Fiona and the Cow Bra ***UPDATE*** Pics page 2
Jun 5, 2019 5:03:23 GMT -5
cddexter and Pinevalleydexters like this
Post by littlecowfl on Jun 5, 2019 5:03:23 GMT -5
First of all, no cow should need clothing of any sort. You should breed for good udders in the first place.
Well, I have been trying to do well in that respect. We did well with the first bull we took our cows to. He was very nice and his dam had a great udder. However, that second batch of calves, well... I made a classic mistake. I bought the bull without looking at his dam's udder. That bull didn't last more than a season, but he left behind a heifer that bonded with our son at the fair. Fiona was four months old and our boy was two years old. She was tied up at the end of ten cows and the boy sat next to her on a trunk every day. They told each other secrets. She licked his head (we told him that's why he has such a crazy cowlick in his hair, lol!). He fed her treats and gave her hugs. She became his pet cow.
As she grew up, she was still the darling of the cow herd. After she had her first calf (a bull, soon to be steer), I would tilt my head and squint my eyes and tell myself that her udder wasn't THAT bad. Many more bull calves followed. She was a great beef producer for us, but her udder deteriorated. Soon, she had two funnels in the front. Meanwhile, she began public appearances at church and school. She had a yearly gig as a Nativity cow. The kids gather around her, the donkey, and our sheep, dressed in various roles, and tell the story of the Nativity. They give Fiona hugs and tell her their big kid secrets.
I was very worried about Fiona's udder and her last calf seemed to favor 2 out of 4 quarters (the back two). We treated her for mastitis in the front two quarters, just in case. He should have been her last calf. We worked hard at separating her from the bull. However, in the chaos of moving to a new farm, she did get into the pasture with him, and, of course, it was the right time. Luckily, he is a good bull with excellent maternal traits.
Before this calf, Fiona's front two quarters were stretched and she managed to step on herself, causing injury. We cleaned her up and wrapped it with paper tape to keep it clean, but she needed support of some kind.
Meanwhile, Fiona gave us a perfect little heifer. A little dun for Fiona's last calf. This time, however, Fiona only produced a little milk in the two rear quarters. So little, that we were worried about the calf. I started bottle feeding. The baby took a little time to figure it out, but she was definitely hungry! Today, Ursa is five days old and she gets bottle fed three times per day. She nurses from Fiona for comfort. We tie Fiona when we bottle feed, for safety.
We reduced our herd, sold the bull, and now the only calves will be via AI, so Fiona is retired from being a mama cow. She is ten years old.
There was still the issue of giving Fiona the support she needs A cow bra, if you will. So, I ordered 'big man' suspenders and experimented with various undergarments until I found boys boxer briefs that fit her (our son did not like them). We rigged up the ensemble and it seems to be working. If it keeps her comfy and keeps her from injuring herself, then it is worth it, even if it looks funny from the road. Luckily, we live on a dirt road that isn't a main thoroughfare. After all, our son is still mortified that we are technically using his underpants!
For pictures, here's a link to my blog:
moonlitoaksranch.blogspot.com/
Well, I have been trying to do well in that respect. We did well with the first bull we took our cows to. He was very nice and his dam had a great udder. However, that second batch of calves, well... I made a classic mistake. I bought the bull without looking at his dam's udder. That bull didn't last more than a season, but he left behind a heifer that bonded with our son at the fair. Fiona was four months old and our boy was two years old. She was tied up at the end of ten cows and the boy sat next to her on a trunk every day. They told each other secrets. She licked his head (we told him that's why he has such a crazy cowlick in his hair, lol!). He fed her treats and gave her hugs. She became his pet cow.
As she grew up, she was still the darling of the cow herd. After she had her first calf (a bull, soon to be steer), I would tilt my head and squint my eyes and tell myself that her udder wasn't THAT bad. Many more bull calves followed. She was a great beef producer for us, but her udder deteriorated. Soon, she had two funnels in the front. Meanwhile, she began public appearances at church and school. She had a yearly gig as a Nativity cow. The kids gather around her, the donkey, and our sheep, dressed in various roles, and tell the story of the Nativity. They give Fiona hugs and tell her their big kid secrets.
I was very worried about Fiona's udder and her last calf seemed to favor 2 out of 4 quarters (the back two). We treated her for mastitis in the front two quarters, just in case. He should have been her last calf. We worked hard at separating her from the bull. However, in the chaos of moving to a new farm, she did get into the pasture with him, and, of course, it was the right time. Luckily, he is a good bull with excellent maternal traits.
Before this calf, Fiona's front two quarters were stretched and she managed to step on herself, causing injury. We cleaned her up and wrapped it with paper tape to keep it clean, but she needed support of some kind.
Meanwhile, Fiona gave us a perfect little heifer. A little dun for Fiona's last calf. This time, however, Fiona only produced a little milk in the two rear quarters. So little, that we were worried about the calf. I started bottle feeding. The baby took a little time to figure it out, but she was definitely hungry! Today, Ursa is five days old and she gets bottle fed three times per day. She nurses from Fiona for comfort. We tie Fiona when we bottle feed, for safety.
We reduced our herd, sold the bull, and now the only calves will be via AI, so Fiona is retired from being a mama cow. She is ten years old.
There was still the issue of giving Fiona the support she needs A cow bra, if you will. So, I ordered 'big man' suspenders and experimented with various undergarments until I found boys boxer briefs that fit her (our son did not like them). We rigged up the ensemble and it seems to be working. If it keeps her comfy and keeps her from injuring herself, then it is worth it, even if it looks funny from the road. Luckily, we live on a dirt road that isn't a main thoroughfare. After all, our son is still mortified that we are technically using his underpants!
For pictures, here's a link to my blog:
moonlitoaksranch.blogspot.com/
. Nine months later she had her calf which thankfully was a heifer. We let the calf stay with the mom and just bottle fed it. When the calf saw me, both her and her mother came over for the calf's feeding.