1W5nU2Hyc/s400/homestead+honey.jpg" title="eight acres: favourite house cow blogs" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Source: <a href="http://homestead-honey.com/" target="_blank">Homestead Honey</a></span></td></tr>
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<b>The Elliot Homestead</b><br />
Shaye lives on a few acres in North Central Washington, a giant flock of laying hens, meat chickens, hogs, sheep, turkeys, and a variety of produce in large, organic gardens. She has recently welcomed a new <a href="http://www.theelliotthomestead.com/category/family-cow/" target="_blank">dairy cow, Cecelia</a>, after tragically losing a previous cow. Lots of great info about cows as well as dairy products.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFAZVpevZYfXl_rdU67N_5gnZvXVi3UP_4UJi7mWsYDxXOz07EjMnbcK9bke_nAtSSpqpGbFDxYfva8INbzgdYOqvgqaRehzXbMcbfoCRa_lsXSGJOZTobfgra-Mq0ao_XkJX7n1JXqBU/s1600/elliot+homestead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="eight acres: favourite house cow blogs" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFAZVpevZYfXl_rdU67N_5gnZvXVi3UP_4UJi7mWsYDxXOz07EjMnbcK9bke_nAtSSpqpGbFDxYfva8INbzgdYOqvgqaRehzXbMcbfoCRa_lsXSGJOZTobfgra-Mq0ao_XkJX7n1JXqBU/s400/elliot+homestead.jpg" title="eight acres: favourite house cow blogs" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://www.theelliotthomestead.com/" target="_blank">The Elliot Homestead</a></td></tr>
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<b>One Ash Homestead</b><br />
Lee Ann and Alexandrea write a blog about their farm and dairy supply business i South Carolina. Of course their blog is full of <a href="http://oneashhomestead.com/?s=cow" target="_blank">information about dairy cows</a> and dairy products, their <a href="http://oneashhomestead.com/2015/01/the-story-of-one-ash-farm-dairy/" target="_blank">full story is in this post</a>.<br />
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<i>Which blogs featuring house cows do you love?</i></div>
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<i><br /></i><b><a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/p/buy-ebook.html" target="_blank">You can find more house cow information in my eBook here.</a></b></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-4931434057947694122016-05-25T07:00:00.000+10:002016-05-25T07:42:58.181+10:00Supplement feeding your house cowI wish we had luscious green grass for our cow year round, but like most places, we only have green grass for short periods. In winter, we don't get much rain at all, and our sub-tropical grass species die off with the cooler weather. This is when we need to feed our house cow extra hay and grain to supplement the meager offerings in our pasture. Understanding how much to feed is important, as you don't want a fat (or a skinny) house cow (<a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/managing-house-cow-body-condition.html" target="_blank">see my post on house cow body condition here</a>).<br />
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Fortunately there is some great information available. I found the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1603584781/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1603584781&linkCode=as2&tag=eigacr-20&linkId=7RUZCGLNGHEJMHGW">Keeping a Family Cow: The Complete Guide for Home-Scale, Holistic Dairy Producers</a> (affiliate link), by Joann S. Grohman to be particularly helpful. I first reviewed <a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/keeping-family-cow-book-review.html" target="_blank">Keeping a Family Cow back here</a>, when I borrowed it from the Brisbane library. I've since bought a copy because I hadn't been able to read it all in detail the first time. Now I can go through each chapter and take in all the information. One chapter that I really wanted to come back to was the one about feeding your cow. Its quite a long and complicated chapter, so I've summarised the key points below.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-5M2A8Cr3usdunZRPa1Dzg-xGdxJ-yE4Q_GsAYpA3KTtoLqpr4CTFlXyV-o5t0DklDSh6jf8Dav-f1eoaLMmu3UWX4vbBx1oP8Yu6X8fSGSVs8yeby3WqAVR9ilV9414sJ1FlMgaTCKy/s1600/P5229186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="eight acres: supplement feeding (hay or grain) for a house cow and other cattle" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-5M2A8Cr3usdunZRPa1Dzg-xGdxJ-yE4Q_GsAYpA3KTtoLqpr4CTFlXyV-o5t0DklDSh6jf8Dav-f1eoaLMmu3UWX4vbBx1oP8Yu6X8fSGSVs8yeby3WqAVR9ilV9414sJ1FlMgaTCKy/s400/P5229186.JPG" title="eight acres: supplement feeding (hay or grain) for a house cow and other cattle" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeding hay in winter</td></tr>
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<li>The first thing to understand is that a cow is a ruminent, meaning that she has four stomachs. This allows her to digest the fibre (cellulose) in grass (<a href="http://sciencearchive.org.au/nova/newscientist/104ns_010.htm" target="_blank">all herbivores have some kind of digestive adaptation</a>, as this article explains). In the cow, the rumen (first stomach) is full of bacteria that live on the cellulose and other nutrients. The bacteria produce amino acids (protein), which passes through to the rest of the gut for absorption much the same as a human stomach. </li>
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<li>The bacteria also produce acetic acid (vinegar) which is absorbed by the rumen and directly converted to milk - therefore grass and hay make milk.</li>
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<li>This makes the cow uniquely efficient - she (along with an army of microbes) can convert grass, of no nutritional value to humans, into highly nutritious milk.</li>
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<li>Dairy cows have been bred to give more milk than their calf needs, they will continue to produce milk "off their back" - meaning that they will lose fat and muscle to milk production if they are not getting enough energy in their feed. If we are not providing enough food, a lactating cow could die from malnutrition. However, there is no need to feed as much as a commercial dairy farm if you don't need the excess milk. you can find a balance where your cow's body condition is maintained at a healthy range and you are getting enough milk for the family, but not maximum production (or at maximum cost).</li>
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<li>If you have enough good quality grass and hay throughout the year, you don't have to feed grain to your cow, however, most locations and most cows will need some grain at some time to boost the energy available to the cow and maintain body condition.</li>
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<li>Given the choice, its better to spend your money on good hay and a little grain rather than relying on grain alone. The reason for this is that the two feeds require different microbes in the gut, which thrive at different pH levels. Feeding too much grain will lower gut pH, which will then inhibit the bacteria that digest grass and hay to create milk production. Your cow will get fat and won't produce as much milk.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CVrw0MbJEqHZ6spBSSqC8jzDTeCu_qWCc60csq5w1eJofQojQYoFG-RSwYNv7zm0BaccnyeT9K9fpiM3UDqVkuZhZTHy9yt90Ey5AHXQiSf6dwQ9865GiNs8B4vnYDnl5R7y8feB-TKo/s1600/P2078725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CVrw0MbJEqHZ6spBSSqC8jzDTeCu_qWCc60csq5w1eJofQojQYoFG-RSwYNv7zm0BaccnyeT9K9fpiM3UDqVkuZhZTHy9yt90Ey5AHXQiSf6dwQ9865GiNs8B4vnYDnl5R7y8feB-TKo/s400/P2078725.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">our grass in February<br />
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<li>Good hay is green on the inside of the bale, it has leaves (not all stalk) and doesn't shatter and fall apart. It shouldn't be dusty or mouldy. It needs to be stored out of the rain and out of the sun and it can last for years in dry conditions. If you find a good hay farmer, keep going back to buy as much as possible, many farmers do not make good hay as they don't understand cow nutrition (they will leave it too long to cut when they will get MORE bales, but past the mature stage of the grass, so not as high quality feed). The same goes for dead dried grass in the pasture - sure it provides bulk, but not enough energy or protein for the cow.</li>
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<li>Cows will eat LESS poor quality hay because it fills up her rumen and takes longer to digest. A cow will eat until her rumen is full and later rechew the food (this is when she is chewing her cud, you know how they just stand or lie around chewing and staring into space?). </li>
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<li>Do not feed grain on an empty stomach (better yet, do not let your cow's stomach get empty at all! If she can maintain a steady population of microbes, her digestion will be better overall). Grain is small and will pass right through the rumen without other bulk of hay or grass to hold it there long enough to be digested by microbes. If you see grain in your cow's manure, you know its not being digested (the chickens love scratching through cow manure to find the grain!).</li>
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<li>You can feed any kind of grain, we buy a milled mixture from a local grain wholesaler, it doesn't contain any additives. Milled grain is digested better as its got more surface area than whole grain, however the oils will oxidise and it won't last as long. We use diatomeceous earth to keep the bugs out, and store the mill grain in sealed drums. Sprouted grains in another good idea for maximising nutrition from grain - I haven't tried that for the cows yet. (I found some examples of growing fodder for chickens which could be scaled up - <a href="http://www.thecapecoop.com/how-to-grow-wheat-grass-for-chickens/" target="_blank">how to grow wheat grass for chickens</a> and <a href="http://thefrugalchicken.com/why-you-should-grow-fodder-and-how-to-do-it/" target="_blank">why you should grow fodder and how to do it</a>).</li>
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<li>Feed hay using feeders to keep it off the ground - we have <a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/fabricate-round-bale-holder-at-home.html" target="_blank">round bale feeders</a> and small bale feeders. Cows will pick through and eat what they like. Expect that 10-30% of the hay will end up on the ground, but don't consider that as waste, its organic matter for your pasture (and mulch for your garden).</li>
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<li>If you are lucky enough to have grass available year round, note that grass of a particularly length is best for cow digestion - around the length the a cow would naturally bite off a blade of grass. Pasture can be managed by <a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/splitting-up-paddocks-for-intensive.html" target="_blank">rotational grazing</a> to use the grass at the optimal length. This also means that chaff (hay that is chopped into small pieces) is not ideal.</li>
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The main thing I got from all of that is that we should be buying the best hay we can find and adding a bit of grain to our cows' diet when we see them start to lose body condition. As much as I would love to have everything "grass fed", we can't provide that at the moment, so we have to make sure our cows get what they need from their feed.<br />
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<i>What do you think? Do you feed hay or grain? Is your grass green and luscious? </i><br />
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<b><a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/p/buy-ebook.html" target="_blank">You can find more house cow information in my eBook here.</a></b>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-16979384703026295562016-04-20T07:00:00.000+10:002016-04-22T20:19:56.603+10:00What time of year is best to have calves?Its mid-autumn and our nine angus-cross heifers are currently calving. This may seem an odd time of the year to have calves, and certainly in the temperate areas you would expect to see baby calves and lambs in spring, but in the sub-tropics we can do things a bit differently as we don't have a cold winter. The problem is that cow gestation is around 9 months, so you really don't know what conditions are going to be like by the time the calves arrive.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDjRvCmzeH3LM_bJEXB-EQRfNFvGIrD1KGlWLeOKuMnEYlgjM-jfO2abD3dXLCQhyphenhyphen4l1yn7B7v3YC8e9pOYNMRer0YEhpX-dkWsO4WI4NRVlrCbOHABukDVfP5PSrZfdBjsH4chQUun3z/s1600/P4090140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="eight acres: what time of year is best to have calves?" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDjRvCmzeH3LM_bJEXB-EQRfNFvGIrD1KGlWLeOKuMnEYlgjM-jfO2abD3dXLCQhyphenhyphen4l1yn7B7v3YC8e9pOYNMRer0YEhpX-dkWsO4WI4NRVlrCbOHABukDVfP5PSrZfdBjsH4chQUun3z/s400/P4090140.JPG" title="eight acres: what time of year is best to have calves?" width="400" /></a></div>
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Ideally you want your cows to have their calves at a time when they are going to have plenty of grass to eat to make lots of milk to feed their calves. In temperate climates, springtime is ideal as spring rains will bring grass and the calves will grow fat over summer. For us, spring can often be the driest time of year, and summer brings drought, heatwaves, or flooding rain and <a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/managing-australian-paralysis-ticks-in.html" target="_blank">paralysis ticks</a>. Sometimes we have lots of green grass in summer, but its not reliable.<br />
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In the sub-tropics, autumn is cooler, but also tends to be drier. We find that grass is starting to go to seed, dry out and does not have as much nutrition as green grass. By winter we've usually had some frost and our tropical grasses are all dead and dried out. There's really no great time for us to have calves, but autumn is a bit better than other seasons and we always make sure we have hay ready to feed if the grass is too poor. Of course, all of this is different if you have irrigated forage to feed your cows! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZeI-p8lm_9yM1cc8yeCDq5SQ7WHqyNT02isF1jCgp8N43CR9Cp5kWINdQwOpj3TlnMY0PsHt-O07vKsxfC8jxHS6-B01MTlLuILrE741SIgyRF2RTdHJfuJtH13uv7_N2-h-vF_w1p1V/s1600/P4168994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="eight acres: what time of year is best to have calves?" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZeI-p8lm_9yM1cc8yeCDq5SQ7WHqyNT02isF1jCgp8N43CR9Cp5kWINdQwOpj3TlnMY0PsHt-O07vKsxfC8jxHS6-B01MTlLuILrE741SIgyRF2RTdHJfuJtH13uv7_N2-h-vF_w1p1V/s400/P4168994.JPG" title="eight acres: what time of year is best to have calves?" width="400" /></a></div>
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With our dairy cows we don't worry so much about the season, as we can help our cows look after their calves. However, we really have to think ahead 9 months and make sure that we will be available to milk the cow twice daily for at least 6 weeks after she calves. Again, its difficult to look ahead 9 months and predict whether it will be a good time to have a calf!<br />
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One more thing, cows tend to hide their calves in the grass and pretend they don't have a calf. This can make it difficult to find them!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBxeWRExOGNznBDkKoLGPsNgTVpb4wdsr43-Y1LAfX4ge1EJwjFsqKAdSUW2q82YQYQJc5CDlSa_EXAYuSidUGV9I9dl1anpEpFYgUSnRKXcKBpcdl4iNHz-o0DuXmEOHEuh-7yitfJaE/s1600/P4168997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="eight acres: what time of year is best to have calves?" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMBxeWRExOGNznBDkKoLGPsNgTVpb4wdsr43-Y1LAfX4ge1EJwjFsqKAdSUW2q82YQYQJc5CDlSa_EXAYuSidUGV9I9dl1anpEpFYgUSnRKXcKBpcdl4iNHz-o0DuXmEOHEuh-7yitfJaE/s400/P4168997.JPG" title="eight acres: what time of year is best to have calves?" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>When is the best time to have calves where you farm?</i></div>
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<b><a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/p/buy-ebook.html" target="_blank">You can find more house cow information in my eBook here.</a></b></div>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-15781765586892755152016-03-09T07:00:00.000+10:002016-04-22T20:17:28.779+10:00When to call the vetI was recently contacted by a friend with a sick steer. She described his symptoms and I was concerned that is sounded quite serious, but I hesitated to recommend that she called a vet. Unfortunately the animal later died, which confirmed my suspicions, however we were both comfortable that she did all she could to save him. <br />
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I hesitated for a couple of reasons:<br />
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<li>Calling a vet out after hours can be expensive, often more than the animal is worth (and I checked that this was livestock rather than a pet)</li>
<li>There's not always much a vet can do for sick cattle other than give antibiotics and hydration, which may not have saved him</li>
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This incident made me think about how we decide when to call the vet and I wanted to share a few thoughts on this topic.</div>
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For pets we always call the vet, no question about it. And for dogs and cats there is far more the vet can do anyway (and paying hundreds and even thousands of dollars to save a beloved animal hurts, but its worth it!). On the other hand, we have NEVER taken a chicken to the vet, any sick chickens are examined, isolated and given a 50:50 chance of making it to the next morning (unlike <a href="http://lifeatarbordalefarm.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/my-chicken-has-swollen-wattle.html" target="_blank">Fiona at Arbordale Farm</a>, who always nurses her sick chickens far more tenderly!).</div>
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Cattle are in the middle. Usually if its something we recognise, like <a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/three-day-sickness.html" target="_blank">three-day sickness</a>, we just keep an eye on them If they are just a bit lame, we'll just watch them to see if it gets worse. If its something we're not sure about, we will call a farmer friend. If you are new to cattle, I recommend that you have a few farmer friends that you can call when things don't look right. Neighbours that can come over and have a look are the best. You just need someone experienced with cattle who can give you an honest opinion (once we asked our neighbour to come and shoot a sick cow and he told us to call the vet, the cow made it with the vet's help and we sold her, so it was a good call).</div>
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If the animal is important or valuable, like a cow or a bull, and if the problem is obvious and life-threatening, such as a prolapse, we will call the vet. Usually this is on a weekend day because that's when we check the cattle. Vets in our area charge around $200 to come out and have a look at an animal. The actual treatment fee is not much compared to the call-out fee. The first time we called a vet to our property, I didn't know what to expect. We had taken the dogs to the surgery though, so they knew we had an account there and were happy to come out. If you have cattle and don't know your local vet, you should drop in and say hello, find out if they do call-outs and what the fees are, so you are prepared, because animals always get sick on Sunday afternoons!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-yBhk_eOLJoo2SMya9qaVvTu_9Lge74WQ7jkTka6HYgA6elLxXixELksCRD32AbP6DuyY_mApdevAiJF5Fnow4RHDw0gVOBSwag9dkJNSfShTfs0VzSit2za2WGjqTqm-p38QxNwY3K4o/s1600/P3068831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="eight acres: when to call the vet" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-yBhk_eOLJoo2SMya9qaVvTu_9Lge74WQ7jkTka6HYgA6elLxXixELksCRD32AbP6DuyY_mApdevAiJF5Fnow4RHDw0gVOBSwag9dkJNSfShTfs0VzSit2za2WGjqTqm-p38QxNwY3K4o/s400/P3068831.JPG" title="eight acres: when to call the vet" width="400" /></a></div>
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Even when the vet arrives, sometimes they don't know what's wrong with your animal. Or they know what's wrong, but there's nothing they can do (e.g. cow with a prolapse that cannot be corrected). Or its just too expensive (e.g. paralysis tick anti-venom). In this case, you want to be ready with a back-up plan in case the animal gets worse. You can ask the vet to euthanise an animal, but it is expensive, and a slow, scary death for a animal that is not tame (speaking from experience here). I would much rather use a gun to euthanise an animal (<a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/guns-on-farms.html" target="_blank">see my post here</a>), so if you have cattle you should either have your own gun or know someone who can help at short notice.<br />
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You also need a plan to dispose of the dead body - either digging a hole or burning it are the usual methods. Again it helps to have a machine that can dig the hole, or know someone who does! Farming is all about networks! Unfortunately, <a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/deadstock.html" target="_blank">if you have livestock, you will eventually have deadstock</a>. Its much easier to handle if you remember that livestock are not pets. You get to know them and care for them, but one way or another they are going to leave your property, dead or alive.<br />
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Even if the vet isn't able to save the animal, we always learn heaps from a vet visit. Take the opportunity to ask lots of questions and find out what you could do to identify the problem earlier, prevent it in other animals or just care for the animal your self next time. Our vets are always really friendly and happy to teach us more about our cattle. That's how we learnt how to remove paralysis ticks from calves.<br />
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Caring for livestock is a big responsibility and the least we can do is be prepared for sick animals, even if that means not always calling the vet.<br />
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<i>When do you call the vet?</i><br />
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<b><a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/p/buy-ebook.html" target="_blank">You can find more house cow information in my eBook here.</a></b><div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-69251246767925076312016-02-10T07:00:00.000+10:002016-02-10T07:00:19.405+10:00Raising a baby house cowOur first house cow Bella came to us from a dairy farm and had already had two calves. She came with her second calf, Molly, who is also a full Jersey cow. We raised Molly to be our second house cow. With Bella now having an uncertain future after having difficulty with her last calf, we decided to raise some future house cows. <br />
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I think they two most important inputs are human interaction (to ensure the cow is tame enough to be milked) and good nutrition (to raise a healthy robust cow). While Bella is extremely tame, from what I know of her early life I don't think she had good nutrition and she now has health problems that prevent us using her as a house cow. Molly is extremely robust AND tame. Can we produce another good house cow?<br />
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<b>(Catch up on our house cows here <a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/the-story-of-our-house-cows-part-1.html">Part 1</a>, <a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/the-story-of-our-house-cows-part-2.html">Part 2</a>, <a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/the-story-of-our-house-cows-part-3.html" target="_blank">Part 3</a>)</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrKmETWlMk39B6W_ihvJKGIugCIt7uzs39AdRhpXEh3vlMoAY_wZSiuu_TmUOi5c9WpQgrABgSSlByYv9MgIkG7afuJ5q_jZ95Agg9TBsue5EJhAiOSO_YbAtsD4sy8MI2Qr9FExMB7aG/s1600/P7127645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="eight acres: raising a baby house cow" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrKmETWlMk39B6W_ihvJKGIugCIt7uzs39AdRhpXEh3vlMoAY_wZSiuu_TmUOi5c9WpQgrABgSSlByYv9MgIkG7afuJ5q_jZ95Agg9TBsue5EJhAiOSO_YbAtsD4sy8MI2Qr9FExMB7aG/s400/P7127645.JPG" title="eight acres: raising a baby house cow" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlotte and Rosey at 4-6 weeks old</td></tr>
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As Bella's calf had died, and she had previously taken a foster calf, we got her Jersey heifer calves to raise. I don't know why we thought two calves would work, but I guess it was worth a try. We had a series of problems with Bella (oedema and mastitis) and the calves (scours and paralysis tick), which didn't help. Eventually Bella accepted Charlotte as her foster calf and we've had to bottle feed Rosey.<br />
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It has been interesting to compare the progress of the two calves. At first Charlotte was very tame. The dairy farmer had separated her from the other poddy calves because she was too tame and kept tipping over the milk buckets. She actually walked right up to him when we went to collect her. Rosey was not tame at all. We chose her because she looked pretty (bad farmers!) as she is a Jersey/Aussie Red cross, but she was the calf that kept running away and was very difficult to catch.<br />
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Charlotte stayed tame for weeks, especially at first when we were bottle feeding both calves. Since Charlotte has secured her own milk supply and doesn't need humans anymore, she doesn't come for a scratch. We really need to work on getting her tame again, I think when she is weaned we will feed her a little grain so she associates us with food again.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhli_FKscSej356t4KnTjsR7qGKG5TNxyGsvPaAKh7mpOqEGQg14ho58trZoVfKJjlEocGJqMuX33U6RsHxHepMZXBi1mYxSoSUyAcpxXM9AvIAcidwy3Xw86GkqNuLDbOyCkan76fb21j4/s1600/P2078725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="eight acres: raising a baby house cow" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhli_FKscSej356t4KnTjsR7qGKG5TNxyGsvPaAKh7mpOqEGQg14ho58trZoVfKJjlEocGJqMuX33U6RsHxHepMZXBi1mYxSoSUyAcpxXM9AvIAcidwy3Xw86GkqNuLDbOyCkan76fb21j4/s400/P2078725.JPG" title="eight acres: raising a baby house cow" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Charlotte with foster mother Bella<br /></td></tr>
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Rosey, on the other hand, knows her name and will run over to us, because we are her milk supply. At first we milked Molly everyday and Rosey had a few litres until she was about 3 months old. Most dairy farmers will wean replacement heifers at this age, but there's no reason to stop given them milk. Since we are now only milking Molly once a week, Rosey gets the excess milk in the weekend.<br />
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Charlotte has grown a little faster, probably due to her more regular access to milk, but she also had a less severe reaction to the paralysis tick when they first came here. Rosey seems to be doing well enough and we will keep giving her milk while we have it to spare. I worry more about Rosey not having a mother to lick her and love her, in fact Bella is quite awful to her and will head butt her out of the way at any opportunity. I make sure she gets plenty of human love instead, and I hope she will be accepted when she's bigger. Bella still gives Molly a good lick bath. they have a whole herd hierarchy going on.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTY9VtCPsed5V2J_OJ2uSLb0rkXea-FXfPAutjqhirDFFiQ2_5ufWVdMCPbKRt32f3mCu6F4XOGEdTYJdf7jH3Ig4X3N4LPAz2S_F6Q8XI8jm_cpc3QR6liHTroaP3nNm4yIJ2MXYK4HzK/s1600/P2078727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="eight acres: raising a baby house cow" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTY9VtCPsed5V2J_OJ2uSLb0rkXea-FXfPAutjqhirDFFiQ2_5ufWVdMCPbKRt32f3mCu6F4XOGEdTYJdf7jH3Ig4X3N4LPAz2S_F6Q8XI8jm_cpc3QR6liHTroaP3nNm4yIJ2MXYK4HzK/s400/P2078727.JPG" title="eight acres: raising a baby house cow" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orphan Rosey</td></tr>
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It is a myth that calves stop drinking milk voluntarily (I see this perpetuated by vegans that have probably never met a cow). Calves will drink until their mother literally kicks them off the udder to feed her next calf. Full grown cows, and even bulls, will drink milk from another cow if they get the chance, and calves will happily drink for as long as they are allowed to (which is extremely detrimental to the poor cow providing the milk). Weaning is a VERY noisy time as mother and calf bawl to each other for several days. When reunited the calf will try to drink again even after months of separation.<br />
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The two babies are 6 months old now, so it will be another 18 months until we find out if either of them are good house cows. I think Charlotte has had the best nutrition, but Rosey has had a pretty good start and the best we could do for her (a shame Bella wasn't more helpful!). Rosey is currently the more tame of the two, but I'm sure we can work on Charlotte again as she started off so tame.<br />
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<i>What do you think? Have you ever raised a house cow?</i><br />
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<b><a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/p/buy-ebook.html" target="_blank">You can find more house cow information in my eBook here.</a></b><div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-82448110228997997422016-01-20T07:00:00.000+10:002016-01-20T07:00:15.185+10:00Cows with horns?I know there is a bit of confusion around cattle and horns. I've heard a few people say that they thought only bulls had horns. I suppose that makes sense... but its wrong!<br />
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Most cattle are born with horns. Both male and female. You might not see many cattle with horns because they are usually removed at a young age. There are two reasons for this, firstly the horns can grow back into the animal's skull, and cause problems. Bella had horns like this and we had to remove them when she was an adult, causing her considerable distress. The other reason is that cattle with horns can injure other cattle when they are loaded onto trucks, so any cattle that are destined for feedlots and/or abattoirs are generally dehorned, as are dairy cows who have to stand next to each other to be milked. They also have the potential to harm humans.<br />
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You might have noticed that our beautiful Molly cow does have horns. We chose not to remove her horns because I think its a painful procedure for young cattle and not necessary if they are living on a small farm. Yes Molly does toss her head around sometimes when she's frustrated and she could unintentionally hurt us (I like to think she wouldn't mean it), however she is very tame and we just have to manage her appropriately. I believe that Molly has lovely straight horns because we fed her well, with lots of minerals and her mother's milk until she was 14 months old. We don't have all the details of Bella's early life, but I gather that she only had milk for 3-4 months and probably wasn't fed well. Prior to mass production of milk, dairy cows always kept their horns and their correct conformation was one way to judge the health of the cow (we have a few old dairy books with images of beautiful horned dairy cows!).<br />
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<b>Polled cattle</b><br />
Some cattle have been bred very carefully to have no horns. There are called "polled" cattle. The angus steers and cows that we have at the moment are all polled. Generally their progeny should also be polled. I think this is the best option, as you don't have to hurt the animal to remove horns and you don't have management issues. However, cattle without horns cannot defend themselves or their calves against wild dogs. If you know you have a problem with dogs, it might be good to have a few cows with horns.<br />
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If you breed a polled animal with a horned animal, you may get offspring with horns, polled, or with "scurs" (not to be confused with scours!). These are wobbly horns that are not attached to the skull. They don't need to be removed for transport as they don't pose a danger to other animals, but they can easily break off too. <br />
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When we had the braford cattle I learnt that its very difficult to breed a polled brahman (bos indicus) crossed with a bos taurus (such as a braford, which is a brahman hereford cross) because the genes for horns are different in the two species, so its difficult to line up the recessive traits and breed a true polled animal. Unfortunately brahman cross animals do well on our property, so it might be difficult to find the right polled animal for our place.<br />
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<b>Dehorning</b><br />
True horns are actually attached to the skull of the animal. If you remove them when the animal is very young, they are not quite attached completely. There are various "dehorning" tools, most of them involve scooping the horn out of the animal's head. There is a lot of bleeding. It looks painful and I don't want anything to do with it unless its absolutely necessary. We removed Bella's horns because they were growing into her head, but apart from that we haven't removed any horns and as a result we sometimes don't get as good prices at the sale yard when we send horned cattle. They can actually devalue the entire truck load as they could have bruised the other cattle.<br />
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We have only ever had polled or dehorned bulls and I would prefer not to have a bull with horns. There is just an extra unpredictability with bulls and I don't want to give them any extra power to hurt me!<br />
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<i>So if you see cattle with horns, don't assume that its a bull! But don't get into the paddock to find out either! What do you think? Do you dehorn? Buy polled? Or manage horns?</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our mini-bull doesn't have horns</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Polled Angus steers - no horns</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ftacOpZjt5ZpK85jyoMtuyQ9b0AkDC65-M8jR0vuL2alVhTAow-GFzO2wHlHQvkt5AYxvM0pcxq6w9aQQj2ItslqxZQncB__kv37kC_GD5o9v8LKA_qUvTlUu4RiogPCSbrDhAtYT9M/s1600/P7127645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="eight acres: why do some cattle have horns?" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ftacOpZjt5ZpK85jyoMtuyQ9b0AkDC65-M8jR0vuL2alVhTAow-GFzO2wHlHQvkt5AYxvM0pcxq6w9aQQj2ItslqxZQncB__kv37kC_GD5o9v8LKA_qUvTlUu4RiogPCSbrDhAtYT9M/s400/P7127645.JPG" title="eight acres: why do some cattle have horns?" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Baby house cows - starting to grow horns</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcsElZHe6RQOfMoWdV6UndaIfCiNBJeqde9lF3l4hdf3uC6ljv0LoDRPMy9J0crnB-Pl-USaDOjOp1IiL-h5Gy35EfDBYfM4uW9Wwx9hwps52Unt8Hb99QOy0RGrBKbhcPVjW8bi10dd8/s1600/P7317742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="eight acres: why do some cattle have horns?" border="0" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcsElZHe6RQOfMoWdV6UndaIfCiNBJeqde9lF3l4hdf3uC6ljv0LoDRPMy9J0crnB-Pl-USaDOjOp1IiL-h5Gy35EfDBYfM4uW9Wwx9hwps52Unt8Hb99QOy0RGrBKbhcPVjW8bi10dd8/s400/P7317742.JPG" title="eight acres: why do some cattle have horns?" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Miss Molly cow - definitely has horns,<br />
but her calf Chubby had a polled sire, and she doesn't have horns</td></tr>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-51000016831408037252015-12-09T07:00:00.000+10:002015-12-09T07:00:00.270+10:00Cattle in posts in 2015At this time of year I like to do a summary of the posts from earlier in the year so that everyone can catch up on what they've missed. You can find <a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/search/label/cattle" target="_blank">all my previous cattle posts here</a>, and everything I know about house cows is in my <a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/p/buy-ebook.html" target="_blank">house cow ebook</a>.<br />
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Thank you so much for following my blog and leaving comments. Please share you questions and experiences with cattle.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2015/10/homekill-butcher-day-tips-and-tricks.html">Homekill butcher day - tips and tricks</a><br />
<br /><a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/homekill-beef-two-small-beef-cattle-for.html">Homekill beef - two small beef cattle</a><br />
<br /><a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/the-story-of-our-house-cows-part-3.html">The story of our house cows - Part 3</a><br />
<br /><a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/cleaning-milking-machine.html">Cleaning a milking machine</a><br />
<br /><a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/managing-house-cow-body-condition.html">Managing house cow body condition</a><br />
<br /><a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/three-day-sickness-in-cattle.html">Three day sickness in cattle</a><br />
<br /><a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/how-to-choose-home-milking-machine.html">How to choose a home milking machine</a><br />
<br /><a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/cattle-terminology.html">Cattle terminology</a><br />
<br /><a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2015/07/buying-selling-and-moving-cattle-what.html">Buying, selling and moving cattle</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinh9uwNGjr3rZdpRoIitDD1srAMQgdERFripbFmvz13lAz5ft9O4h3ZTv2Vq4Zf-xd0_XpQ-wj1JkDPTMh3P27AXeeYshM5utDMYpAMBwvMJNoxuIdG8X54UbsGIaTLvWCPBAChf0d67Na/s1600/PB228263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinh9uwNGjr3rZdpRoIitDD1srAMQgdERFripbFmvz13lAz5ft9O4h3ZTv2Vq4Zf-xd0_XpQ-wj1JkDPTMh3P27AXeeYshM5utDMYpAMBwvMJNoxuIdG8X54UbsGIaTLvWCPBAChf0d67Na/s400/PB228263.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Molly with ear tags - no fly damage this year I hope</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFifpskQtgQ5RidsMav8HYSYpKmosriS9bY_f5i5OqwZDEchWWuvWpleTxb9kfulfYfONg0I_HrKhnm_2cQqHT6gvCNAM04nlYUSzjeR-1JnyQp0hPCb5xEHwmaT5i_EZ-Sog2kYKaaO-/s1600/PA318193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFifpskQtgQ5RidsMav8HYSYpKmosriS9bY_f5i5OqwZDEchWWuvWpleTxb9kfulfYfONg0I_HrKhnm_2cQqHT6gvCNAM04nlYUSzjeR-1JnyQp0hPCb5xEHwmaT5i_EZ-Sog2kYKaaO-/s400/PA318193.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the herd hanging out</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhas9UzeaadENN3XO_PFjNUKUdMkUCHbvHAgFxxISXCScw4f_5rMbHNQKXuulXKkLAVKBrsx0ko5VSNjad3h8m3baLeBPT9bLI5hiFCFE0YYOkWh0jRSZ-fPxWwASP5o6YmOxEklYxkt9_4/s1600/P9258010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhas9UzeaadENN3XO_PFjNUKUdMkUCHbvHAgFxxISXCScw4f_5rMbHNQKXuulXKkLAVKBrsx0ko5VSNjad3h8m3baLeBPT9bLI5hiFCFE0YYOkWh0jRSZ-fPxWwASP5o6YmOxEklYxkt9_4/s400/P9258010.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a freezer (or three!) full of beef</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbTiPKIAG5ORkXr7RJjR8Ck70zCOsRHJft1g1-8px870L6VwMeDgzxK-f-oe3aRzXAsm2HPuVAhDwlYz132N33MquwF0bH61yCgo9wTLNoRyeqppqKOKqSfGcDZMAFlT10XTkK4PhoJdgb/s1600/P8227879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbTiPKIAG5ORkXr7RJjR8Ck70zCOsRHJft1g1-8px870L6VwMeDgzxK-f-oe3aRzXAsm2HPuVAhDwlYz132N33MquwF0bH61yCgo9wTLNoRyeqppqKOKqSfGcDZMAFlT10XTkK4PhoJdgb/s400/P8227879.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the last three wild braford gone for good!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhABobYeKbBnfWadpnUVXnXHWeNJj3Ack9sgkwLQMqJn5lkkzQ5jAJAvlpaMvsAx-JJT1bInBBmXgezHXnChcSeVnWTDTHBG0kCD4SlIFPBm8Z9_ufbuiR30q62E03pt835qfOw38QOeHvr/s1600/P7187653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhABobYeKbBnfWadpnUVXnXHWeNJj3Ack9sgkwLQMqJn5lkkzQ5jAJAvlpaMvsAx-JJT1bInBBmXgezHXnChcSeVnWTDTHBG0kCD4SlIFPBm8Z9_ufbuiR30q62E03pt835qfOw38QOeHvr/s400/P7187653.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">29 quiet angus instead.... ahhhhh</td></tr>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-7801760848423936982015-11-04T07:00:00.000+10:002015-11-05T22:11:53.870+10:00The story of our house cows - part 3<div>
Another year has past and things have changed again for our two house cows Bella and Molly. Catch up with <a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/the-story-of-our-house-cows-part-1.html" target="_blank">part 1</a> and <a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/the-story-of-our-house-cows-part-2.html" target="_blank">part 2</a>, I have been waiting for the right time to write part 3, so much has happened in a year!</div>
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If you need to catch up, you can read part 1 and part 2. In summary, about five years ago we bought our first house cow, Bella and she came with a young heifer calf, Molly. Since then, Bella has had three more calves: one that died and was replaced by foster calf Romeo, then Nancy, and then another this year that died and has been replaced by foster calf Charlotte. Molly has also had three calves: Monty, Ruby and Chubby. They both had a long break between their last calves because our little bull Donald got sick and we didn’t know if they were in calf. We replaced Donald with Donald the second, which resulted in these last two calves. Confused?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFdG50cEJF5PJ_bPMogCR6SAf_AsgrSQIIT-12IzwvDIqoV9N37ACi3XxxjKX24fd5PP4ho166KhJdsC6CqW9TRa6d3WOgHetXGKl8woVW0mZ4lOAF59CYa4FI_9MXi2ffMo-kMGGC4hI/s1600/P9258030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="eight acres: the story of our house cows part 3" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFdG50cEJF5PJ_bPMogCR6SAf_AsgrSQIIT-12IzwvDIqoV9N37ACi3XxxjKX24fd5PP4ho166KhJdsC6CqW9TRa6d3WOgHetXGKl8woVW0mZ4lOAF59CYa4FI_9MXi2ffMo-kMGGC4hI/s400/P9258030.JPG" title="eight acres: the story of our house cows part 3" width="397" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlotte, Rosey and Chubby</td></tr>
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When I wrote last year, the first Donald had just died, but we thought that both cows were in calf. We had dried off both cows and were waiting. After a few months we accepted that we weren’t going to have any calves, and even worse, that we wouldn’t have any raw milk for several months. This was disappointed, and in some ways I felt that we had failed as cow owners, but it was nice to have a break from milking and really didn’t have to do much to look after the cows in that time, they were just off in a neighbour’s paddock with Donald the second.<br />
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When it came close to calving time, I brought Bella back home as her udder was swollen and we thought she would calve soon. We actually had another 6 weeks to wait and poor Bella just kept swelling. I’m finding it difficult to get a lot of information about her condition, she seems to have had oedema, which can be caused by an allergic reaction to the growing baby, and mineral deficiencies. Both of the calves that died were from Lowline breed bulls, so we wonder if that is the cause. But it could be anything. I get the impression that dairy cows with this type of problem are culled, rather than doing any research to figure out why they are sick, which makes sense when you’re running a dairy farm, but I’d love to know how to help our house cow!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7uioAqd4t_WpKdIqGP6E4P5s-kH7EdJKb-4-wcDfll-YPYXhcV8Jhq7_nnhufXe0X_hytwuy5Aj006WQw1rDCFuZv4D8LlRLiIwTvCWJIe-An8F-U4-eCw6Uc_CGvA16y0aFO1477ZsE/s1600/P7317742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="eight acres: the story of our house cows part 3" border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7uioAqd4t_WpKdIqGP6E4P5s-kH7EdJKb-4-wcDfll-YPYXhcV8Jhq7_nnhufXe0X_hytwuy5Aj006WQw1rDCFuZv4D8LlRLiIwTvCWJIe-An8F-U4-eCw6Uc_CGvA16y0aFO1477ZsE/s400/P7317742.JPG" title="eight acres: the story of our house cows part 3" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Molly with her calf Chubby</td></tr>
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When Bella went into labour on a Sunday morning, we were both home and I went into the paddock with her. I saw the calf being born and I tried to revive him, but he was dead. Poor Bella, she licked him clean and mooed at him. We immediately got her two foster calves, as she had fostered Romeo so well last time this happened (I don’t know why we thought two was a good idea though). We got a Jersey heifer and a Jersey cross <a href="http://www.aussiereds.com.au/">Australian Red</a> heifer (Charlotte and Rosey), thinking we should take the opportunity to raise some replacement house cows rather than steers.<br />
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Unfortunately Bella was really sick this time. She took about a week to recover from the oedema and got mastitis again. Pete had to keep her in a small yard so that she didn’t walk too far away from the milk bales, because she could barely walk and waiting for her to hobble back to the bales was awful. It was not sensible to leave the foster calves with her for a couple of weeks while she was recovering.<br />
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And in that time the calves got paralysis tick poisoning! In a week they went from boisterous, active little calves to listless and unable to drink from a bottle. Pete thought they had scours, but when I tried to give one of them an electrolyte mix from a bottle, I found one tick and then another (to be fair, Pete had been feeding them from a bucket with a teat and hadn’t needed to handle them, so hadn’t noticed the ticks). At least <a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/managing-australian-paralysis-ticks-in.html" target="_blank">now we know what to do for them when we find ticks</a>.... we rolled them over and removed every tick we could find (15 on one calf!), we dosed them with nasty insecticide and put ear tags in both ears. Then bottle fed them electrolyte and Bella’s milk until they were well enough to use the bucket again. This set us back several weeks, so that even when Bella was well, the calves were not strong enough to take milk from her.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNbUKiGyJyrY_H-Ukz9ohX27GPDdx0bto-UmGTTOhn8srjPExT624Yq0xqztcM8HrXBnyUm1DjLNWISZBZRtwdKXx2yUUNp3Q10j16GcTuIoiEcjRH8rWErz3XZzTQA145ZOITrvkQfA/s1600/P9258045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="eight acres: the story of our house cows part 3" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNbUKiGyJyrY_H-Ukz9ohX27GPDdx0bto-UmGTTOhn8srjPExT624Yq0xqztcM8HrXBnyUm1DjLNWISZBZRtwdKXx2yUUNp3Q10j16GcTuIoiEcjRH8rWErz3XZzTQA145ZOITrvkQfA/s400/P9258045.JPG" title="eight acres: the story of our house cows part 3" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cantankerous Bella</td></tr>
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<br />The calf fostering didn’t go as well as last time, maybe it was the time delay or just how ill Bella was at first. Eventually she has accepted Charlotte the more confident of the two calves, but not as forthrightly as she did with Romeo. Rosey has tried, but hasn’t been allowed to drink from either cow, so we have been milking and feeding Rosey.<br />
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Molly had her calf not long after all of that, and everything went well, in fact she was hardly “bagged up” at all, with far less swelling than her previous calves. Pete was home for the birth, which was nice and quick. Her tiny calf is part mini Hereford and Low line, so she has a different shape to the dairy animals. We started calling her Chubby and it stuck. Molly is doing a wonderful job looking after her calf and we have been making sure that Molly has plenty to eat and doesn’t lose condition as she did with her last calf.<br />
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Pete was milking both cows for a while, but then Bella got mastitis again and kicked him in the head during milking. We have since read that cows imprint very strongly when they first meet someone and keep grudges. Pete had originally tried to “discipline” Bella when we first got her, and I think maybe she is holding some resentment towards him. Sometimes she will only come into the milking bales if I’m there. Anyway, from that day Pete stopping milking her and stopped giving her grain to eat (to reduce her milk production), and stopped feeding any milk to Charlotte, so now Charlotte is milking Bella for us, and sometimes she gets kicked too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkJQQHS7jdwXVLBDllaEUaM-BF2ixVqltxLhmDnFOjMNdjmf655ZSRbISl5iLqtWunJksKBO_isKUJMlDf6J1FhYJ1nQQg792DsQYbyKQIBLrCxETn8pu0GKmKOLc4ym9nD6jvALmRQY/s1600/P8097779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="eight acres: the story of our house cows part 3" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkJQQHS7jdwXVLBDllaEUaM-BF2ixVqltxLhmDnFOjMNdjmf655ZSRbISl5iLqtWunJksKBO_isKUJMlDf6J1FhYJ1nQQg792DsQYbyKQIBLrCxETn8pu0GKmKOLc4ym9nD6jvALmRQY/s400/P8097779.JPG" title="eight acres: the story of our house cows part 3" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh Raw Milk is flowing again!</td></tr>
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Its been a crazy few months and that’s why I’ve been waiting for the right time to write this update. Molly has grown into a wonderful cow, she has easy births (so far) and stands quietly in the milking bales. We’ve never had to give her antibiotics. Her only problem is a sensitivity to buffalo fly that leaves her itchy all over, and I really feel for her because I have the same problem with mosquito bites.<br />
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On the other hand, we have Bella, with two dead calves, a bad temper (possibly because she is often in pain from underlying mastitis infections, and doesn’t like Pete) and a very uncertain future. It seems unfair to breed her again and potentially put her through oedema again. But a dairy cow that can’t breed is not much use to us. While it would be nice to think she could just stay on our property as a pet, even if feed cost wasn’t an issue we would also have make sure the bull never got to her. We are left with few options, sell her (for meat, not to be breed again), shoot and bury her or eat her ourselves. None of these appeal to me at the moment. <br />
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Right now we have some time, Bella is still useful to us as a foster mother to Charlotte, but after that, we will have to make a decision. I know some people don’t bat an eyelid at sending their cow to the meat works and getting a new one. I understand that, I’m like that with nearly every other animal on the farm. With the house cows I was not prepared for this eventuality, I thought they would live here until they died. It makes me realise that we need to have plans for unhappy endings, so that we don’t come to unexpected difficult decisions.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-54870888937739401952015-10-19T07:00:00.000+10:002015-10-19T07:00:01.823+10:00The Raw Milk Answer Book - review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I never realised that raw milk was so controversial until after we got our house cow Bella and I found out that we couldn't share her milk. I know most people get a house cow BECAUSE they want raw milk, but we were just interested in milk in general, I hadn't really thought about the fact that it would be raw. We were happy to drink it raw and make cheese with the raw milk. It was until I started reading Nourishing Traditions that I realised the benefits of raw milk and how lucky we were to have our own house cow.</div>
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If you are still trying to figure out what's going on with raw milk, this book covers everything. I would be very surprised if there is a question that you have that is not covered by this book, although it is US-based, so there isn't any Australian specific information. He covers the history of raw milk, the risks and benefits and making the decision to drink raw milk (he doesn't push raw milk, but advocates that everyone considers their individual situation). Then how to get raw milk, how to check that its safe and how to discuss your decision with family. <br />
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I think in Australia its even more difficult to get raw milk, as it is not legal for farmers to sell or share unpasteurised milk. However, if you ask around you can probably find a source of milk from a sneaky farmer or "cosmetic" milk. At least this book would help you to understand the risks and how to assess whether the milk is likely to be safe to drink.<br />
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Personally I am convinced that raw milk makes me feel better. I actually didn't drink much milk at all before we got Bella, some weeks we wouldn't buy any milk, other weeks it would go off before we used a litre bottle. When we got Bella (and then started milking Molly) we always have so much milk, I got used to having a raw milk and kefir smoothie daily. So when both cows were dry recently we started buying milk from our local organic farm, and it was of course pasteurised. I didn't realise how ill I was feeling until we started milking again and after a few weeks of raw milk I was back to normal. I think I would rather have no milk than drink pasteurised milk. My kefir agrees, it nearly died on the pasteurised milk, but is slowly regrowing in the raw milk.<br />
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If you're wondering about raw milk, I recommend reading this book, it will at least help you assess whether you want to try it and how you might get it.<br />
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<i>Do you drink raw milk?</i><br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-70545519008085281582015-09-09T07:00:00.000+10:002015-09-09T07:00:03.567+10:00Cattle terminologyWhen reading the cattle market report, you might see <a href="http://www.stockandland.com.au/news/agriculture/cattle/beef/fat-sale-prices-impact-on-store-sale/2636163.aspx" target="_blank">something like this</a>:<br />
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The good size yarding offered potential buyers with many pens of heavier yearling steers in forward store to fat condition. It would appear that prices at recent physical markets have risen to producers proffering the store market over fat sales.<br />
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I thought it was time I figured out what they were talking about! Here are a few terms that you might hear in the cattle industry, there are more in the links at the end.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">three fat cows</td></tr>
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<b>First are they male or female? And what age?</b><br />
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Bull: A male bovine with sexual organs intact and that is capable of reproduction. A mature male animal used for breeding.<br />
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Bullock - Mature castrated male cattle destined for meat production<br />
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Calf: A bovine no permanent incisor teeth, can be a male or a female with no secondary sex characteristics.<br />
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Cow: A mature female used for breeding with eight permanent incisor teeth.<br />
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Heifer: A female bovine that has not produced a calf and is under 42 months of age. After 42 months of age she is known as a 'grown heifer', unless she has had a calf, and then she is a cow.<br />
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PTIC: Pregnancy Tested in Calf – used to describe cows at a store or prime market.<br />
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Steer: A castrated male bovine showing no secondary sex characteristics.<br />
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Weaner: A young animal that has been weaned from its mother’s milk to live completely on pasture.<br />
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Yearling: Young animal, fully weaned without permanent incisor teeth. Animal does not show any secondary sex characteristics. Approximately 12 to 18 months of age.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm21JmR7YgkfCzvqOCNycVYQOWllVK4GhdA3XHZYmT2DvDzzkjUyGQSIoIEEoo8ylhzj41VQUXGq72X-NzU2vPsVmH4XrTwjA1MXJoVpUvsuddVulUsR2AgNFYzEZFCPeNwZXzc9gbJSw2/s1600/P7317742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="eight acres: cattle terminology" border="0" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm21JmR7YgkfCzvqOCNycVYQOWllVK4GhdA3XHZYmT2DvDzzkjUyGQSIoIEEoo8ylhzj41VQUXGq72X-NzU2vPsVmH4XrTwjA1MXJoVpUvsuddVulUsR2AgNFYzEZFCPeNwZXzc9gbJSw2/s400/P7317742.JPG" title="eight acres: cattle terminology" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Molly cow and her heifer calf</td></tr>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Types of cattle and operations</b><br />
<br />
Backgrounding: Growing young cattle from the time calves are weaned until they enter a feedlot to be finished on a high protein ration.</div>
<div>
Restocker: A producer or agent who purchases cattle/sheep/lambs and returns them to the farm - this could be for backgrounding or breeding.</div>
<div>
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<div>
Cow and calf operation: Keeping cows for the purpose of breeding and selling either weaner calves or finished beasts.</div>
<div>
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Fat or Finished stock: Animals suitable for slaughter - usually these have been fed in a feedlot, or may be mature animals, such as cull cows (older breeding cows no longer required).<br />
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Feeder steer: A steer purchased by a lot-feeder to be placed in a feedlot (generally from a backgrounding facility). Cattle specifications (entry weight, muscle and fat score, breed, age etc) are dependent on the market the animal is destined for.<br />
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Japan ox: A grown steer, weighing in excess of 500kg lwt or weighing 320 to 400kg cwt. Such animals are predominantly destined for the Japanese market.</div>
<div>
<br />
Store Cattle - animals for beef which have been reared on one or more farms, and then are sold, either to dealers or other farmers. They are brought for finishing in feed lots, normally well-grown animals of up to two years of age </div>
<div>
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You will see that the markets have size ranges for calves, weaners/vealers, yearlings, grown heifers and steers, cows and bulls. Each weight class may also have a muscle score description:<br />
<br />
Muscle score description<br />
A: Very heavy<br />
B: Heavy<br />
C: Medium<br />
D: Moderate<br />
E: Light<br />
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Each weight class and muscle score will have an average and maximum price.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95djL9pAU05-gRP0ZZKtpHieup06ZMW7cs6dJO4OGn3RhLDnjOvig_tbtX6MfO35caWWQ-ckgJbdLXMNcsL-HBRnTce4wBaX7JAQcKwejqS9D6f8xOeWR-Ja2I0DJits5ZrW1i677sOIx/s1600/P5317471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="eight acres: cattle terminology" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95djL9pAU05-gRP0ZZKtpHieup06ZMW7cs6dJO4OGn3RhLDnjOvig_tbtX6MfO35caWWQ-ckgJbdLXMNcsL-HBRnTce4wBaX7JAQcKwejqS9D6f8xOeWR-Ja2I0DJits5ZrW1i677sOIx/s400/P5317471.JPG" title="eight acres: cattle terminology" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our mob of weaner steers and heifers</td></tr>
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<b>Types of sales</b><br />
<br />
Prime sale: A regular (often weekly) physical market auction.<br />
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Store sale: A physical auction where normally cattle/sheep/lambs are bought and sold. Most of the stock offered are for breeding or future finishing.<br />
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<b>To put all of this in context....</b><br />
<br />
We did try a cow and calf operation, originally buying 25 cows and calves, and a bull through private sales. We sold the calves as "weaners" at about 9 months old in a store sale. The cows had more calves, which we sold. Then when we started to run out of grass and water on the property, we sold the cows as fat or finished cows, and the bull. Just recently, we bought a mob of weaner steers and heifers to fatten on our property (so we became backgrounders) and we will sell them as store cattle (to be fed in feed-lots). Ideally we would like to have a smaller number of cows, and to keep the calves until they are finished on grass, because I really don't like feed-lots.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQkwmeyX1R4xS2i5cSe1SEYXx-mDPUk7mGp8ktOZrfm8X9anKyaEOOof-mlr9vzCqTsJ9FLG-fjzqMjNt_jv2FspVlaxpybHI7MvJfqBUfwzKkoNhryRMiYoGCGuUmiWZtbYqRx2fRcIm0/s1600/P6200114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="eight acres: cattle terminology" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQkwmeyX1R4xS2i5cSe1SEYXx-mDPUk7mGp8ktOZrfm8X9anKyaEOOof-mlr9vzCqTsJ9FLG-fjzqMjNt_jv2FspVlaxpybHI7MvJfqBUfwzKkoNhryRMiYoGCGuUmiWZtbYqRx2fRcIm0/s400/P6200114.JPG" title="eight acres: cattle terminology" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our bull with the mob of weaners</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mla.com.au/general/glossary">Meat and Livestock Association (MLA) glossary</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.smallholderseries.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=82:quick-guide-to-cattle-terms&catid=28:glossary-a-quick-guides&Itemid=147">Small holder series - quick guide to cattle terms</a><br />
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<i>Does that help? Are there any other cattle terms that you're still unsure about?</i></div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-3791006226789690282015-08-10T07:00:00.000+10:002015-08-10T07:00:01.816+10:00How to clean a milking machinePeople often assume that using a milking machine would be more work that milking by hand because of the time to clean the machine. Actually its surprisingly quick to clean after milking. And it only occasionally needs a more thorough clean. Much of the information you find online about cleaning milking machines refers to large scale dairies that are milking a hundred or more cows a day. If you are only milking one or two cows you can use a simpler and quicker process, and gentler chemicals, to keep your machine clean.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj9nKDbez1-JpGOHluUNPe2PR0Nj50hyoH3viuQJaT53AnvL6oiAkCzcPBhMfdYGwI_en3E4pX3hiQjwUo77D-5N-Rp-RIgjfIyoppMgWNJgcO9MW-9dek-auEvErmP0cIm2qGur8QzFWJ/s1600/P6077507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj9nKDbez1-JpGOHluUNPe2PR0Nj50hyoH3viuQJaT53AnvL6oiAkCzcPBhMfdYGwI_en3E4pX3hiQjwUo77D-5N-Rp-RIgjfIyoppMgWNJgcO9MW-9dek-auEvErmP0cIm2qGur8QzFWJ/s400/P6077507.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only extra-large gloves at the supermarket were pink...</td></tr>
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After every milking, as soon as possible, we tip out the milk (either for calves or for our consumption) and clean the milking machine. The first step is a bucket of warm soapy water (not too hot, as steam can damage the vacuum pump, and <a href="https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/404/404-400/404-400.html" target="_blank">hot water can actually make the milk solids more difficult to remove</a>), which gets sucked through the milking cups and through the machine. We use a few drops of dishwashing detergent in the water. We then slosh this around inside the milk can and wipe off all the hoses before tipping out the soapy water. The next step is a rinse with a bucket of warm water (also sucked through the milking cups). Finally we leave the milk can upside-down to drain. This is all that is necessary after twice daily milking and takes only about 10 minutes. If the milking machine is cleaned immediately after the milk is tipped out, this amount of cleaning is sufficient. When the milking machine is left unwashed for longer periods (even an hour or so, if other farm chores demand attention), minerals, fat and protein from the milk will gradually form deposits called "milk stone" inside the milking machine .</div>
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About once a week, or if we haven't used the machine for a while, we give it a more thorough clean with additional chemicals to remove milk stone deposits. It is generally recommended to use a caustic or a caustic/chlorine detergent. You can buy specialty chemicals from a dairy supplier, but you can usually also find something suitable in the supermarket cleaning isle. Look for a cleaner that contains Sodium Hypochlorite and Sodium Hydroxide (with minimum fragrance as you don't want your milk to taste lemon-fresh). Both of these are strong chemicals that can damage your skin and eyes, so make sure you wear gloves and glasses while cleaning your milking machine with these chemicals.<br />
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Acid milk stone remover (based on phosphoric or nitric acid) can also be used (<a href="http://www.stearnspkg.com/hfa/f-sterosol-milkstone-remover-and-acid-rinse.html" target="_blank">for example</a>). This would need to be purchased from a dairy supplier. Acid cleaners are better for hard water, which tends to react with caustic cleaners and reduce their effectiveness. Again, this is a strong chemical and care should be taken to avoid contact with skin and eyes. You can read all about the <a href="http://www.delavalcleaningsolutions.com/ImageVaultFiles/id_1232/cf_6/Chemistry_of_Cleaning.PDF" target="_blank">chemistry of different cleaners here</a>. Never combine ammonia with acid or chlorine cleaners, as you will cause a chemical reaction, if in doubt, its best to just use one cleaner at a time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivFTov3Vm1N-abhbvoluaQl1ky6kKhLyA1UgeidVPSUpauWO8zhiT0VLLpuVqIkpKLdas5AMXJeI3mjTGSaaXkWS2B1G7aTFR0T0cjxlJs2LyZ4dIqCK7XWqzhZcaeWygWUqoRXfK1NG5/s1600/P6077509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivFTov3Vm1N-abhbvoluaQl1ky6kKhLyA1UgeidVPSUpauWO8zhiT0VLLpuVqIkpKLdas5AMXJeI3mjTGSaaXkWS2B1G7aTFR0T0cjxlJs2LyZ4dIqCK7XWqzhZcaeWygWUqoRXfK1NG5/s400/P6077509.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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When we do the big clean, we usually also take the opportunity to pull off all the hoses and give them a clean with a bottle brush. We have bought a range of sizes of bottle brush, and one small one is particularly useful for cleaning the long tube between the milking machine claw and the milk can, we tie it on a piece of bailing twine and pull it through the tube a few times (hot tip from Pete, the best way to get the twine all the way down the tube is running water or compressed air). When you first get your milking machine, its a good idea to take it apart to find out which bits you can get into the clean properly.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlP_7mI_lzagPakYx7W4h6xxm3vdKGGqigp41S91YqJpJ1D_-KcC4-ZApnHAQRQOlQFnY3sE4xkuRvgkX7tSAvdjkdnTcVl6SmqCDSMUbkOxs6aX6Ggc_jN7V2c_iWsDsTL55Aco3M7lTB/s1600/P8027772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlP_7mI_lzagPakYx7W4h6xxm3vdKGGqigp41S91YqJpJ1D_-KcC4-ZApnHAQRQOlQFnY3sE4xkuRvgkX7tSAvdjkdnTcVl6SmqCDSMUbkOxs6aX6Ggc_jN7V2c_iWsDsTL55Aco3M7lTB/s400/P8027772.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The queue at milking time</td></tr>
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<i>Do you use a milking machine? How do you clean it?</i><br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-49473528977850046722015-07-13T07:00:00.000+10:002015-07-13T07:00:00.768+10:00Buying, selling and moving cattle - what are the rules?When we first started with cattle I found the rules and regulations for buying, selling and moving cattle to be very confusing. Here are a few tips that you may find useful. Remember that I am no expert, I'm just telling you what I understand of the system, consider this advice from a neighbour leaning over the fence, please check the details with your local stock inspector or state department of primary industries (or equivalent).<br />
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All states and territories of Australia participate in the National Livestock and Identification System (NLIS). This system is designed to track stock (including cattle, goats and sheep) from birth to slaughter. Each animal has a number, each property has a number and each movement is recorded in the NLIS database, as well as on an electronic or paper waybill. <br />
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The first thing you need to do is get a Property Identification Code (PIC) for your property. In Queensland this is free, and you can apply through the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries <a href="https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/animal-industries/moving-selling-livestock/national-livestock-identification-system/property-registration" target="_blank">here</a>. Any property where stock are kept, including on agistment, must have a PIC. When you have a PIC, you can register for an account in the NLIS database <a href="https://www.nlis.mla.com.au/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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You can now buy stock for your property. These animals should have ear-tags with a unique NLIS number on them. Do not buy stock that do not have ear-tags (you are just creating work for yourself!). You must then ensure that these cattle are "transferred" onto your PIC in the NLIS database. This can be done by either the seller or the buyer. When you go to sell or slaughter the cattle, you will have trouble if the tag numbers are not registered on your PIC, so double-check that its been done correctly.<br />
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If you need to move stock off your property (or if you are transporting them from someone else's property) you will need a waybill. A waybill is just a form that records the owner of the cattle, the start and destination of the journey and the type and number of animals. You can use a generic waybill downloaded from your state department of primary industries (or equivalent) website. If you want to sell cattle into abattoirs (even if via a sale yard), you will need to register for National Vendor Declaration (NVD) Waybills under the Meat and Livestock Associations (MLA) Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) scheme (<a href="http://www.mla.com.au/Meat-safety-and-traceability/Livestock-Production-Assurance" target="_blank">here</a>). These waybills also include information about chemicals used on the cattle (and therefore their suitability for slaughter and export). The waybill must be issued by the person who holds the PIC that the cattle are coming from.<br />
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If you're crossing cattle tick lines, you also need to get the animals inspected for ticks and possible also dip or drench the animals. I don't know much about this side of the process as we generally try to buy tick-free or from producers who do the tick paperwork for us.<br />
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If you are planning to breed cattle, you will need your own breeder ear-tags so you can sell them. Any animal that leaves your property to another PIC will need an NLIS tag. I think each state is slightly different when it comes to buying ear-tags. In Queensland I have to send a form to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries because a Biosecurity Queensland inspector must endorse each NLIS device order prior to the order being placed with a supplier or manufacturer. I order the tags online, but many produce stores will also take your order. The tags are printed with your PIC number and unique animal numbers. Animals born on your property need a white tag. If you have animals that have lost tags, you need to replace them with an orange tag. You will also need to buy a special pair of pliers to insert the tags, and then you're locked into a certain brand of tags as the pliers will only fit one brand.<br />
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<b>See why I was confused! Here's a step-by-step summary:</b><br />
<ol>
<li>Apply for a PIC for your property</li>
<li>Register on the NLIS database</li>
<li>Buy cattle with NLIS ear-tags and ensure that they are transferred to your PIC in the NLIS database</li>
<li>Check if the cattle will be crossing tick lines and what you are required to do</li>
<li>If intending to sell cattle at saleyards, order NVD waybills through MLA</li>
<li>Otherwise, download a waybill for your state each time you move cattle from your PIC</li>
<li>If intending to breed cattle, order NLIS tags for your PIC (don't forget your pliers!)</li>
<li>Try to keep the NLIS database up to date when animals have moved to or from your property, animals that have died or been slaughtered on your property, or new tags have been inserted in calves or animals that had lost tags</li>
</ol>
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This system is really not tailored for small-holders who just want to raise a few head of cattle and butcher them on-farm. Its designed for large farmers who are buying, selling and moving significant numbers of cattle multiple times. If you are moving large number of cattle, an electronic tag reader is worth the investment.<br />
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<i>I hope that helps and remember, I don't know what I'm talking about, so do some research about how this works in your state and make sure you're doing the right thing. Did I miss anything?</i><br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-18820384317805728352015-06-15T07:00:00.000+10:002015-06-16T09:31:45.931+10:00Managing house cow body conditionDairy cows are <a href="http://dairycarrie.com/2013/06/10/why-are-dairy-cows-skinny/">naturally skinnier than beef cows</a>. They are bred to produce milk, not meat! But it can be tricky to know whether your cow is too skinny, or too fat, as both can cause serious problems.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bella a few weeks of calving and Molly inspecting my boot</td></tr>
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A useful method for assessing cow condition is the “body condition score”, which is basically a method of ranking how boney a cow looks (<a href="http://www.reformationacres.com/2014/10/is-my-cow-too-skinny-evaluating-cattle-body-condition.html">more details with lots of photos of different cows here</a>, see a <a href="https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/53520/Animal-HD-Investigation-Condition-scores.pdf">chart for cow, horse, sheep and dog body condition here</a>). Look at your cow and how many ribs and spine bones you can see, and how her tail sits, and give her an average score. A diary cow should be around 2.5-3, ideally you will see the back three ribs, but not the front ones. <br />
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Every cow is different though, and a cow’s body condition will change over time, early in her lactation when your cow is giving the most milk she will lose condition (get skinnier). Some cows seem to just give everything they’ve got to make more milk and get skinnier and skinnier until you dry them up (Molly has had to be dried up early both lactations because she was getting too skinny no matter what we fed her). Ideally your cow should have the opportunity to put on condition (get fatter) in the weeks before she has her next calf, and this should happen naturally as her body stops producing milk. But don’t let her get TOO fat either, as that can cause birthing difficulties.<br />
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Throughout your cow’s lactation its really important to monitor her condition and adjust her feed and milking routine to keep her in around a 2.5-3. If she does get too skinny or too fat, she won’t cycle and get into calf again. She could also have compromised health. See “Keeping a family cow” for more information on cow digestion and optimal feeding. Your cow is an expensive investment, and in order to get the most from her, you need to look after her and provide her with top quality feed. If pasture is not available, then good quality hay is essential. You may also supplement with grain for extra protein, and you MUST provide additional minerals. <br />
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If your cow losses weight suddenly with no corresponding increase in milk production or change in diet (i.e. no obvious reason for it), she is probably unwell. <a href="http://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/Animal-management/Animal-health/Animal-health-fast-facts/Weight-loss-or-illthrift.aspx" target="_blank">There are a few possible reasons</a>, some more serious than others. If the cow seems alert and otherwise well, you might have a bit of time to eliminate some of the possibilities, but if she is clearly unwell, contact your vet immediately. The first cause that comes to mind is worms. We use copper sulphate and diatomaceous earth to worm our cows, and don’t regularly use a chemical wormer, but if a cow loses weight suddenly, you should try to get a stool sample to a vet for a worm count and the chemical wormer might be your quickest option to get that under control if you have a positive result.<br />
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Another important sign of ill health is <a href="http://webdoc.agsci.colostate.edu/ansc/bb_cattlehair13.pdf" target="_blank">your cow’s coat</a>. It she is getting all the nutrients she needs, she should have a smooth, sleek coat, it will be longer in winter, but it should never be rough and patchy.<br />
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If you're new to cows you might not be familiar with how they should look, so I hope this helps to monitor the health of your house cows from their appearance. <i>Any questions or suggestions?</i><br />
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<b>Skinny Cow (rating 2)</b> - this is Molly just after we weaned her calf, probably on the skinny side, but the more we fed her, the more milk she made, some cows are just like that. All we could do was wean her calf, dry her off and feed her as much hay as she could eat. She eventually gained the weight (put on condition), but we will have to manage this with her next calf (possibly wean the calf early again).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-Bn14x2py_ycefUE76kVyuuQc5CZ4wngOd96R1PTTYwVaeS85QcI8FKnq35A39_fzcK0wlOtFmoXhlk-XW4x-U-uw0mNm_OlDacAwgfc6aSMFmusB-VSN17dkddXMkNVtW7jxg1GkLk4/s1600/P9215277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-Bn14x2py_ycefUE76kVyuuQc5CZ4wngOd96R1PTTYwVaeS85QcI8FKnq35A39_fzcK0wlOtFmoXhlk-XW4x-U-uw0mNm_OlDacAwgfc6aSMFmusB-VSN17dkddXMkNVtW7jxg1GkLk4/s400/P9215277.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">you can see all her ribs, including the back "pin bones"</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwO2HQ6YkRhp85iXSU1fk3m8eM6p9kxDPv8v0OdfSXliFpIjXfCBV67ydTFSpJGLYEKQVs9JaFMeKZ5sSDdSztoQsWR2Hd5VTZeidCrCvKGtjV1GugFOZiGfTkGbV3peKk0LgAS1ackeEV/s1600/P9215278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="house cow ebook - cow body condition" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwO2HQ6YkRhp85iXSU1fk3m8eM6p9kxDPv8v0OdfSXliFpIjXfCBV67ydTFSpJGLYEKQVs9JaFMeKZ5sSDdSztoQsWR2Hd5VTZeidCrCvKGtjV1GugFOZiGfTkGbV3peKk0LgAS1ackeEV/s400/P9215278.JPG" title="house cow ebook - cow body condition" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">hip bones very prominent</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihvjoMz0wPTBTlqqulDzdkD9qIhrynvuQHyU7AHUCw-xxLOTfw1bcy_jYoCBP2ec34qT3XzSL92c2S4IwLPM_IELqLR9DBQBgb85P9Ipq26Oq8Z9He8DdurVsSmFqUS_YxLWg81FCtWgpq/s1600/P9215280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="house cow ebook - cow body condition" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihvjoMz0wPTBTlqqulDzdkD9qIhrynvuQHyU7AHUCw-xxLOTfw1bcy_jYoCBP2ec34qT3XzSL92c2S4IwLPM_IELqLR9DBQBgb85P9Ipq26Oq8Z9He8DdurVsSmFqUS_YxLWg81FCtWgpq/s400/P9215280.JPG" title="house cow ebook - cow body condition" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tail sunken</td></tr>
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<b>Fat Cow (rating 3.5-4)</b> - Bella had a year off having a calf and milking, so she got a little too fat. This is what you would want a feeder steer to look like before going to the sale yards! Not a cow!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJuyyN3tVqvjLdJbxVfxONm3EUFMWunymwVLcxdX0NwMoZFedRn_R9Xh_VtNC_nOtJzzxyZR8TLdpWTRP7btpvuu9ZNu7lr4PMPN5UEj5fzIKmqumJdpif1VhcLjbrpAfb64kFFxtfJOg/s1600/P8315209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="house cow ebook - cow body condition" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJuyyN3tVqvjLdJbxVfxONm3EUFMWunymwVLcxdX0NwMoZFedRn_R9Xh_VtNC_nOtJzzxyZR8TLdpWTRP7btpvuu9ZNu7lr4PMPN5UEj5fzIKmqumJdpif1VhcLjbrpAfb64kFFxtfJOg/s400/P8315209.JPG" title="house cow ebook - cow body condition" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">you can hardly see any ribs</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlwN3iM-PvLcFjA5yc_kxb-DMdFoFMoMoPeFZgx1WTLIkBOTSGEXtfeLegN_rvzA0405znfZEaMXy4ve0W7dN77C3iCRqZxZorvA_OnlIDLeI2FTaNiXOSJ2l-dq6fO5XnvPPZKdMjK9PQ/s1600/P8315211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlwN3iM-PvLcFjA5yc_kxb-DMdFoFMoMoPeFZgx1WTLIkBOTSGEXtfeLegN_rvzA0405znfZEaMXy4ve0W7dN77C3iCRqZxZorvA_OnlIDLeI2FTaNiXOSJ2l-dq6fO5XnvPPZKdMjK9PQ/s400/P8315211.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">hip bones not visible</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJilwunfmwKYZV3Mu0FqH6Z61j8xuBYqaiAjxEerInST1wMS4AxIUe58G86kw-aiRJCZBVdeRHSvNXHG-BmsYTXEoU5w3zfDGOfNrkcpo00rq5mjOJP8CEvG3MFpCXICHKK6UbRpumwP-D/s1600/P8315212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJilwunfmwKYZV3Mu0FqH6Z61j8xuBYqaiAjxEerInST1wMS4AxIUe58G86kw-aiRJCZBVdeRHSvNXHG-BmsYTXEoU5w3zfDGOfNrkcpo00rq5mjOJP8CEvG3MFpCXICHKK6UbRpumwP-D/s400/P8315212.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tail raised</td></tr>
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Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/230229811/Our-Experience-With-House-Cows" target="_blank">Scribd</a>, <a href="http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Elizabeth_Beavis" target="_blank">Lulu</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MA4MPH0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00MA4MPH0&linkCode=as2&tag=eigacr-20&linkId=AYJELFX2PAI7AIM2" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery.<br />
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<b>Reviews of "Our Experience with House Cows"</b></div>
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<a href="http://thelittleblackcowblog.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/e-book-review-our-experience-with-house.html" target="_blank">Kim from the Little Black Cow Blog</a></div>
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<a href="http://lifeatarbordalefarm.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/our-experince-with-house-cows-book.html" target="_blank">Fiona from Live at Arbordale Farm</a></div>
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<a href="http://oursmallfamilyholding.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/new-house-cow-ebook-available.html" target="_blank">Marie from Go Milk the Cow</a></div>
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<a href="http://sunnysidefun.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/lets-talk-about-house-cowsreview.html" target="_blank">Renata from Sunnyside Farm Fun</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.littlegreencheese.com/2014/07/lgc-026-cheese-yield.html" target="_blank">Gavin from Little Green Cheese</a> (and The Greening of Gavin)</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-63026444614908539882015-04-20T07:00:00.000+10:002015-04-20T07:00:04.453+10:00Three day sicknessRecently our little steer Monty was unwell. He had the classic symptoms that we have learnt to recognise as "three-day sickness" or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bovine_ephemeral_fever" target="_blank">bovine ephemeral fever</a>. Just think of it as a really bad man flu. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeglYehFHrkH33-obhzzH1BF_FoMXl05h1YnUyKMciwb4sSWNrbIwX1ftuwrL2lPtOIQQP2hKRgOmsFjuEhueA4LAvebv1vv68g4birZqCJR0Su_wPKXRr4PMRBZIziTVbLlMthH_i8O6/s1600/P3226968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="eight acres: three day sickness in cattle" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeglYehFHrkH33-obhzzH1BF_FoMXl05h1YnUyKMciwb4sSWNrbIwX1ftuwrL2lPtOIQQP2hKRgOmsFjuEhueA4LAvebv1vv68g4birZqCJR0Su_wPKXRr4PMRBZIziTVbLlMthH_i8O6/s1600/P3226968.JPG" height="400" title="eight acres: three day sickness in cattle" width="395" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's Monty when he was sick, he looks depressed, doesn't he?</td></tr>
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Three-day sickness is caused by a virus that is spread my mosquitoes and midges, so it is common in late summer, particularly following rain. It occurs in eastern Australia (mainly QLD, NSW and NT), Asia and Africa. The cattle show the following symptoms:<br />
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<li>Depression</li>
<li>Fever</li>
<li>Lameness, muscle stiffness, reluctance to stand</li>
<li>Drooling saliva, watery eyes, runny nose</li>
<li>Reduced water and food intake</li>
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Don't ask me to explain how you can tell if a bovine is depressed, but you really can, they look so unhappy when they are sick. We know its three-day sickness when we find an animal lying down when the others are eating, reluctant to stand when we approach, running nose and looking unhappy. We usually try to get the animal to stand at least twice a day as they can damage their legs if they are down for too long. We bring them water and try to move them into the shade if its hot weather. If they are unwell for more than three days, that means its probably something worse than three-day sickness, and we would call the vet (so far this hasn't happened). The animal will usually show improvement by day three and be back to normal on day four.</div>
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There's not much a vet can do for three-day, its just like human flu, so we wait the three days and hope the animal will recover. Anti-inflammatory drugs are a possible treatment if a bovine is really suffering. So far nearly all of our steers have had it once, and after that they are immune for life. Vaccination is available, but that is mostly used for bulls, who can lose fertility due to the fever. Cows in later pregnancy may abort. We know that Molly has had three-day when she was younger, and its very likely that Bella has had it too, so we haven't used the vaccination.</div>
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<i>Have your cattle suffered from three-day sickness?</i></div>
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<b>Resources:</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.mla.com.au/Livestock-production/Animal-health-welfare-and-biosecurity/Diseases/Infectious/Three-day-sickness" target="_blank">MLA</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/health/images/information-by-species/cattle/bovine-ephemeral-fever" target="_blank">NSW DPI</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/animal-industries/welfare-and-ethics/animal-welfare/natural-disasters/animal-disease-issues-after-flooding/infectious-diseases/bovine-ephemeral-fever" target="_blank">QLD DAF</a></div>
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<a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/p/buy-ebook.html" target="_blank">More information about buying my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" here.</a></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-50510376266848311512015-03-18T07:00:00.000+10:002015-03-18T07:00:00.917+10:00How to choose a milking machineIf you decide that you want to use a milking machine with your house cow you are going to need to choose between a few different options. Unfortunately, you get what you pay for, so don't be tempted by a cheaper model until you understand why its cheap. If you can, go and visit someone with a milking machine, or go and see a display model, so you understand what you are buying.<div>
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<br /><br />Many of the “mini” milking machines that you can buy are made for taking to shows for milking demonstrations. These are just small versions of the big milking machines found in commercial dairies. There are also some cheaper models made specifically for home milking, but we weren’t sure if they were the same quality.<br /><br /><br /><b>Milking machine parts</b><br />Most milking machines consist of a claw, four teat cups (metal shells and rubber liners), a long milk tube, long pulsation tube, and a pulsator. The claw connects the short pulse tubes and short milk tubes from the teat cups to the long pulse tube and long milk tube. Claws are commonly made of stainless steel or plastic or both, ours is clear plastic, so we can see the milk coming out of the teat cups. <br /><br /><b>How does it work?</b><br />Milking machines use a continuous vacuum applied inside the soft liner of the teat cup to massage milk from the teat by creating a pressure difference across the teat canal. The vacuum also helps keep the teat cups attached to the cow. Air enters the pulsation chamber about once per second to allow the liner to collapse around the end of teat so that the milk is released from the teat into the cup. The four streams of milk from the teat cups are combined in the claw and flow to the collection vessel via a plastic tube. Essentially, it’s very similar to the action of squeezing and releasing used for hand-milking. </div>
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<br /><br /><b>How to use a milking machine</b><br />To operate the milking machine we turn it on and use the valve on the claw to seal the vacuum until it builds to 15 psi. Then we get down behind the cow and release the valve as we put the first teat cup on the first teat, this causes the vacuum to release until the teat cup is sealed around the teats. We quickly put the rest of the cups on the remaining teats and the vacuum holds them up while removing the milk. We watch the udder and milk flow until we’ve taken enough milk, then we use the valve to seal the vacuum again and gently remove all the cups in one movement. We then release the vacuum and turn off the machine at minimum vacuum (around 5 psi). <br /><br /><b>Cleaning the milking machine</b><br />After milking, the milking machine is cleaned very quickly and easily by sucking up a bucket of water with a little detergent and then a bucket of clean warm water. We were told by the manufacturer to use only warm water, not even the hot water from the tap, because any vapour sucked into the vacuum pump will damage the pump. The water is then tipped on the garden and the milking machine is left to dry out until the next milking session. We bought a BBQ cover to go over the milking machine to keep it clean and out of the sun (we keep it under porch on the side of our house).<br /><br /><b>How to choose a milking machine</b><br />Milking machines are expensive, our machine cost about $1700 in 2011, but you may also be able to find a cheaper one second-hand. Now that you have a better understanding of the milking machine, you will be able to compare the options available.<br /><br />Here's a few things to consider:<br /><ul>
<li>Hygiene – will you be able to quickly and easily clean the machine after milking?</li>
<li>Durability and quality of materials – is the machine good quality? is it going to last?</li>
<li>Moving parts and spare parts – generally moving parts tend to wear and may not last as long. Also, can you buy spare parts? Can you replace individual items that wear quickly like the teat cup inserts, or do you have to buy larger items, like the entire teat cup?</li>
<li>Noise levels – all of the milking machines use an electric motor on the vacuum pump, it means that you have to connect to electricity and it is quite loud. Some models may be worse than others.</li>
<li>Type of vacuum pump – different systems come with different pumps, you need to make sure that the pump will draw the required vacuum (at least 15 psi) and, if possible, find out the manufacturer. A cheap pump may not work reliably and may fail completely.</li>
<li>Warranty – how long is the warranty valid? Does it cover all parts?</li>
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<br />I’m not saying that you shouldn’t buy a cheaper system, but its important to understand why one system is cheaper than another. We decided we wanted to spend more on a quality system that will have spare parts available, and so far that has been a good decision for us. You may want to try a cheaper system and take your chances.<br /><br /><i>What do you think? Do you use a milking machine? How did you choose your system?</i></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-88237687079264952782015-01-14T17:28:00.002+10:002015-01-14T17:29:09.542+10:00Raw milk and kefir<b>If you are interested in raw milk in Australia, please see the post on my other blog:</b><br />
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<i>Even if you are not personally interested in buying and consuming raw milk, this story has implications for <b>everyone's right to chose what we eat and drink</b>. Most of the media show very little understanding of the complexity of raw milk and tend to portray it as “toxic” and those who would drink raw milk as “idiots”. Personally I have seen a huge amount of misinformation about raw milk in comments on news articles, and while I may be singing to the choir here, I’d like to take the opportunity to set the record straight.</i><br />
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<i><br /></i><i><a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/raw-milk-in-australia-facts-without.html" target="_blank">Read more here....</a></i><br />
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<b>If you want to know more about making kefir, here's another recent post from my other blog:</b></div>
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<i>Most people have heard of yoghurt, but kefir, also made by fermenting milk, is less well known and just as tasty and benefitial for our health. The origins of kefir are shrouded in mystery, we may never know where it came from, but if you can get hold of some kefir grains for yourself and look after them, you will always have kefir, which has endless uses.</i><br />
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<i><br /></i><i><a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/kefir-for-beginners.html" target="_blank">Read more here....</a></i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCOPvCuvdn_rN_DuCasgs1-L-ovrHe_B82W4OytJpVA5itj4uPTLhdXg6zXt34bxTyxzQjpw-w7HmXy3Hp_2kIWiI_kMVvCur2wWY2YZE0bB52o0Ii685Gy4c2Z6Sp8PcaFK-JoZL4T4/s1600/P3023996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCOPvCuvdn_rN_DuCasgs1-L-ovrHe_B82W4OytJpVA5itj4uPTLhdXg6zXt34bxTyxzQjpw-w7HmXy3Hp_2kIWiI_kMVvCur2wWY2YZE0bB52o0Ii685Gy4c2Z6Sp8PcaFK-JoZL4T4/s1600/P3023996.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-70751138088083578082014-11-10T07:00:00.000+10:002015-11-09T09:34:23.827+10:00The story of our house cows - Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/the-story-of-our-house-cows-part-1.html" target="_blank">In part 1 of the story of our house cows</a> I explained how I didn't really want a house cow at first, but after meeting our lovely Bella, I was persuaded that it would be worth the effort. We brought home Bella and her little calf Molly and spent several months learning how to milk and how to make cheese. I've included lots of links back to posts that get into more detail, so if you want to know more, follow the links.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Molly with baby Monty</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bella with her adopted baby Romeo</td></tr>
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We didn’t tackle the problem of getting Bella in calf again until about six months after we brought her home, and <a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/kaptain-nightcrawler.html" target="_blank">we used the vet to do artificial insemination</a>. This resulted in a successful pregnancy, but the much-anticipated calf died, we weren’t home, so we’ll never know what really happened. <a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/a-foster-calf-for-bella.html" target="_blank">Fortunately Bella accepted a large Friesian foster calf</a> after a week of him following her around the paddock and we were able to continue our milking routine. <br />
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Meanwhile we had <a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/weaning-calves.html" target="_blank">weaned Molly at about 12 months old</a> and by then we had also bought a small Dexter bull, because it can be difficult to AI a heifer. Donald took care of that, and Molly was in calf too. Molly had a quick and successful birth of a tiny bull calf, and was no trouble to milk except that she couldn’t always remember how to come into the milking bales (Molly is not as smart as her mother and often gets “stuck” on the wrong side of a fence when she forgets where the gate is).</div>
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Bella’s next calf was a lovely healthy girl, but Bella developed a serious case of mastitis, and had to have antibiotics this time, <a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2011/09/minerals-mastitis-and-miracle-cures.html" target="_blank">as the natural methods didn’t work quickly enough</a>. The vet also suspected <a href="http://www.wvu.edu/~exten/infores/pubs/livepoul/dirm22.pdf" target="_blank">metritis</a>, although this was never confirmed. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH5rStmnPbVInAsZT_B1R23EWja91IALhToipWWvTm_Rbj6nFMAWCGRq9AeYd8w41nr8dUviJsqUotHTilrz4l5eaqHOjEwpVzEecjD7nIITFKUYDh-kqODnhPYgU5Dvb1WJlmORVLXuIu/s1600/P9072753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH5rStmnPbVInAsZT_B1R23EWja91IALhToipWWvTm_Rbj6nFMAWCGRq9AeYd8w41nr8dUviJsqUotHTilrz4l5eaqHOjEwpVzEecjD7nIITFKUYDh-kqODnhPYgU5Dvb1WJlmORVLXuIu/s1600/P9072753.JPG" width="440" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bella with baby Nancy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5KaZpi_YEa8WBlyukmCI4A2gu8wVabH5pYbLudRjZ27Gjq9mRl_nTBkNRjac-Q8laZfWnfayARShJG-wh59gQEGX0E9KBbcBWUZrUhMe0Y1f61ugSzlzNdqZ9-soLjYW_ZRPbjo8vOerI/s1600/P2153890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5KaZpi_YEa8WBlyukmCI4A2gu8wVabH5pYbLudRjZ27Gjq9mRl_nTBkNRjac-Q8laZfWnfayARShJG-wh59gQEGX0E9KBbcBWUZrUhMe0Y1f61ugSzlzNdqZ9-soLjYW_ZRPbjo8vOerI/s1600/P2153890.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Molly with baby Ruby</td></tr>
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Molly has turned out to be a huge milk producer and got very thin with her first calf, so we had to wean her calf early. This is when we learnt <a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/drying-off-house-cow-without-antibiotics.html" target="_blank">the challenges of drying off a high-producing cow</a>. Bella was much easier to dry off as she never makes much milk towards the end of her lactation, but Molly was still making 10 L a day! No wonder she was skinny and the calf was very fat. Donald the bull did his job again and Molly’s second calf was a little girl. <br />
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Bella got mastitis again when we dried her off before her next calf, and had to have antibiotics again. This is really not how we hoped to manage our cows, but I think Bella had a rough start to life and doesn’t have the natural health that Molly enjoys. And then Bella’s next calf never appeared. We gave up waiting after a few months, realising that she had either miss-carried or had never been in calf. <a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/lantana-poisoning-killed-our-little-bull.html" target="_blank">Around this time Donald died, we think from eating lantana</a>, which can be very poisonous for cattle. Without our bull, we were back to AI to get the cows in calf, and <a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/how-to-tell-if-your-house-cow-is-on-heat.html" target="_blank">we were having a tough time working out when they were on heat</a>. Cows are very vocal when they are younger, we certainly know when the two heifer calves are on heat, but not their mothers.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our little bull Donald</td></tr>
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Molly was getting thin again, so we had to wean her calf and dry her off too, and then we had no milk! Two house cows and no milk is not a good management situation, but we are still learning. <br />
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Then we heard about another small bull for sale in the area, <a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/keeping-bull-on-small-farm.html" target="_blank">even though bulls can be very very annoying at times</a>, we decided he would probably do a better job. When bully arrived he was very interested in Molly. Dammit. Looks like Donald didn’t get a chance to mate her before he died. It could be a while before we have a calf again! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE_vnQb3DxyNpTvyLe2FBVqe-Nk6RrfV4BSYR58ym89TL3eqNc-UUkjIA6m84l52T9BTa81BNyXgKdH0VpttD1MBW6jjHX9laVY9eCcSLl-GNb5mgTf1yfV8Qmuesu4zTqGkgCK6OkoUM1/s1600/P8102449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE_vnQb3DxyNpTvyLe2FBVqe-Nk6RrfV4BSYR58ym89TL3eqNc-UUkjIA6m84l52T9BTa81BNyXgKdH0VpttD1MBW6jjHX9laVY9eCcSLl-GNb5mgTf1yfV8Qmuesu4zTqGkgCK6OkoUM1/s1600/P8102449.JPG" width="440" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bella is a special cow</td></tr>
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Bella is looking very fat and healthy. We don’t know if she is in calf, or if the metritis has affected her fertility. Tough choices lie ahead, but honestly I can’t see us selling her or eating her. I know some small farmers keep their cows for a few years, then send her off the meat works and get a new one, but Bella is special. She is our first cow and we really have a bond with her. (I told you she was crafty!). When a cow gives you her milk, its like you're one of her calves, and it really feels wrong to me not to look after that cow, even if you can't give you another calf.<br />
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In a few weeks we will get the vet to come and pregnancy test the cows so we know what to expect. Its kind of nice to have a break from all the milking and cheese-making, but I’m missing the raw milk. To be continued.... read <a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/the-story-of-our-house-cows-part-3.html" target="_blank">Part 3 here</a>.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7m-ap_Ry3FN5C3rHoBhxgKXu2hqXqDAxLLWveHvCNa8VepOWvMI202WdDNUAarwUCTo2iK7dZQAo8f_5nak4zou9y4WbXAVP4wgKNWz5T0dn5OPB6ixee8q2SFJE6G3jybzJaVgb-BoqQ/s1600/PB025532.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7m-ap_Ry3FN5C3rHoBhxgKXu2hqXqDAxLLWveHvCNa8VepOWvMI202WdDNUAarwUCTo2iK7dZQAo8f_5nak4zou9y4WbXAVP4wgKNWz5T0dn5OPB6ixee8q2SFJE6G3jybzJaVgb-BoqQ/s1600/PB025532.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's Molly again</td></tr>
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<i>I'd love to hear your house cow stories! Tell me all about your lovely cows :)</i>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F--9Pm3haZrMg%2FVFdzvFy3iCI%2FAAAAAAAAyKU%2FIdGvFejMHRE%2Fs1600%2FPB025532.JPG&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7m-ap_Ry3FN5C3rHoBhxgKXu2hqXqDAxLLWveHvCNa8VepOWvMI202WdDNUAarwUCTo2iK7dZQAo8f_5nak4zou9y4WbXAVP4wgKNWz5T0dn5OPB6ixee8q2SFJE6G3jybzJaVgb-BoqQ/s1600/PB025532.JPG" --><div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-56829740704883523022014-10-13T07:00:00.000+10:002014-10-13T19:22:41.248+10:00Milk cow kitchen - book reviewI've said this before, I'll say it again, if you want to get a house cow, you need to read every book you can find on cows. Even if you don't agree with everything in every book, the more you read, the more you will understand what your options are. And some books cover different topics in more detail.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zQeYm3WBJkmAnI1YDyTOxe27aeV7ABFPiXH_PVJrZGo343LojMzpoRH8H6qRAycjh-VhSt4t2zxriDevHSVu9kVY0wwCDmoC8YrDy5sPOk7mE0h9JROk8IXSlrxQn_tvTkRy4qIwEKl1/s1600/P8185160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zQeYm3WBJkmAnI1YDyTOxe27aeV7ABFPiXH_PVJrZGo343LojMzpoRH8H6qRAycjh-VhSt4t2zxriDevHSVu9kVY0wwCDmoC8YrDy5sPOk7mE0h9JROk8IXSlrxQn_tvTkRy4qIwEKl1/s1600/P8185160.JPG" height="400" title="book review - Milk Cow Kitchen" width="400" /></a></div>
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Mary Jane Butters very kindly sent me a copy of her beautiful book "Milk Cow Kitchen" for review. Mary Jane also hosts the <a href="https://www.heritagejersey.org/" target="_blank">Heritage Jersey chatroom</a>, which is a great forum to chat and learn about house cows. Its free to join, so head over there and take a look (but don't forget to come back to read the rest of my review).<br />
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The thing that I like best about Milk Cow Kitchen is the photos. Not just the beautiful cows (and cow girls) but also the detailed step-by-step shots. Its one thing to read about how to hand milk or how to use a milking machine, but having photos of each step is a huge help. A few other topics that Mary Jane covers in detail that I haven't seen discussed in other books includes:<br />
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<li>pastuerisation and chilling the milk</li>
<li>santisation of the milking palour and the cow teats</li>
<li>transporting cows</li>
<li>putting down a cow :(</li>
<li>crochet with baling twine!</li>
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And I didn't even mention all the recipes yet. Even if you don't have your own cow, if you have access to milk, you will want to use some of the recipes, including cheese and ice cream, all expertly photographed and looking delicious.</div>
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I know it may seem like there are a lot of books available on milking cows, but I do think that they are all different, and its worth reading widely to prepare for any situation. I would certainly add this one to your reading list, as it covers a number of topics that don't appear in other books, as well as the wonderful photos. </div>
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<i>What other house cow books can you recommend?</i></div>
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<b>Reviews of "Our Experience with House Cows"</b></div>
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<a href="http://thelittleblackcowblog.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/e-book-review-our-experience-with-house.html" target="_blank">Kim from the Little Black Cow Blog</a></div>
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<a href="http://lifeatarbordalefarm.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/our-experince-with-house-cows-book.html" target="_blank">Fiona from Live at Arbordale Farm</a></div>
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<a href="http://oursmallfamilyholding.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/new-house-cow-ebook-available.html" target="_blank">Marie from Go Milk the Cow</a></div>
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<a href="http://sunnysidefun.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/lets-talk-about-house-cowsreview.html" target="_blank">Renata from Sunnyside Farm Fun</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.littlegreencheese.com/2014/07/lgc-026-cheese-yield.html" target="_blank">Gavin from Little Green Cheese</a> (and The Greening of Gavin)</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-88767699427159720522014-09-10T07:00:00.000+10:002015-11-09T09:34:01.609+10:00The story of our house cows - Part 1You’ll probably be surprised to know that it was Pete who really wanted to get a cow, and at first I didn’t think it was such a good idea. I thought it seemed so expensive, I thought we didn’t have enough land and I didn’t know what we would do with all the milk. Eventually we negotiated a solution. He agreed to sell his boat (which had been sitting in the car port unused for three years) so that we could pay for the cow and the milking machine. And somehow he persuaded me that we needed a cow. Or maybe it was when I first met Bella that I was persuaded, I can’t remember now.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bella and Molly when they first arrived</td></tr>
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Pete told our dairy-farmer friends that we were looking for a cow. I didn’t expect them to find us a cow for months, or maybe even a year, but only a few weeks later, they told us about Bella. She had been born at the dairy farm, but bottle-fed by a neighbour and raised as a tame cow, then returned to the farm when the neighbour moved. She was about to have her second calf. She didn’t fit in with other cows because she was so tame. When we first met her in the paddock, she stood still while we patted her, as all the other cows moved away from us. I felt sorry for her! Also one horn was growing in towards her head, poor thing. We couldn’t leave her at the dairy farm!<br />
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We went home to get organised. We converted a crush that we were making into a milking bale and chose a milking machine. We ordered stainless steel buckets and a cow brush. We bought milk jugs and cheese making supplies. Finally we were ready to collect Bella about six weeks after she had her calf, Molly. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bella with Molly</td></tr>
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And so began our inauguration to the world of dairy cow drama. It seems that nothing is simple with house cows! Its not their fault really, they have been bred by humans to make so much milk, they are susceptible to problems with mastitis, milk fever, and they have to be fed properly with plenty of minerals. They do really required more care than beef cattle.<br />
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First Bella did not like where we set up the milking bales, so early on the first morning we had to pick them up and move them further from the house and closer to the paddock so we could guide her in there through the gate. We were lucky that she was so tame and would follow a bucket of grain. With two extension cords, we were still able to use the milking machine in that location. Bella has never been easy to milk, we call her “Mrs Kicky” (also “Mrs Picky” when she won’t eat her hay), and was certainly not an easy cow to learn to milk. She also got mastitis early on, which we managed to <a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2011/09/minerals-mastitis-and-miracle-cures.html" target="_blank">treat with natural methods</a>. Meanwhile we tried to tame Molly, first by bottle feeding her (that idea lasted a week), and then just by spending time with her while she was eating a small amount of grain.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Molly getting tame (they always lick my boots!)</td></tr>
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We didn’t know at first that we didn’t HAVE to separate Molly from Bella. For months we led Molly into a calf yard, and then we realised that they could stay together, which was better for both of them. The only advantage was that Molly did become very tame and also learnt to follow a bucket of grain into her yard. <a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/weaning-calves.html" target="_blank">We actually waited 12 months before we weaned Molly</a>, because we took a while to get organised with getting Bella in calf. But that is a story for next time... <a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/the-story-of-our-house-cows-part-2.html" target="_blank">Read Part 2 here</a> and <a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/the-story-of-our-house-cows-part-3.html" target="_blank">Part 3 here</a>.</div>
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<i>I'd love to hear your house cow stories! Tell me all about your lovely cows :)</i></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-32038312779239244872014-08-15T07:00:00.000+10:002014-08-15T14:26:41.779+10:00Keeping a Family Cow - book reviewBefore getting a house cow, I recommend that you read every book you can find on the subject. You should also visit people with house cows if you can, and spend some time with cows, so you know what to expect. I am still reading books about house cows, and I was very excited to find <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1603584781/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1603584781&linkCode=as2&tag=eigacr-20&linkId=7RUZCGLNGHEJMHGW">Keeping a Family Cow: The Complete Guide for Home-Scale, Holistic Dairy Producers</a>, by Joann S. Grohman in the Brisbane City Library. You really never know what you're going to find there! Joann has 60 years experience with dairy cows, so who better to get you started on your house cow journey? Joann also has a website about <a href="http://www.real-food.com/" target="_blank">Real-Food</a> and started the popular <a href="http://familycow.proboards.com/" target="_blank">Keeping a Family Cow forum</a>, which I have found useful for cow advice from time to time.<br />
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This book includes the best ever explanation of house cow nutrition and digestion processes that I have ever read. She writes that you can't buy poor hay and expect to make up for it by feeding more grain, your cow will just get fat. She also explains hand milking and how to stop a cow from kicking. The advantages of <a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/raw-milk-more-complicated-than-i.html" target="_blank">raw milk for humans</a> are also explained and I really enjoyed the discussion on why commercial milk is pastuerised. There is a huge amount of detail in nearly 300 pages.<br />
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I was surprised by how much space was devoted to milk fever. Its good to know about it and be prepared to treat it if your cow suffers from milk fever after calving. I really like the way Joann explains the biological processes that can cause problems with cows.<br />
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This book is written for the north eastern US climate, and as I always say about US books, there are a few things that are not relevant to Australian house cows because we don't have to deal with snow. We have different pastures, different fencing techniques and different pests. But in general, this is a great start for any cow owner.<br />
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Of course, I would recommend my house cow ebook as a supplementary guide for Australians.<br />
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Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/230229811/Our-Experience-With-House-Cows" target="_blank">Scribd</a>, <a href="http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Elizabeth_Beavis" target="_blank">Lulu</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MA4MPH0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00MA4MPH0&linkCode=as2&tag=eigacr-20&linkId=AYJELFX2PAI7AIM2" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery.<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-12707800686218296572014-07-30T22:12:00.004+10:002014-07-30T22:12:55.868+10:00House cow ebook now available on lulu.comI have published "Our Experience with House Cows" on lulu.com in ebook format. Personally I think it looks better in .pdf (<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/230229811/Our-Experience-With-House-Cows" target="_blank">buy from scribd</a>), but <b>if you prefer ebook format</b>, you can <a href="http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Elizabeth_Beavis" target="_blank">buy it here instead</a>. If you just want me to email it to you, send me a message on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com.<br />
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If that is too confusing, just look at this photo of lovely Molly, now don't you want to know how to get a house cow of your own?<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-48002362999505369392014-07-28T07:00:00.000+10:002014-07-28T07:00:00.503+10:00House cow milking schedule<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Unless you really need every drop of milk from your cow, you can make life a lot easier for yourself by using the calf as a share-milker. Here is how it works.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Molly cow with her calf Ruby</td></tr>
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<br />A cow makes the most milk after she first calves and then her production gradually decreases. The amount of milk she makes will depend on her genetics, her health and the quality of her feed. We notice a huge difference in milk production if we have lush green grass in summer compared to dry grass in winter.<br /><br />For the first few weeks after the calf is born, you leave the calf with the cow and milk the cow twice a day. The cow will gradually produce less milk and as the calf grows, it will drink more milk, so the amount you get at each milking will decrease. When you’re only getting 2 L at a time for a few days, you can cut back to milking once a day, either morning or afternoon, and the calf gets the rest. When you’re only getting 2 L a day, you can stop milking altogether. Now if you want milk, you separate the calf from the cow, usually overnight, and milk your cow in the morning. This provides plenty of milk for us for one week, so we milk once a week and calf gets the rest. This means we can go away for the weekend if we want to. It also means that we have 10 L of milk per day for only the first few weeks, and then gradually less until we only milk when we want to, so we’re not constantly trying to use up all that milk, but we can make cheese for a few weeks with the excess.<br /><br />The easiest way to separate the cow and calf is to lead them both into a small pen where the calf will spend the night. You then lead the cow back out of the pen, she is usually tamer and quicker to follow a bucket of grain or hay than the calf. You give the calf some grain and hay and a bucket of water for the night. Don’t set up this pen too close to the house, because you will have to listen to them both crying all night! Gradually the calf will get used to having its grain too, and will follow you into the pen by itself. Make sure that there is no way that the calf could manage to get a sneaky drink through the fence, or you will be disappointed in the morning when your cow still has no milk!<div>
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<i>Any questions about house cow milking schedules? How do you manage your milking schedule?</i></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-27468773107825518582014-06-30T20:23:00.000+10:002014-06-30T20:23:14.735+10:00How to buy the house cow ebookMy house cow eBook "Our Experience with House Cows" is <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/230229811/Our-Experience-With-House-Cows" target="_blank">available for purchase on Scribd</a>. Its only US$4.99, and it includes lots of information about keeping a house cow in Australia. <br />
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If you don't want to go through all the Scribd/paypal effort, just send me an email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com and I can arrange to email it to you instead, with either a bank transfer or I can send a paypal invoice. <br />
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If you would like see it on another site, just let me know where you like to download ebooks and I'll investigate.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">photo shoot with Molly cow</td></tr>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660304198336588632.post-66389774535427138092014-06-24T07:30:00.000+10:002014-06-24T07:30:00.326+10:00How to tell if your house cow is on heat<div>
If you want your cow to continue producing milk, at some stage she’s going to need to have another calf. Essentially you have two options, either artificial insemination (AI) or a bull. We have tried both. If you’re going to use artificial insemination, talk to your vet a few weeks in advance and arrange with them to have the appropriate semen ready. You will need to call them again on the day your cow is in “standing heat” (explained below) and arrange for a house call. In total this only cost us $100, but we are only 10 km from town, a vet may charge considerably more if they have to travel further. There is no guarantee that artificial insemination will work the first time and you may need several visits to get the timing perfect. When the vet came, he just asked us to lead Bella to her bales, he didn’t need to restrain her any more than we do for milking. I was surprised how good Bella was, considering how much she kicks us when we are trying to milk her, she didn't seem to mind having the vet's hand up her rear end at all! <i>Read the rest of this article <a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com/2014/06/how-to-tell-if-your-house-cow-is-on-heat.html" target="_blank">here</a> on Eight Acres - the blog.</i></div>
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You might also be interested in:<br />
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<a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/kaptain-nightcrawler.html" target="_blank">Here's the full story about Bella and AI</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/keeping-bull-on-small-farm.html" target="_blank">And keeping a bull on a small farm.</a><br />
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If you want to find out more about keep a house cow in Australian conditions, <a href="http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/p/buy-ebook.html" target="_blank">buy my house cow eBook here</a>.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Buy my ebook "Our Experience with House Cows" on Scribd, Lulu and Amazon, or email on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com to arrange delivery. More information about the book on my house cow eBook blog http://housecowebook.blogspot.com.au/ </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0