Another..."last" update.

[farmerjan]

First off, if the 5 calves are all looking okay and seem to be getting enough to eat, not following around a cow constantly trying to suck, then don't worry so much. Calves grafted on to nurse cows, and nurse cows that will gladly take any other calves, will often co-mother and feed anything that comes up to them to nurse....
The couple on Gail got several good feedings of colostrum, so the milk is now "milk" and not colostrum, so they should be fine. Understand that grafted on calves will often see any potential udder as a place to get a feeding... AND... they often will be more of a problem to wean and to KEEP OFF a cow in milk.... until they are fresh and feeding their own... I have only had trouble with a "grown heifer" (not fresh yet) trying to nurse a cow that was raised on a nurse cow... and not many of them... but a couple... had one that kept right on after she calved her own calf, could not break her even with a nose anti-suck ring, and I shipped her a$$ and her calf.... and she might not have done it if put out with "strange" cattle she had no history with... especially if one or 2 tried to run her off when she tried to suck... But then there are some that will suck anything regardless... their job at that point it to work a short terminal job for McD's....

All that said... it is a good chance you might have some trouble with the other 3 dairy animals calving close together... unless you can put them where they have to bond with their own calf/calves for a couple of weeks... and then the calves will be aggressive enough that if put together they will go on whom they want, when they want and everyone is aggressive/old enough to find a teat for milk.
ESPECIALLY since 2 of them are heifers.... they are trying to get the whole "being a new first time mother " figured out".... then trying to put a new calf on them complicates their limited ability to make sense of it... unless you have a calf or 2 to put right on the cow within 12 hours of when her calf is born , so she thinks she has 2....
It is a crap shoot with first calf heifers...some will have the mother instinct of Gail, and some will be like a wild idiot that won't let you or another calf get near her and HER baby....

Honestly, I think it would be good to sell the 2 heifers you bought from the friend to help with her financial difficulties... to someone that wants a dairy cross to milk for a family type cow... knowing it is a HEIFER... first time calf/milking deal... and they can take any route they want to do...
The half dairy/half hereford(?) SHOULD be good to go if she has been used as a nurse cow before... will probably take 1 (2?) more to raise and do a good job with those .... and she will be far enough behind that her calves will be less likely to go to Gail or the shorthorn for feeding... and Gail's calves will be old enough that should she want to "mother" the calves on the 1/2 &1/2 cow... it would be okay that Gail's calves were not getting as much milk. And if she doesn't have as much milk the 2 younger calves on the cow would be more likely to stay with the cow with more milk... I would not introduce them to Gail and the shorthorn until the calves were a couple weeks old at least on the 1/2 hereford (later calving cow).

Honestly, you have lucked out to the Nth degree with the first 2 nurse cows taking and mothering calves...
Yeah, I tend to be walking Murphy's law also... so your luck could be running to the end of it's tether....

At one time I raised 9 calves off one nurse cow in 12 months... 4, then 3, then 2... all had 10 weeks or so.... all were eating grain good, staggered putting on the new calves so she actually had 4 or 5 nursing for a couple weeks in order to not overfeed the new babies.... and she was a SWEETHEART of a nurse cow...she was 8 when I bought her off a dairy that was selling out and had never raised a calf in her life before, since dairies take the calves and milk the cows.... she calved 14 months, later after a 2 month break... and raised 5 or 6 more the next lactation... calved 15 months later, and raised 4 and never bred back... but she would have 4-5-6 all following her around as I ran 3 nurse cows in the same field with their calves and most would co-mother, and co-nurse any and all calves...
It is A LOT of work, and can be profitable..... but it is work... and when you get one that does not want to take an extra 1 (or 2) grafted on calf... it is a real JOB.....and you need the time to get calves established on the "hard to convince" this is their "job" in life cows......

Seriously consider selling the 2 bred dairy heifers to someone wanting a family cow to milk... do a deal to get back the calves they are carrying and maybe get them grafted on the hereford/dairy cow that was used as a nurse cow before...all due approximately the same time so you would not have to go looking for some calves... because they are AI calves right?? that you wanted..... the 1/2 hereford could probably raise the 3 for a couple months without too much problem... especially since it would be coming up on spring grass there...and the calves would be starting to eat when her milk drops off... they would be okay....and all that stimulation would help to keep her milk production up for longer too....

 

[MurraysMutts]

@farmerjan
Love you gal!

You can always say what needs said, so much better than I can type it out!

 

[Warren Allison]

First off, if the 5 calves are all looking okay and seem to be getting enough to eat, not following around a cow constantly trying to suck, then don't worry so much. Calves grafted on to nurse cows, and nurse cows that will gladly take any other calves, will often co-mother and feed anything that comes up to them to nurse....
The couple on Gail got several good feedings of colostrum, so the milk is now "milk" and not colostrum, so they should be fine. Understand that grafted on calves will often see any potential udder as a place to get a feeding... AND... they often will be more of a problem to wean and to KEEP OFF a cow in milk.... until they are fresh and feeding their own... I have only had trouble with a "grown heifer" (not fresh yet) trying to nurse a cow that was raised on a nurse cow... and not many of them... but a couple... had one that kept right on after she calved her own calf, could not break her even with a nose anti-suck ring, and I shipped her a$$ and her calf.... and she might not have done it if put out with "strange" cattle she had no history with... especially if one or 2 tried to run her off when she tried to suck... But then there are some that will suck anything regardless... their job at that point it to work a short terminal job for McD's....

All that said... it is a good chance you might have some trouble with the other 3 dairy animals calving close together... unless you can put them where they have to bond with their own calf/calves for a couple of weeks... and then the calves will be aggressive enough that if put together they will go on whom they want, when they want and everyone is aggressive/old enough to find a teat for milk.
ESPECIALLY since 2 of them are heifers.... they are trying to get the whole "being a new first time mother " figured out".... then trying to put a new calf on them complicates their limited ability to make sense of it... unless you have a calf or 2 to put right on the cow within 12 hours of when her calf is born , so she thinks she has 2....
It is a crap shoot with first calf heifers...some will have the mother instinct of Gail, and some will be like a wild idiot that won't let you or another calf get near her and HER baby....

Honestly, I think it would be good to sell the 2 heifers you bought from the friend to help with her financial difficulties... to someone that wants a dairy cross to milk for a family type cow... knowing it is a HEIFER... first time calf/milking deal... and they can take any route they want to do...
The half dairy/half hereford(?) SHOULD be good to go if she has been used as a nurse cow before... will probably take 1 (2?) more to raise and do a good job with those .... and she will be far enough behind that her calves will be less likely to go to Gail or the shorthorn for feeding... and Gail's calves will be old enough that should she want to "mother" the calves on the 1/2 &1/2 cow... it would be okay that Gail's calves were not getting as much milk. And if she doesn't have as much milk the 2 younger calves on the cow would be more likely to stay with the cow with more milk... I would not introduce them to Gail and the shorthorn until the calves were a couple weeks old at least on the 1/2 hereford (later calving cow).

Honestly, you have lucked out to the Nth degree with the first 2 nurse cows taking and mothering calves...
Yeah, I tend to be walking Murphy's law also... so your luck could be running to the end of it's tether....

At one time I raised 9 calves off one nurse cow in 12 months... 4, then 3, then 2... all had 10 weeks or so.... all were eating grain good, staggered putting on the new calves so she actually had 4 or 5 nursing for a couple weeks in order to not overfeed the new babies.... and she was a SWEETHEART of a nurse cow...she was 8 when I bought her off a dairy that was selling out and had never raised a calf in her life before, since dairies take the calves and milk the cows.... she calved 14 months, later after a 2 month break... and raised 5 or 6 more the next lactation... calved 15 months later, and raised 4 and never bred back... but she would have 4-5-6 all following her around as I ran 3 nurse cows in the same field with their calves and most would co-mother, and co-nurse any and all calves...
It is A LOT of work, and can be profitable..... but it is work... and when you get one that does not want to take an extra 1 (or 2) grafted on calf... it is a real JOB.....and you need the time to get calves established on the "hard to convince" this is their "job" in life cows......

Seriously consider selling the 2 bred dairy heifers to someone wanting a family cow to milk... do a deal to get back the calves they are carrying and maybe get them grafted on the hereford/dairy cow that was used as a nurse cow before...all due approximately the same time so you would not have to go looking for some calves... because they are AI calves right?? that you wanted..... the 1/2 hereford could probably raise the 3 for a couple months without too much problem... especially since it would be coming up on spring grass there...and the calves would be starting to eat when her milk drops off... they would be okay....and all that stimulation would help to keep her milk production up for longer too....

Thanks, @farmerjan . And yeah, we already decided last week that we were not gonna put any extra calves on those 2 heifers this year. I do want them to raise their Brahma heifers though, and would play hell selling them now that Zeke says they are his. That milking Shorthorn's calves are over 2 months old, so I am gonna breed her back in January, and wait til end of Feb-1st of March to breed Gail. The Hereford-Guernsey will calve in late Feb-early March, and she will get bred when we put the bulls in with the Corr and Plummer cows end of April. I will breed one of the heifers in April and the other 1st of May.

Gail's calf and the other Br x dairy are the 2 youngest ...born on the same day actually....Nov 30. The Simm x Braunveih was 10 days old when we got her last week. The MS's calf and the angus steer on her are the oldest...2 -3 months old.

 

[farmerjan]

If those 2 heifers are straight dairy they will not do good with only 1 calf each... it will ruin their udders even if they are only getting pasture and Kudzu... I am serious... if they get mastitis, then their udders will be ruined for any future added calves because long term mastitis will cause the quarter(s) to either stay "bad" with non-palatable milk in the future; it could cause the quarter to dry up, or she could get very sick from a bacterial mastitis going through their systems... If you are going to keep them and calve them out, then at least 1 more calf on each is going to be pretty much ESSENTIAL to preserving the udder..... and I am thinking that they are jersey and swiss crossed with holstein or something like that...straight dairy breeds.
I know how much you think of Zeke, but what if he gets kicked and hurt by a heifer that is just not being co-operative... the sweetest dispositioned heifer can turn into a witch when they first come fresh... and no offense, but an inexperienced person dealing with heifers that have been loose in the big pastures are not going to be sweet little mild and meek agreeable to being worked with, with an added calf. The swiss cross is going to be bigger and she is going to be more stubborn... it is in their nature/DNA... it just is... and jersey crosses can be high strung sometimes... I do not like jersey holstein crosses, they seem to get the worst from both breeds... and I have had dozens over the years... half were total witches, and I do not breed any of my hol crosses to anything but guernsey's as they seem to "slow" the attitudes down somewhat on the next generation, without being too big of a calf....
These heifers are going to be trying to figure out being new mothers... they more than likely NOT going to be receptive to someone that is not real experienced, to deal with their learning curve and an added calf. But dealing with a case of mastitis.. on top of a hard swollen tight udder on a fresh heifer, is not for for an inexperienced person that just loves his cows...

I HOPE that they are just as good as the cows have been... but please be forewarned... I think that you are going to have a problem no matter which way you go...

 

[wbvs58]

@farmerjan
Love you gal!

You can always say what needs said, so much better than I can type it out!

I think Jan must use a few more fingers to type than me.

Ken

 

[MurraysMutts]

Better listen to Jan on them heifers @Warren Allison

I've said before, it's a lot of work getting them started and going. Jan outlines a lot of the problems very well. I've been very fortunate and not had to deal with any mastitis. I've always always gotten a calf or two ahead of time and bottled em in anticipation of calving. There was even a couple folks thought I was a real a-ho for putting so many on a cow one time. She was a high producing cow right of a dairy and I wanted them calves to keep her empty even if the calves stayed a bit hungry. The calves also started eating feed a bit easier that way.

If ya got the time to do it, it's remarkable.
If ya don't, it CAN be a disaster.

 

[Warren Allison]

Ok, this good luck streak is freaking me out! I read y'all's comments, @farmerjan and @MurraysMutts , and I agree about getting rid of the two heifers. Been thinking all morning about how and when. So, I get a call from a woman that lives about 10 miles away from Scott's place. She is looking into having a concert/ hippy fest this spring, and called me about getting stage, sound, lights, and the bands. We have worked together before. Takes an hour to get off the phone with her, minimum....she is a talker. So, this lady is an animal lover from the word go. She has goats, sheep, alpacas, mini horses, donkeys and 2 minim Zebus. and about a 16 hand blue hinny. Plus all kinds of fowl, and raises homing pigeons. Takes in every stray dog she can find. So, she was yakking on and on about what this animal had done, the baby that one had, etc. , when it came to me like a bolt of lightening. So, here's what I worked out. We are taking her those heifers this weekend. She is going to calve them out, and we will buy another calf to put on her. II am going to provide all the feed. She weans our Brahma heifers, and she gets to keep the other calf,. She can milk them if she wants to and/or needs to. After we wean our Brahma heifers, she can buy another calf if she wants to. She has a nanny that has raised other goats, lambs, and a couple of fawns. She has milked it to bottle feed an alpaca and one of those mini Zebus. And she has had nurse cows before. I was telling Scott about it this morning, Told him this may be the thing to do with their first calves. And after she gets them trained well, we can bring them home next year, if they turn out to be another Gail. He said "Hell, let's just leave them with her from now on! All we want is that Brahma heifer each year anyway".

Zeke got on the phone, to tell me all about how the new cow and calves were doing. I asked him the question I dreaded asking: " What did you name them?" He said the cow's name is Whitey, because she is mostly white. SO far, so good. He said he named her calf Spot, because it has...you guessed it... spots. That's a good name, even though it is a heifer. Then he told me what he called the Angus, and I spewed my coffee out my nose! I don't think I can type that word on here.....y'all see if you can guess it!!

 

[Warren Allison]

Scott and Zeke delivered the 2 heifers this morning. They had shut all the cattle up in the dove field pasture last night, where we had set up corraal panels. They just walked in and put halters on them,...and led them up on the trailer. Scott said they loaded as easy as any of the horses do! Saturday, the dude who bought the 10 Jers/Plummer/Corr heifers and our 3/4 MFB is coming after them. So is the man who bought the 4 solid black Corrs I got last month. So, all we will have left is the 22 Plummers, 3 Corrientes, the half Herf nurse cow, and Zeke's giant steer. About the middle of February we will drive them all down the road to the Kudzu field, and take Gail, Whitey and their calves over there too. We will AI them at that time too or November calves. Around Memorial, day, we will wean those 4 calves by carrying them back to Mattie's house, along with Zeke's steer. Last of April 1st of May, we will AI the 2 heifers and the 1/2 Herf with sexed Brahma semen for February calves. Those Plummers will calve in February to the same Chi-Angus bull that sired the ones they had on them when I bought them, and the same man that bought those calves wants to buy these at weaning. Scott's brother has 2 young 3/4 Black Simm 1/4 Chi-Angus bulls we gonna breed them to last of April. I guess we will just breed those 3 Corrs, to it as well. And, I am getting eight 1/2 LH 1/2 Corr cows when they wean the Charolais calves they have on them in a few weeks. They are 2nd or more calf cows and are still open. 33 cows and 2 bulls...should get a 30 day or better calving window. Gonna sell the Plummers as pairs next spring, then I am done with them. I like it when things are organized!

 

[Warren Allison]

Quite the weekend down in south Ga. Friday night the man with those 8 LH x Corr cows with the Charolais calves, called me and wanted to bring the cows to me Saturday., He decided he would wean the calves now, and offered to bring the cows to me if I would go ahead and buy them. So I told him to bring them on. He was there by 8 AM with them, and Scott had him unload at the Kudzu field and put them in the corral there. He was gone by the time I got there. Next one to pull up was the man buying those 10 Jeresy/Plummer/Corriente mutt heifers and the 3/4ths MFB. I had to head him and drag him on the trailer. Those 10 heifers that were petting-zoo tame when we got them... we just opened the trailer gate and let them walk on. It was a cold morning with swirling, high winds. The kind of day that makes horses and cattle both a little bit cantankerous. Even the brokest horses will get a little fractious or spooky when the wind is blowing like that. They can't tell where smells and sounds are coming from. Next, the dude came to get the 4 black Corrs I had bought, and wanted to get the other three I had, too. The nearly white LH, the roan Corr I bought with the 4 blacks, and that solid tan one with the Braunvieh steer calf we were about to wean and start feeding out to put in Matties freezer. So I sold them too. Ran that calf on the trailer with those 7 cows, and asked him to pull across and down the road to the Kudzu place, so we could unload them in that corral and cut that calf out, then load them back up. When he saw those 8 the man just had brought he wanted to buy them too. I told him the same price as the others he had just bought, and that was $200 more per head than I had just paid for these 8. He said " let's load them!". So I headed the calf and drug it into the back section of the corral, that serves as the stripping pen when we'd team rope there. Then we loaded the 15 cows on the dude's trailer, and he left a happy camper. So, me and Clay rode back over to where we had caught the cattle that morning,. We had opened the gate between the dove field and the other 400 acres, but everything was still in the dove field pasture, eating on a roll of hay Scott and Zeke had put in there Thursday. I just rode up to Zeke's giant steer, dropped a loop around his neck, and we led him back over to the Kudzu place. He followed my horse like his mother, never even pulled the rope tight. All that is left on the 450 row crop pastures are the 22 Plummers and the Hereford/Guernsey nurse cow. We put Zeke's steer in the kudzu corral with that calf we just pulled off its mother. Scott and Zeke are going to just leave them here and feed them out til that 1/2 Braunveih steer is ready to butcher. Scott and Zeke have already got a ton of the feed made up, and stored in plastic barrels with about 250 lbs each in them. Zeke picks them up and sets them in a truck bed as easily as I can when they are empty. He is freakishly strong! It was getting close to noon, and the couple that bought Gail's calf were coming by about 4. We decided it was too windy for the bird dogs or beagles to do much good. so we moved 7 of those barrels of feed to the pole barn at the Kudzu field, and I got in the cab of the tractor, and showed Zeke how to pick up round bales with it. He learned how to do it instantly. We'd get one on the spear on the front loader, and get another on the 3 point hitch spear on back, and carry them 2 at a time. I put the 1st load in the pole barn my self, let Zeke do the 2nd and 3rd load, and when we got back to Scott's barn I just got out and let him move the rest by himself.

By the time he was finished ( or bored with moving hay with the tractor) it was a little past 3, so we decided to go to Scott's house to wash up and see if we could help his wife and Mattie finish up cooking. The couple had wanted us to meet them at a restaurant in Perry and buy us all supper, but Scott's ole lady would not hear of it! She wanted to cook for them and have them as guests. A little before 3:30 they called me and were already the truck stop, so I hauled ass over there to meet them and bring them back to Scott's.

 

[Warren Allison]

Again, I wish they would let me reveal their names on here. Or would speak up them selves on here. But, they don't want people on here to know., so I respect that. I have never met kinder, sweeter people than this young couple. They got out of the car....she was all of 100 lbs and 5 feet tall. Absolutely beautiful with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes! He looked like a young Robert Plant, like he did with Led Zep in the 70's. a blonde, shaggy full mane of hair longer than mine, Not what I expected of a corporate attorney. They got out, and Zeke, Scott, Clay and Scott's wife were already in the yard to meet them. 1st thing she did was make a beeline to Zeke, to give him a hug. I didn't have a chance to warn her about hugging Zeke...he will pick you up and squeeze the daylights out of you! And he did! Her husband too! She was crying when she was hugging Zeke, and whispered to him for a minute or two. We couldn't hear what she said, but Zeke grinned and picked her up again. After she had met...and hugged...us all, Zeke took her by the hand, told her husband to "come on", and took them over to Mattie's house to see Gail and Apple Brown Betty. We offered to take them there on the big golfcart ( 4 -row seater like they have at airports or amusement parks), but she wanted to walk. Me, Clay, Scott and his wife got it and rode over there. Zeke had them in the pasture with the cows and calves. Picked ABB up and asked the girl if she wanted to hold it, and tried it hand it to her!!! ABB probably weighs more than she does now! She thanked him for letting her buy it and Zeke keeping it for her.
Zeke wanted to show her the horses, and the new puppies, and she was a good sport. Took his hand and they walked off to ward the kennels. Her hubby rode back with us, and wanted us to help him unload some things. OMG, you would not believe what they had brought with them! We got it all unloaded and in the house by the time she and Zeke got back. She wanted Zeke to open his presents right then, and he did too! They had gotten him a grey Confederate Calvaryman's hat ( because that's what he said he wanted when they had talked on the phone). And a very nice pair of Tony Llamas, a Carhart jacket and a pair of Carhart coveralls. And.. a brand new Taylor acoustic with a hard case!

They gave Mattie all kinds of stuff....house shoes, gowns, a robe, a very nice long dress coat, and a white leather bound Bible with gold lettering. It was a giant print bible. When Mattie opened it, it had an envelope in the box with it. Mattie started to open it, and the lady reached over and got her hand. And said " No, not now please. But let me tell you what it is" She put her arms around Mattie, talking where none of us can hear, for a few minutes. Mattie was listening and nodding, and crying, and all. I think it was a substantial monetary gift. Mattie kept saying real low "No, I can't let you do this., It's too much...it's too much". This wonderful woman took her hands and said softly." Ms. Mattie... how many people have you helped out in your life?" Mattie mumbled " I dunno..a whole mess of them I guess". The lady said "And when you do how does that make you feel?" Mattie mumbled something I couldn't hear. So this lady said " Well. Ms. Mattie, would you be so kind as to let us feel that way too? As your gift to us?" It was starting to get emotional for me. Scott spoke up and said " Heck, let's eat and continue this later. I am starved!!"

After a wonderful supper that Tootie and Mattie had made, we sat around the living room, and I tuned Zeke' s new guitar and played a Waylon song for him. Then he wanted me to pay that King Turd song for him, but I told him I didn't know it. But, the husband knew it and played and sang it with him.!! They got ready to leave about 7:30 or 8..still had about a 4 hour drive to get where they were going in Florida. Mattie told them to wait a minute, and asked Tootie to go to her house to the pantry with her. They came back with 2 laundry baskets full of every thing Ms. Mattie cans...preserves, vegetables, 3 kinds of soup. And.. (now this took my breath away, and I almost put a stop to it., because my ex used to collect them and I know what they are worth. But something made me hold my tongue), Ms. Mattie came back with a quilt in one of those plastic zipper bags. She took it out, and told us her grandmother had started on this quilt when she found out she was gonna be a grandma. Probably 90-95 years ago. She gave it to her daughter, Mattie's mother, to hold for her til Mattie got grown. I bet Mattie spent 30 minutes telling her about every piece of cloth that went into that quilt. Pieces from her grandmother's dresses, and grandpa's shirts, pieces from Mattie's mother's baby clothes, and dresses, etc,, and pieces from the baby clothes she had made for Mattie when she was born. Over 150 years of history in that quilt. The lady cried and said " Oh no, Ms. Mattie. I can't take this., it is too much! It is too much!" Mattie threw her words right back at her " She said "( name of the lady) would you be so kind as to let me do this for you? You are so scrawny, and it is so cold way up "Nawth" where y'all live, that I wouldn't be able to sleep good, worrying about y'all freezing to death one night!" LOL.

And the best for last. They brought me and Scott something, too. I had gotten them a case of every flavor of moonshine made by Granddaddy Mimm's Moonshine in Blairsville, Ga. 16 different bottles ( quart jars) of it. Scott gave them 2 whole hams....a sugar cured and a smoked. Well, they had gotten me and Scott something that means more to me than any present I have gotten. They had gotten a photo of me and Scott at a rodeo a couple of years back, (I found out they got it from my ole lady) sitting on our horses, Smoke and Blue. They had blown it up to poster size, and had made it look like an old 1800's photo...like brown and yellow instead of black and white? Above it they had written " My heroes have always been cowboys.... and below it had written ....and they still are today.. They had made two, and gave us each one...framed with what looked like old barn wood. And we each had a card attached to it, with a whole bunch of mushy stuff about us and Zeke and Mattie, etc, that I don't want to tell on here. Not now anyway. If y'all are reading this, thank you so much my friends, from the bottom of my heart, for the amazing kindness you have shown these people...Mattie and Zeke...that you never knew or had even seen. I don't toss that term, friend, around lightly...but anything y'all might need...anything... just holler.

So after they left, we were sitting around talking about these awesome folks we had met. Tootie said " Are you sure you wanted to give away your grandma's quilt, Mattie?" Mattie said" Listen to this" She opened her new Bible up and read this.: English Revised Version Hebrews 13:2 "Forget not to show love unto strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." She said " If dem chillen's ain't angels, then I don't know what a angel is".

This has already been the best Christmas ever, even with it being the first one since Daddy died in October.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

You are always long winded - but, we appreciate you letting us into your life to enjoy your joys! Merry Christmas.

 

[Warren Allison]

You are always long winded - but, we appreciate you letting us into your life to enjoy your joys! Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas to you, too, Jeanne. I know some of my post are too long, and I apologize. It was late last night (early this morning, actually) and I couldn't sleep, so I "talked" too much.

 

[Warren Allison]

Does it start with N????

You must have hit the "LUCKY Lottery".... as far as the heifers go... and I think that in the long run it will work out better for all concerned if she does what she says and what you have worked out.

Whew! Well, Zeke has been listening to Waylon a lot these past 2 weeks, and singing Lonsesome Ornery and Mean over and over again. But the words go " Well her hair is jet black ,and her name is Codeine". So, I am proud to announce that Zeke has decided to change the name of "Lil' N****r to Codeine!!! Yay!!

 

[farmerjan]

Just WOW @Warren Allison ....

A Merry Christmas to you too....

 

[Warren Allison]

Just WOW @Warren Allison ....

A Merry Christmas to you too....

Merry Christmas to you and yours too, Jan!

 

[Warren Allison]

Gail has turned into the perfect cow for Zeke... and like I said, she "knows" that Zeke saved her life and is giving back in the best way she knows how...they sense things sometimes...

Anthropomorphism is a pet peeve of mine. It can be anywhere from plumb silly..like when people put hats and clothes on dogs..or call them a "fur baby"... all the way to dangerous, like when people (and no offense, but mostly women) let a horse rub its face on them., nudge them, "lip" their face, hair etc...thinking the horse "loves them" or is "kissing them:".

Any way, when @farmerjan said that about Gail knowing Zeke saved her life, etc, I kind of scoffed to myself. But you could not pay me $1million dollars to comment any thing negative to Jan.. she has forgot more about nurse cows, etc, than I will ever learn in my lifetime. She has my utmost, complete respect. Jan, I owe you an apology, I think.

We got to Scott's this morning, me and Clay and my grandson, and we were leading the horses and my mule to Scott's horse pasture in back of his house. About the time we turned them all losse, we heard a hell of a commotion from the pig pen over behind Mattie's house. Clay, Zeke, and Bo ( my grandson) took off at a dead run to see what was going on. Scott and Mattie have a barrow and a gilt in there, feeding them out to butcher the first cold snap with freezing weather for a few days ( like this week will be ) and a neighbor's half-feral boar was out (again) and trying to get in the pig pen. To kill the barrow and breed the gilt. All the rest took off running to the pig pen ( several hundred yards away, over by the nurse cow pasture), and me and Scott got in the Ranger at the barn, and rode it over there. This a huge, mean sob, half Landrace and half Poland China, I am guessing 500 lbs. He gets out all the time, and the whole community wants him dead. He had about torn a section of the pig pen down to get in when we all got there. I ran the Ranger into him, and he ran off toward the pasture, and went through the 5-stand barb wire fence and got into the cow pasture. I got out and Scott took off to his house, to get the Cane Corsos out, and we all got in the pasture except Zeke. I sent him to Mattie's house to get a bucket of feed. Scott had called his nephew when he went after the dogs, and by then, he and his son had joined us in the pasture, too I told everyone we'd try to get the boar to go towards the panels we had set up to graft the calves with ( we ended up not needing them). We spread out in a sorta semi-circle, and started driving the boar towards the panel pens. He was out in front of us about 25 yards, as we shoo-ed him closer and closer to the pens. Zeke came back with the feed, and started to come in the gate, and I told him to stay outside, and get behind the middle panel stall, and shake the bucket til the hog noticed it, then pour it in the pen and back away. Well, he wanted to help drive him, so I told him to get in the pasture and go to the end of the semi circle., by Clay. I was in the middle, directly behind the hog, about 20 yards or so. Well, Zeke climbed the panels, and started running toward me, still toting the bucket. instead of going to one of the ends of the semicircle. We had that hog going at a trot, but when he saw Zeke running toward him ( toward me, actually) the boar charged him. We all yelled for Zeke to RUN!!!. and he turned and tried to, He was scared to death, screaming and crying, and he ran a little ways then the hog caught him and cut his calf. The first time. Zeke went down and that hog got on him, and was tearing Zeke's legs and butt and back to pieces. I was afraid Zeke was gonna roll over on his back and try to hold his arms out to fight the hog. I ran harder than I thought I could, had my Judge out, but it was loaded with Zombie Killers, and I didn't want to shoot til I could just about stick the barrel to its head. Those shot gun shells in a 2 inch barrel spread out in a BIG pattern. Well, I was about 15 yards to reaching him..Clay was nearly to him.,. when I heard this blood -curdling bellow and this brown streak came by me so fast I didn't know what it was. It was Gail! She lowered her head and got him right behind a front leg at a dead gallop, raised her head up, picking the boar up and turned him completely over! Kept trying to grind her horns in him, and flailing him with her front legs like a deer does. She turned a time or two and got a kick in. He got her bad in a couple places....under her belly and one shoulder, but she was fighting him to the death! Damndest thing I ever saw. About that time, the Cane Corsos came over the top rail of the panels, and the fight was on! They got him...one locked on the top of his neck, and the other got him by the throat. I was there on the ground by Zeke, and from his waist down he was nothing but bloody meat. Clay grabbed my Judge and got to the dogs and hog, and blowed his whole chest out. I was trying to see where I need to apply pressure to Zeke's wounds, and Gail was standing by his head, snorting and wild eyed, still bellowing too, occasionally. Twice she lowered her head at me, and shook her horns at me. After Clay shot the hog he came bask to me, and she lowered her head and kinda-sorta charged him. In retrospect, I think it was bluff charge..a warning charge. Clay had no choice but to bull dog her. Abut the time he got her on the ground, Scott came up in the Ranger. His nephew and my grandson, got some rope out of the Ranger, and tied three legs together, and Clay got my grandson to sit on her neck to keep her down. We all picked Zeke up and set him in back of the Ranger, and Scott took off to his house to get his wife and a truck to carry Zeke to Macon to the ER. Soon as they were out of the gate, I sent the boys out to go to Mattie's house and tell her what was happening, and where they were carrying Zeke. Clay and I untied her, and let her up. She got up, ran around in a little circle twice, head high eyes wide, snorting and her tail stuck up. Then I guess she heard her calves or something, and took off to the woods where they were.

Me and Clay were sitting there, on the ground, and tried to figure out what had just happened. I believe... or believed.. that the cows had heard the commotion and came to see what was going on (and probably heard Zeke rattling that feed bucket and pouring it in the trough) and when Gail saw the hog, she figured it was a threat to those calves. Clay disagreed. Though 15 years younger than me, he has handled a lot more cows than me, and on foot, etc. He is the cattlman of our duo, and I am the horseman. He said he had never seeen anything like it. He said if that hog had come up on those calves lying down asleep, and tried to get one, and momma cow right there... then yeah.... she'd attack to defend her babies. But Gail left hers and came 150 yards away from them and toward that hog and Zeke. Clay said he thinks she heard Zeke screaming and crying and she came to rescue him! And he said the reason she was agressive to me and him, and stood over Zeke like that, was she was thinking " Yeah ,this hog got my Zeke good, but by God there ain't nobody else gonna touch him!"I was saying to mysef "No, no. That defies logic and known cattle behaviour"...when I remembered this reply you posted @farmerjan . And I am open -minded now, about what you said. It is 2 AM, and I am beat. I will finish this tomorrow after I hear the news on Zeke in the morning.

 

[Hogfarmer10]

I sure hope he is ok. Keep us posted. Gail knows Zeke is "her human calf". Sometimes, animals do things that are just so unbelievable that we wouldn't believe it unless we saw it with our own eyes.

 

[Hogfarmer10]

I once was working cattle when a cow jumped over a cut gate and came down on me. She trampled me pretty good (broke my back in 3 places and 4 ribs). As I was laying there trying to get up, my herd bull, who was gentle, but definitely not a pet, walked up to me and "stood guard" over me, knocking away any cow that got near me. He stayed with me for nearly 30 minutes (but boy it seemed so much longer). As I was trying to get myself up, he actually let me grab his head and pull myself up by his neck. I will go to my grave knowing, as silly as it may be, that that bull understood that I was in trouble and I needed his help.

 

[Little Joe]

I read a story one time in a cattle magazine of some kind if I remember right about an old man that was out fooling with his cows and the bull attacked him and he couldn't get back up so all of his mama cows surrounded him to protect him from the bull and stayed put until someone got there. I believe animals are more loyal than we give credit for sometimes and many of them know who "their people" are.

 

[farmerjan]

Please keep us posted. Thoughts and prayers for Zeke.... I believe that Gail really did react to Zeke being hurt by the hog and was determined to try to protect him... Remember all the time he spent with her when he first put her in the field and how attached to her he was. She instinctively knew he was her saving grace... animals can sense things and also that he is a little "slow" and gentle.... and when he cried out and was being attacked, it was just the natural reaction of her to try to protect him. Yes, she was reacting to you guys also, in her protection "mode" , and hopefully after she has calmed down, you can all get her hurts treated so she does not get infections and all. Yes, Zeke is more important... but he is where he can be helped...
Gail deserves no less... and it might help if you have a vet or even yourselves, to tranquilize her to work on her injuries so she is not fighting you and can get it through her head that you are trying to help.
Thank God you killed the boar. Since he has been a menace... it might be good to make sure that charges get filed because it is not the first time he has been threatening...
My heart goes out to Zeke, and to the anguish that Miss Mattie is going through.

Animals do sense things...and try to take care of their own, and Zeke is "her own".... and you need to get Gail healed up and Zeke fixed up so he can go and rebond with her.... and not be afraid of animals going forward...