I never thought that I’d be the kind of person who liked cows. When I first started the dairy cattle technology class my thought on cows was “Oh, cool, they’re big and there. They make milk.” But after a few weeks of working with these large animals, my tune changed. To me, the cows are like giant dogs, each with their own vibrant personality and quirks. Smiling starts early. Ideally, we want to start sanitizing the system at four so that we can start milking at four thirty. Milking has a certain rhythm to it and a pattern. Milking also involves steps. The first step is the predip which is a blue disinfectant that helps remove the bacteria on and around the teat. Then you strip the cow by gently grabbing the teat and pinching at the top and rolling your finger down until milk comes out. You do this about five times for each teat. This is so that you can check how the milk looks, and to help stimulate milk let down. After you put more predip on and wait for thirty second. After thirty seconds, you wipe off the dip with a paper towel and attach the milking machine to the cow. After the cow is all milked out, which can take anywhere from ten to twenty or so minutes, you apply the post dip which is a think brown substance which helps keep bacteria away from the now open teat. Milking takes about an hour or so. Of course, morning times involves more than just milking the cows. It also involves feeding the calves, cleaning out their pens and making sure the calf barn is tidy and clean. Calves are feed which a bottle for the first week or two before they are trained to drink the milk from a bucket. The calves themselves are like giant puppies. We also make sure our livestock barn is clean. The livestock barn is where our pregnant cows that aren’t lactating live, our young calves that are too big for the calf barn and our heifers live. Taking care of the cows takes a lot of work to make sure that things run smoothly but to me, it is a lot of fun.
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My name is Meaghan Littlejohns and I am a senior studying Animal and Veterinary Science. I eventually plan to go to vet school and specialize in exotics, so cows were the last thing I wanted to see. Surprisingly, the cows grow on you. We are very lucky as students to be able to work with the dairy cows on the farm and learn about reproduction, milk production, feed and nutrition and basic farm procedures (like dehorning, giving tags and shots). We were trained on how to milk and use the system and had previous workers work with us until we were proficient at it.
Most people don’t know what goes on in order to keep a dairy farm running; and one as small as Witter takes a whole team to be successful. Cows are milked twice a day- 4:30am and 4:30pm and are checked on twice a day-12 at noon check and 10pm at night check. I’m going to walk through an average milking session to show just how much effort goes into keeping the cows comfortable and healthy, but will not include every key detail (there’s quite a few). Mornings start by arriving at the farm at 3:50am and beginning chores at 4am. The system is to be sanitized at 4am. We start the system and add sanitizer as the sink fills up. While its filling we add detergent and acid that is used during the wash cycle as well. While the system completes the process, we scrape the grates push up and redistribute feed to the dairy cows. We also do the same for the dry cows and heifers outside in the livestock barn. The babies are also fed during this time. The process runs smoothly with 3 people. Milking begins roughly at 4:30am. The total time it takes to milk varies day to day depending on cow temper and milk letdown per cow. After milking is complete the cows are let out for heat watch and the system is cleaned again. While the cows are outside for heat watch their beds are cleaned and new shavings are put down. The cows are returned inside. We also have chores around the dairy and livestock barns that need to be done and those vary day to day. Milking ends once all chores are done! Usually by 7:00AM or so. We repeat the whole process in the afternoon! I know that was a lot to read. And trust me, it’s a lot of work. But it’s worth it because it makes the cows happy, and happy cows produce milk! I know after taking this class that farmers work very hard and this job is not for everyone. Included below are some pictures from the farm that show our work environment and equipment we use! My name is Emily Gorney and I am a third year Animal Science major. Before taking this class, I did not have much experience with cows. I’ve wanted to become a veterinarian since kindergarten, and lately I have been thinking of working with large animals. On Monday, the cow I was assigned to gave birth, and I realized this is definitely what I want to do for the rest of my life. I got the call that Pooh Bear was in labor towards the end of my Organic Chemistry lab. I made it to the barn as quickly as I could. Once I was there we had to wait for Pooh to push the baby out. Only the baby’s large feet were sticking out, and no progress was being made. So we had to use the chains to help the baby make it out. The chains are placed carefully so it does not hurt the baby or the mother at all. Lizz put the chains on the baby’s legs and had Chelsie and I pull down and out. We just had to twist him around a little so there was enough space for his hips to get past Pooh’s pelvis. It didn’t take long for him to come out after that. Once he was on the ground, Chelsie, Meaghan, and I used towels to dry the baby off. It was a boy, and his name had to start with the same first letter as his mother’s. We all decided on Preston. He needed his navel dipped with iodine, and fresh bedding for his little pen. Mama Pooh Bear needed a few shots and a large calcium pill. Both mother and baby are doing well, and are happy and healthy! The whole experience was very exciting and one of the most awesome things I have been a part of. BEFORE SCROLLING FURTHER...I wanted to give you some details about obstetrics with cattle. This is Lizz, by the way, adding this little aside to Emily's blog posting. You'll get to see me, Emily, Meaghan and Chellie in the photos below once you're done reading this. Obstetrics with cows is actually very similar to with people. Mammals tend to handle birth similarly, just some of us (cows) are bigger than others of us (people). Ideally, when a cow goes into labor, we watch her very closely for a number of things. After she is fully dilated, the calf moves into the birth canal, and the magic that's happening inside becomes visible. At this point there are many things that can happen. Ideally, Mother will deliver the calf independently. We observe her labor and witness the unique miracle of life, then we care for her and the new kiddo once everyone is stabilized and ready for the next step. SOMETIMES, Mother can't deliver her baby independently. There are all kinds of reasons for this, but usually its something along the lines of the kid not cooperating (legs not lined up, coming out backward, etc.) or the baby is too big. In nature when this happens, there are not many good options. Without help, she and her calf could die. Luckily, at Witter, we have seen plenty of these Mommas too, and know when and how to help (hence the close observation during labor). With appropriate and timely intervention, an assisted birth can turn out just fine for everyone, and be a great opportunity for students to boot. Calves that need help coming out usually are pulled with obstetric chains. You will see them below. These are very safe when used correctly. Calves are usually 80 pounds or so on average at birth, and are slimy and hard to grasp hold of. The chains make a world of difference in our ability to adjust the calf's position and in being able to get ahold of the little guy to do so too. Preston here, turned out to be 101 pounds at birth, hence why his poor Momma needed some help. The ick you see hanging in the photos is the amniotic sac, nothing to be worried about, and will be expelled when PoohBear passes her placenta. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me and I am happy to help and explain! In the end what matters is having a healthy happy baby out of a healthy happy mom. OK, feel free to proceed to delivery room photos below! |
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