My new baby, Molly

[Lannie]

I lost my best girl, Cricket (Hereford/Jersey cross, 13 years old), in January to a cervical prolapse that wouldn't stay in, and she popped her stitches twice. My heart was broken. At the same time, I'd just sold my two other Angus cross girls because I couldn't get them bred for some reason. Cricket's last calf was stillborn (and a beautiful heifer, of course), so I found myself suddenly cowless for the first time in 16 years. It was a shock to my system, to say the least, especially since I hadn't been planning on not having any cows.

But a very good friend of mine down South had a yearling Jersey cross heifer that she couldn't keep, so we made a deal. She gave me the heifer, and I paid for her shipping up here. And now she's here! My sweet Molly:






She's got a mile of personality, she's fitting in well here, and she's going to make me a great milk cow. I love her!

 

[MurraysMutts]

Very pretty girl!
I hope she's gentle enough the horns are never an issue.

Definitely look forward to updates and calving time! I know I know. Long ways away. But it'll be here b4 ya know it!

 

[Lannie]

I don't think her horns will be a problem. Cricket had a horn (horn paste mistake on my part), and after she accidentally thumped me in the arm one day while turning her head, I got in the habit of holding on to it whenever I was passing close by her. I'll do the same with Molly. It's just habit now. However, if she ever AIMS them at me, they'll be coming off. I won't mess around with it.

I don't think she will, though, she's just as sweet as can be, even now when she's still confused and bewildered and has every right to be a jackass. We're becoming very good friends, and you're right, the time will pass quickly. Meanwhile, I have lots of time to get to know her, and get her used to everything, so when she calves, she'll be plenty comfortable with the routine.

She'll be my fifth heifer that I train to milk, so it's nothing new for me. For her, yes, but I'll help her through her hormones. I learned the hard way, with my first cow, who was a year old when I got her. My FIRST cow. I had no idea what I was doing back then, but she was nice, too, and we got through it together. The next time was easier, and now it's actually fun and exciting, not scary.

I really can't wait!

 

[Lannie]

Her first lesson in stanchion training this morning. She kept bonking her little horns on the boards when I had the center part open, but since I'm not locking her in right now, I moved the one side over to make a wider spot. I want it to be easy and fun for her now, and we'll work on her head-tilting technique later. If she'd just tilt her head a little, or even lift it higher a few inches, she would have cleared it... but she'll figure it out in time.



She didn't even mind having an audience!

 

[MurraysMutts]

Love it! Shes gonna be so rotten!

So more info on that head catch....
Can't see how ya latch it closed.

 

[Lannie]

I'll see if I can get a couple pictures today to show you. The one board that moves is attached at the bottom, loosely, with a carriage bolt and lock nut, so it can still move back and forth, then there's a block thing at the top that drops down and holds that board over when there's a cow in there. My crafty hubby even hinged another small block of wood onto the larger piece, so it's adjustable, to a point. I had one fat neck cow and one skinny neck before, so we had to make it work for both of them. Once you see a picture, that will all make sense.

Miss Spoiled Rotten got her first lesson in spanking stick last night, too! I'm getting tired of pushing on her butt to get her to go inside at night, so I got my trusty spanking stick (short riding crop) and just tapped her butt and she went. When she tried to veer off just before the door, I just tapped her shoulder to keep her from moving that direction, and in the door she went, no problem. I'ma do that from now on. MUCH easier than pushing on a spoiled little girl who doesn't want to go inside.

I love that spanking stick. Even when my girls would get to be the size of a rhinoceros, they still respected that weenie little crop. That 2,600 pound steer we had was askeered of it, too, and I don't think I EVER hit him with it. Go figure. Sometimes, all I had to do was have it in my hand and they'd say, "HOW HIGH?" LOL! And it's great for encouraging them up into a trailer, and much kinder (in my mind) than the tail-twisting that most of my neighbors use. When I need both hands, I stick the handle end into my boot or back pocket and it's out of the way, but still handy if I need it quick.

Her two most important skills are going to be getting in the stanchion without a fuss, and moving along when I tap her with the crop, and she's learning fast. We already have the "come when called" down pat. All I have to do is shake the pellet can, and she comes running.

 

[MurraysMutts]

I love a good spanking stick....

I've about got my 2 jersey projects trained to me whistling at em. Every time I feed I whistle at em. All I gotta do is whistle and they come a running to the feed trough!

 

[Lee VanRoss]

She needs a friend..

 

[Lannie]

I love a good spanking stick....

I've about got my 2 jersey projects trained to me whistling at em. Every time I feed I whistle at em. All I gotta do is whistle and they come a running to the feed trough!

I can't whistle. I try, but all I get is air. It's a personal failing... LOL! When I want to get one of the dogs' attention, I have to use a squeaky toy. For cows, I use the pellet can. Works every time!

She needs a friend..

Yes, she does, and I wish I had one for her. There's our gelding on the other side of the fence, but until I feel comfortable springing her from heifer jail, all she can do is watch him. He actually likes cows and calves, so once she's out of jail, I expect they'll spend more time together, but I need her to bond with me right now, not the horse, so she's still locked up. Poor baby. She needs a cow friend.

She was playing with the Akbash puppy (who's huge now!) in the barn yesterday, so they're friends, at least. She's curious about the cats, but I don't think she really knows what they are. They wouldn't play with her anyway. Cats have no sense of humor.

 

[Lannie]

Oh, and I was in a hurry when I went out this morning, so I forgot the camera. I'll try this afternoon or tomorrow morning for pics of the head catch closure.

 

[MurraysMutts]

My jerseys and the one butcher calf are all that know the whistle.

I shake feed, whether in a can, bucket or sack and they ALL come running.

 

[Lannie]

Love it! Shes gonna be so rotten!

So more info on that head catch....
Can't see how ya latch it closed.

Sorry it took so long, but here are the pics of the head catch closure. There are two boards fastened on either side (front and back) of the uprights (which go 3 feet down into the dirt floor), then one fixed board and one that tilts back and forth to close on her neck. The piece on the top drops down between the top side boards to block the moving board from flopping open. It's about as tall as I am, so getting a good pic from the top was hard, but here you go.

This shows the two boards on the front and back of the uprights, and the blocker piece in the "up" position. That little block on the hinge is the adjuster. The eye bolt is so I can tie a cord to it and work it from my seated position next to the cow if I want.



Front view, with the adjuster block flipped down so it will make a narrower opening for a skinnier necked cow. The little block actually used to be a bit bigger, but it broke, and in the meantime, my skinny neck cow got fatter, so I didn't really use it anymore. Prolly have to put a new adjuster on there when I start milking Molly, unless she drastically fattens up, LOL!



And in the closed position.


I begged my husband not to paint everything white when he built the inside of this barn for me, but he was having none of my nonsense. He even painted the eye bolt! LOL! It had to be all white and pristine. I said, "But, POOP!" And I hadn't even considered all the rubbing... It looks trashy now, but hey, it's still working after 15 years, so other than the white paint, he did a really good job. (To be fair, it did look REALLY nice for a short while, until the cows started their own interior decorating endeavor.)

And now, a gratuitous picture of my spoiled rotten baby. She's having her first serving of soaked pellets with beet pulp here, because she's been eating the dry pellets so fast, she choked on them yesterday. The soaked stuff makes her eat a LOT more slowly. She's not crazy about the soggy pellets, but she'll get used to them. She still has a long way to go, but she's finally eating enough hay to have decent rumen fill, and I'm feeling a bit of flesh over her ribs now. It's hard to see through her long hair, but her spine is still too prominent, and her hips and shoulders are too bony, but she'll get there. We have plenty of hay.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Very nice!
If I ever get around to making a head gate I like yalls setup there. The paint shows attention to detail and a bit of pride in workmanship. I bet hubby spent a lot of time and effort putting that setup together.

I know all about that feed mashing business. Neighbor had some old horse that got mash every day. Twice a day. Warm water works best! Those horses devoured that feed.

 

[Lannie]

Hey, it's good stuff! Molly decided this morning that she likes it just fine, and started eating it with gusto. But it's wet, so the probability of her choking on it is much less. And for special treats, a little drizzle of molasses...

MM, if you do ever decide to make something similar to my head catch, there's more information, like how it's attached to the plywood floor (which then has a big rubber mat on top for less slippage). It does work great, though, and it's sturdy enough to have held up to all four of my previous behemoths. Only once did I fear it might snap, but luckily she stopped pulling and gave up just in time, LOL!

My husband did put a lot of thought into it, that's a fact. It's also a fact that it's the ONLY thing he made for the cows out of wood that hasn't been broken yet! He was used to horses, who only need a suggestion of a fence to keep them in. He had no idea how cows push on things... but we live and learn. If I'd count up all the money he's spent on lumber to re-build gates, we could have bought nice expensive tubular steel gates for less. But we don't mention those things out loud... shhhhhh!

 

[Nesikep]

Hey, it's good stuff! Molly decided this morning that she likes it just fine, and started eating it with gusto. But it's wet, so the probability of her choking on it is much less. And for special treats, a little drizzle of molasses...

MM, if you do ever decide to make something similar to my head catch, there's more information, like how it's attached to the plywood floor (which then has a big rubber mat on top for less slippage). It does work great, though, and it's sturdy enough to have held up to all four of my previous behemoths. Only once did I fear it might snap, but luckily she stopped pulling and gave up just in time, LOL!

My husband did put a lot of thought into it, that's a fact. It's also a fact that it's the ONLY thing he made for the cows out of wood that hasn't been broken yet! He was used to horses, who only need a suggestion of a fence to keep them in. He had no idea how cows push on things... but we live and learn. If I'd count up all the money he's spent on lumber to re-build gates, we could have bought nice expensive tubular steel gates for less. But we don't mention those things out loud... shhhhhh!

part of the problem with metal stuff is it IS LOUD

I usually don't have any trouble milking any of my (beef) heifers... they get used to liking belly rubs as a calf, getting milked later is no problem Here's a bunch of my cows


Handy to be able to milk them when they have too much... this guy never knew what hunger was for sure, he'd get mad if he had to do any work to nurse

 

[Lannie]

Yeah, but a metal gate wouldn't split when they pushed on it with their big ol' hard heads! LOL!

I love your cows! So sweet and gentle. That full udder makes me want to milk it! Drives me nuts when they're so full and let down, and then the calf just sips while mom drips. Gah! I want that milk if he doesn't!

I just love cows. It's like a disease or an addiction or something. At least it's a healthy addiction, right?

 

[Nesikep]

If they aren't rubbing on it they're eating it!

 

[pleasantpasturesbeef]

Yeah, but a metal gate wouldn't split when they pushed on it with their big ol' hard heads! LOL!

I love your cows! So sweet and gentle. That full udder makes me want to milk it! Drives me nuts when they're so full and let down, and then the calf just sips while mom drips. Gah! I want that milk if he doesn't!

I just love cows. It's like a disease or an addiction or something. At least it's a healthy addiction, right?

Yes, I've heard that it's been diagnosed as a disorder...OCD (Obsessive Cow Disorder) I was super relieved to finally get a diagnosis for my unusual addiction after I got back into cows! lol. Yep, it's considered to be non-damaging lol, so you should be fine.

 

[Lannie]

I hope nobody ever comes up with a cure for that particular disease.

Molly had a wonderful day outside yesterday! Sunshine, calm wind most of the day... after being locked up for three days, she had a blast, and then didn't want to come in last night, so I had to spank her. Actually SPANK her, hard, the little brat. But she finally went in, and I made it worth her while with a treat of pellets and a pile of fresh green hay. It's going to be very windy again today (up to 60mph), but warm enough I can let her out again, but next week we're expecting a lot of rain and then a snowstorm with about a foot of snow (that could change up or down), so it will be back to jail for her. At least it's a nice jail, and her jailer loves her to pieces, so that's good.

I hope she doesn't end up snowed in, but just in case, I'll fill the hay manger with several days' worth of hay, and there's a heated 75-gallon trough, so she'll be fed and watered, but maybe lonely if I can't get out there until the storm's over. Maggie the 76-pound puppy visits her on occasion, by sliding on her side under the door, so if that door's not snowed under, Maggie will still be able to go see her. I hate winter. Even if there's a ton of snow, my husband can still get out there. I can't handle deep snow with my screwed up knees, so I have to wait until hubby can clear a path with the Bobcat, but that needs to wait till the storm's over. First, the forecast said 16 inches (and wind, so big drifts), but this morning now it says only 10 inches. Maybe they'll keep downgrading, and it will end up being only 2 or 3 inches. I'm crossing my fingers!

 

[Lannie]

Those drunk weather forecasters have downgraded our snow forecast again. First it was a foot, then they said 16 inches, then they said 3 inches, then they said 10 inches, and this morning it's back to 3.5 inches. Either way, little Miss Molly will have to stay in at least Tuesday and Wednesday because there's going to be rain mixed with some of that snow, and high winds again, plus lows in the teens and highs below freezing. She just doesn't have the coat for that, being a Southern Belle and all... But she's happy enough in her barn, I guess. She's not bouncing off the walls when I have to keep her in, anyway.

Last night, I finally managed to get my fingernails under her jaw to scratch "the best" itchy spot and I thought she was going to melt. Her nose dropped to the floor and she exhaled a long, contented groan of pleasure. Maybe now she'll get it. That's a GOOD spot fer scritchin'!

My other girls would come up to me and lift their chins way up in the air to tell me they needed a good scritch in that spot (and all the way up and down the front of the neck while I was at it!), but up until last night, Molly didn't know how good it could be. She always shied away when I reached for that spot. I'm hoping she figures out that lifting her chin will get the same results. I was bent clear over last night to reach her with her nose on the floor, and it was a bit painful for me, but worth it to show her the "sweet spot." She's such a little sweetheart.

She's starting to put some good weight on now, too, I've noticed. She's not quite as bony feeling as she was when she first got here. I know it will take a while for her to fill out, but at least she's making some progress. She's eating hay like a champ now, and her "warm cereal" is now a GOOD thing in her opinion.