First of all, we just want to say that Coco is doing ok. So is the little foster calf, who is going by the name of Henrietta Hamburger these days.
Still, a number of things have not gone as we expected over the last couple of days. This is probably very unsurprising, given that we are inexperienced cow-herds in a bit of a pear-shaped situation! Even when the calving, milking etc. is going smoothly, we are facing new challenges and learning a lot all the time. When things get weird, the learning curve sometimes seems impossibly steep. We are very lucky that we have some kind and knowledgeable relatives to help us out when things get rough. What would we do without them!
So, what happened after the foster calf had her first feed of Coco’s colostrum? Well, we returned to the paddock the next morning, expecting that the foster calf would be keen and hungry, but nothing we could do would entice the calf to come and suck from Coco! I milked a bit of colostrum out of Coco, and tried to tempt the calf with it. No luck. I waddled through the mud after the calf. No chance of catching her! Miss H. Hamburger had other plans. Before long, the reason for the calf’s lack of interest in Coco became clear. Kevin soon caught sight of her wagging her tail in satisfaction as she sneaked a feed off Rosie.
Henrietta Hamburger
The good news: Henrietta Hamburger was an aggressive feeder with lots of initiative. One way or another, she was going to thrive! More good news about Rosie, who seems cut out to be a very sweet nurse cow for any extra calves we might want to adopt. But, sadly, none of this was quite the good news we wanted. There was Coco, still without a calf. We wondered: “Perhaps we should just give in, dry her off, and let Rosie raise the two calves”. But, would this be ok for Coco with her big udder full of milk?
I called my aunt and uncle to ask for advice. These people know all about cows! The very next day, their ute (pickup truck) rolled up our driveway. Uncle Donald’s advice: If we wanted Coco to be a “good milker” now and in the future, we needed to persevere with getting her to accept the calf. Otherwise, her lactations will tend to be shorter and she’ll produce less milk. Here’s what happened when my Aunt and Uncle were here:
1)We moved the other cows and calves into a different paddock, so that Henrietta Hamburger and Coco could be left alone to work on their relationship!
2)Donald and Linda helped us catch Miss H. Hamburger and put her on a rope in the cowshed. Now she would be handy for feeding each time we brought Coco in.
3)Linda and Donald helped us milk Coco out a bit, to relieve the pressure on her udder. Alas, there was already a bit of mastitis in one of her teats.
So, how are things going? Well, so far the calf is getting a feed off Coco morning and evening when we call Coco into the shed for a treat. Coco’s still not impressed with the calf, and tries to kick it away, but we hope this will improve before too long. For now, the feeding sessions still need our close supervision. Between Kevin and I, and the calf, Coco’s udder is getting worked on twice a day, with particular attention to the quarter that was infected. The last time Kevin squeezed the problem teat, the colostrum ran clear, so we are hoping that Coco has shaken off the infection already. We are giving Coco extra kelp, dolomite, and apple cider vinegar to help her make a good recovery.
Please stay tuned for more updates about Coco and Henrietta Hamburger!