Our Angus the Milk Cow

The animal adventures around this place are never ending! I promise this is the last animal post for a while. Maybe :)

Ben and I ventured out on a cold Sunday evening to find this cutie just born. I was so excited to get close to him while he was clean and white.


Not too long after this, Ben and I had a mud wrestling match with this little fella and a bottle. He is not so white now. It wasn't just mud either.

Unfortunately for his mom (and us) she had mastitis. She wouldn't let the little guy nurse, so we had to intervene and let me tell you, it wasn't pretty. I am a Certified Lactation Counselor and I had lactating experience at my last job, but this was a new experience for me! I milked my first cow and I now know that if my milk consumption relied on my milking skills, I would be getting all of my calcium from sources other than milk. It takes FOREVER.

Lucky for us, two milkings in, our vet remembered to tell us he has this neat little contraption that just makes the milk literally fall out. (sorry for these sketchy pictures - it was dark and i was shooting between metal bars. i'm just glad i made it out alive and camera in one piece)


You place it in, and out it comes!


She felt much better after we emptied her. (This is pre-milking - ouch)


And treated her. (this didn't hurt her either)


It broke my heart to see all of that milk go to waste...


However, she was a lactation queen and before we could get all of the bag empty it was starting to get full again.

This little guy is happy we don't have to milk his mom anymore.


So is this one.


Next up: prolapse. Not really. I was too scarred to take pictures.