Hello everyone! My name is Paige Lambros and I am a sophomore in the AVS, Honors and Pre-Vet Program. Throughout the semester of UMADCOWS we get assigned being herdsperson twice. This time around I was first herdsperson, which entails weighing the baby boys and the livestock boys. Monday night of my assigned week I went with my friend in our program cause she is third herdsperson and we had to halter up the boys and walk them to the scale in livestock. Let me tell you guys it was wild but fun in that it was like trying to walk a big dog. Plus the babies were so excited to get outside they were prancing and jumping around. Also Captin Kirk was licking my neck and tried to escape and succeeded for a bit but only outside his paddock's door. Some of the steers weights are Noble being a whopping 192 lbs, Rimfire was 117 lbs, Captin Kirk was 519 lbs and Angus our biggest boy was 1091 lbs. The reason this is important is because this is a checking system to make sure our babies are growing at a healthy rate. For after we weigh the calves then we compare their current weight to what it was before. This is just another example of the J.F Witter Center taking care of our loveable and cute livestock. So we are thankful for our cute fuzzy babies.
0 Comments
The Animal Veterinary Science curriculum at the University of Maine is a rigorous 4 years that only the students who are up for challenges and have big goals continue to pursue and succeed in. Juggling the intense science courses with chores that we must complete for our hands on courses is something that no other student in any other major can relate to. As I’ve had to push myself to and beyond my breaking point in order to succeed in some of the hardest points in my life, I have realized in the last semester the comforting therapy of chores here at Witter. Driving my truck down the farm road, as my clock reads 3:40 AM, my window half rolled down to get the chilly October morning air in my face and help wake me up as I attempt to mentally prepare for my long day ahead of me. I have had drives to the farm where I am in complete tears, just struggling to make it through the day. Dragging myself to the barn on too little sleep and too much caffeine, chores have taught me the true meaning of pushing through. Sitting in parking lot I have had serious conversations with myself that I would not have spaced time out for otherwise. Cleaning the calf barn with the noises of day old calves attempting to figure out their legs and older ones munching on hay, I can escape reality for 45 minutes and be comforted by these adorable creatures. I am a sucker for calves, and I think pretty much everyone on earth can attest to the fact that newborns are probably the cutest things ever. Struggling to get out an official “moo”, learning to use those awkward 4 legs, and frolicking around in their pen they are perfect entertainment as I make my way through the barn cleaning. I finish graining them all and begin to sweep the barn and realize my mind hasn’t thought about the stressors in my life it had been fixated on before starting here. These calves serve as the perfect temporary distraction from life when I need it the most. Scraping back each cow’s stalls , one after another, manure and shavings being pulled away to be replaced with new shavings I have had the quiet alone that I sometimes do not get for days on end. I almost always choose to clean beds because most people think it’s a tad on the boring side and because it is a satisfying job to me. Completing this job, I have had the opportunity to make critical decisions in my life as I move further down the barn, cleaning the next stall. I have conversations with myself about the serious worries on my mind and possible solutions as the number of cleaned beds increase. As I make my way to the end of the barn I feel a sense of satisfaction both mentally and physically. As the milking units get attached to the system and cows begin to start getting milked, now is when the magic happens. The cyclical pattern of the noise the machines make, mixed with the random “HEY” as someone attempts to kick their machine off is the sound of milking time. Milking takes about an hour and a half but some days cows love to be a little spontaneous and lengthen that out. Each cow has her own personality and tendencies, some of them naughty and some of them angelic. There really is no better self confidence boost then prepping and milking a cow that can be a handful and successfully handling her well. I love moments like these because it reminds yourself that “Yeah, I am a bad-ass and this cow is nothing for me”. The satisfaction as we move further down the barn and suddenly we are down to 4. Now 3. 2. And then 1 cow left to be milked. It gives you a sense of determination that can be hard to come by some days. Turning off the lights and walking down the barn one last time to make sure everyone is happy, I stop in front of one of my favorites, who is already lying down on her fresh bedding. I bend down and give her her favorite chin rubs and she looks at me with her almond shaped, dark brown eyes. I scoot myself under her head and sit there for a second as she inhales and exhales enjoying my company as I enjoy hers. I close my eyes for a second, take a deep breath and just relax for a few minutes. Blue’s cuddles are unmatched and have seen me with tears in my eyes and at other times with a smile on my face. She makes leaving a little tougher, but my hungry stomach is telling me to eat something, please. As I leave the farm I begin to mentally prepare for the day, trying to organize my thoughts and my to-do list. I feel accomplished for having done this much before 8 AM, and determined to tackle the remaining to come by anywhere else. I love it here. 12 hours of my day. I realize this place offers a level of therapy and guidance that is really hard to come by anywhere else. I love it here. Hi everybody, my name is Maxine, I’m a sophomore animal and veterinary science major with a pre-vet focus. This Thanksgiving we welcomed two new calves to the barn, Dolly and Diffuse. Dolly entered the world late Wednesday night and Diffuse was born Friday evening. They are adjusting well and becoming more and more playful as the days go by. Their favorite time is feeding time when they get their milk replacer. MR is very important to give to calves under the age of 6 weeks because it provides the right amount of protein that the newborns are in need of, as well as crude fat. This fat gives the calves their playful energy. It’s a much better choice than waste milk because of the consistency in the amount of protein and crude fat unlike waste milk which is always changing depending who is being milked last or on bucket milk. So come on by and see the newest additions to our farm!!!
If you’ve seen some of our cows at Witter Farm or at any other farm that have a huge hole on their side- fear not! These cows are not in danger, they are simply being used for fistulation research. A fistula is a permanent hole between an internal organ and the outside world. Fistulas are usually caused by injuries or surgery, but can also be caused by an infection or inflammation. It may seem scary, but these brave cows used for fistulation research can help keep themselves and many other cows happy and healthy!
These fistulation holes in the cows allow access from the outside to the rumen inside the cow. The rumen is home to microflora that aid in digestion, functions for how the cow feels, and also provides vitamins and minerals required for the health of the cow. Rumen bugs, or “flora”, not only help sick cows by transferring the healthy bugs over to them, but sheep and goats also benefit from this, due to their similar digestive systems! Fistulated cows are also used to sample rumen contents to study how different nutrients affect the way a cow digests certain things. Here are our three cows, Morrigan, Blue, and Ramen, who are currently being used for fistulation research at Witter Farm: |
Archives
March 2022
Categories |