Personality

I haven’t worked with the cows in a week or so, since it has been raining and lets face it I’m not really into hugging wet cows.  Yup hugging!  Well at least Matilda will allow me to hug her.  While she was eating this morning I was able to stand right next to her and give her a nice back rub and a hug.  Just as long as I don’t touch her neck she could care less.   Of course she still won’t let me touch her if food isn’t invovled, but I’ll take what I can get.

Maggie on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with me this morning but did finally settle down enough to allow me to briefly touch her on one side only, but at least I didn’t have to tie her up to do it.   I need to start working with her on the stanchion again.   It will probably take the next two months to get her calmed down enough for AI and if Matilda settled then I will have Maggie AI’d in Dec/Jan.

Such a difference in personality between these two half sisters.

Here’s hoping…

Matilda went into heat yesterday right on schedule and the AI tech came this morning.  Matilda stood pretty still for the procedure, and the tech said she “felt good”.    October 23rd is her rebred date, and I am so hoping that will not be necessary!   If that date passes without signs of her coming into heat then I will draw blood for a pregnancy test on the 3rd of November.

On my way back up to the house I noticed that one of my does, Molly, that I thought was bred and due in November is very much in heat.  If I let her in with the Buck today that would put her due date March 1st which would be too close to our vacation.  So she will have to wait for next month.

And so goes the reproductive life cycle on a ranch. 

So proud of Matlida!

I am so proud of Matilda!  Had a schedule change so I didn’t go out to work with the cows at my usual time.   When I finally did get out there Maggie was a bit of a pill.  But Matilda stood still like a champ.  I rubed and curried her back and belly on both sides.  Ran a hand over and around her tail area, ran a hand down a leg all the way to the hoof, and also discovered she has SIX teats!   She never moved a muscle, or showed any sign at all of being upset by the touching.

They have been here for 3 months now, and have made so much progress it is just amazing!  And I am so hoping for a recognizable heat in the next day or two.

An udderly great training session!

I haven’t had the heifers in the stanchion for a couple of days now, but they both went in willingly.  Maggie was a little reluctant to get both feet up on the platform but once she did that she did just fine.

When it was Matilda’s turn she barely hesitated getting into the stanchion, and once she figured out how to get her horns through the head gate stood quietly when I closed and locked the headgate.  As long as I was feeing her apples she let me touch her back and hip.   Since she was standing so still I rubbed her belly a bit and then touched her udder area.  I eventually made brief contact with her udder and that resulted in a slight raising of a foot, and a shifting away of her body.  Not sure if it was the contact or my cold hands she objected too. 

I am so excited that she allowed that much touch without objection.  I was thinking I was going to have to go the stuffed glove on the end of a stick, and I’m glad I probably won’t have to resort to that.

Matilda should be coming into heat about the 1st of October, so I am watching her closely and praying I make the call to the AI tech at the right time.

Stanchion Training & A Last Ride

Matilda in the stanchion

For this morning’s training session I changed one of the headgate pieces to its stationary position.  Which means that it is a lot tougher for them to fit their horns through the opening.  Once they were through that and showing signs of being comfortable then I moved the other piece into position too.

Maggie gave a mild struggle at first and then was happy to just eat apples.  Had a hard time convincing her to leave the stanchion when training was done.    She still doesn’t like to be touched, but compared to her behavior just a month ago the improvement is amazing!

Matilda did a great job too, and I actually put the second pin in and let her stand by herself long enough to snap a couple of pictures.   I was able to touch her on her back and hips without any protest from her as long as she had an apple in her mouth.  I need to finish up the feeder now, so that she can eat without my hand feeding her.   Then I can start on getting her desensitized to more touch.

While I was working with the cows, Bekah was busy giving Koozy apples and brushing him.  We are expecting a buyer to come tomorrow so she asked me to take pictures of her and Koozy this morning “so I can remember him forever!  And you need to give him a picture of me so he can remember me.”    So I took some pictures and she got to go on one last ride around the pasture.

Milking can be so relaxing!

This morning Bekah was still asleep when 7am rolled around so i let her sleep and went out to do chores by myself.  I’m only milking one goat right now and Allie is an experienced milker that at least stands still for me even if she doesn’t produce very much.

It was so peaceful watching the sunrise and listening to the rythmic swish of the milk in the bucket and Fred the Red welcoming the day and talking to his ladies.   I’m sure once I start milking the first time fresheners in a few months (I hope!) and eventually the cows that it won’t be nearly as peaceful but for today it was a lovely relaxing time.

And speaking of cows, Maggie barely hesitated before walking right into the stanchion this morning and I was able to coax Matilda in without a lead rope.

Stanchion training

I am so excited about this morning’s training session!   I was able to put lead ropes on both girls without any problems at all.  And since Maggie was showing no fear of the stanchion I tied up Matilda first and tried luring Maggie into the stanchion first.    I coaxed her in within a few short minutes and she even worked out how to twist her head so her horns would fit through the headgate.    I was only hoping to get her onto the platform today, never dreamed I’d be able to feed her through the headgate on the first try!

Matilda was a little more reluctant to step into the stanchion, but with some light pressure on the lead rope and a few apples for incentive she soon had her head through the headgate too!   In fact she seemed less nervous once her head was through.  Of course it is as wide open as it can possibly be at this point.

Since they did so well on their first trip into the stanchion, I’m going to hold off on putting the second rail on.  But I do need to figure out a way to tie them while they are in the stanchion so I can start working on getting them used to being touched on their legs, bellies and udders.

What a blessing to have a large supply of apples given to us, it makes the training sessions go so much more smoothly and it isn’t costing me a small forturne in treats eitehr!

Milk Stanchion in need of modification

This morning I put the girls apples on the platform of the stanchion and after they had eaten everything they could reach from the side, Maggie stepped up onto the platform and was about half way in when Matilda goosed her!    Maggie of course freaked out, scrambled around and then ducked under the side rail.

The good news is the stanchion survived intact, the bad news is that I need to add a lower rail so they don’t think they duck under.   And I have to figure out where that rail should go so that it won’t block my milking efforts later on.    Not sure yet just how I’m going to figure that out, since measuring the cows is not going to be happening. 

Milk Stanchion Training

Friday afternoon we got the milking stanchion moved into place in the cow shelter.  Not suprisingly the girls kept their distance from it, although within a few hours Matilda just had to go take a closer look.   Saturday morning I fed them apples next to it, and then left them a flake of hay on the platform.   This morning I placed their chopped apples on the platform too.

My first goal is to get them used to being around this strange new thing.   In another day or two I will try to coax Matilda onto it with food, but if that doesn’t work after a couple of days worth of trying then I will have to hook on the lead rope and be a bit more persuasive.  The reason for the focus on Matilda is that I hope to get her AI’d during her next heat which should fall right about Oct 1st.   And for that she has to either be trained for the stanchion or I have to rent a squeeze chute.   I don’t plan to breed Maggie until January so I have a little more time to convince her that standing in it is a good thing.

And speaking of breeding, I’m still trying to figure out the best course of action and what bull to ultimately use.  Costs are higher than I was originally quoted, so I’m having to do some careful planning.  Hopefully I will get an order placed tomorrow so that I will be guaranteed of having the straws here when the time comes.

Progress with Maggie

Matilda has been letting me touch her back pretty much whenever there is food in front of her.  Maggie on the other hand has only let me grab her halter and hold her while I briefly touch her shoulder – if apples are the treat involved.

Yesterday I was so behind schedule that I just tossed the apples over the fences and went on with the rest of the chores.  Today I went into the pasture to hand feed them like I normally do, and Maggie allowed me to touch her shoulder and back without my having to hold the halter! Behold the power of APPLES!

Thankfully the neighbor that we had gotten the apples from called yesterday and said she had a friend with an apple tree that wanted to know if we wanted some for the animals!  Oh yeah!