Farmer's and rancher's chat thread!

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Sorry to hear that....why do you think it will be hard?

One of my baby sister's goats just had a rough time. It was the second time for this doe to have triplets, and her fourth birth. So, you would think it would all be fine.....but.....the second one presented incorrectly. It all ended up alright, and it looks like everyone is fine ( and what totally amazes me) no one has any busted or broken anything. Sure am glad for my sister though.....it hits hard if you loose a production animal (like a goat or cow) that you expect to have for maybe 20years. Hard on both the heart and the pocketbook.
 
Alaskan said:
Sorry to hear that....why do you think it will be hard?

One of my baby sister's goats just had a rough time. It was the second time for this doe to have triplets, and her fourth birth. So, you would think it would all be fine.....but.....the second one presented incorrectly. It all ended up alright, and it looks like everyone is fine ( and what totally amazes me) no one has any busted or broken anything. Sure am glad for my sister though.....it hits hard if you loose a production animal (like a goat or cow) that you expect to have for maybe 20years. Hard on both the heart and the pocketbook.
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The calf seems to be in the wrong position...and Betty isn't really a hardy cow so we're worried about her.

I believe it...once we lost our whole herd to a prairie fire...part of the herd was locked in a pasture, and the other part was locked in another pasture (they were about to be sent to butcher). We left and came back a couple hours later,and burned carcasses lay on the ground....Well, let's just say we lost part of our income for the season!
 
Ack! (For the prairie fire....what a nightmare!)


And for your cow Betty.... Ack too!

My sister's husband had to pull that second one for a VERY long time, with all his might, and that was just a goat. And that man is very strong.

We never had problems with the cows calving.....can't imagine how hard it would be to pull one out.

Do you have stuff set up to help her (at a guess, a block and tackle if you have to pull, or just a truck), or is she worth the vet?

I always hate the not knowing stuff......

But maybe it will all end up perfectly fine.

How much longer do you think you will have to wait?
 
I am glad I don't have a cow right now for that reason.. though I do want the milk. Someday we will get a Jersey... after we move. But calving. yeah.. I have been around enough to see the nightmare, and driving by a dairy watching two guys manhandle the thing.. is enough of a reminder... I hope your moo moo is okay!
 
Yeah, because it isn't always as easy as getting a big cow and only breeding her to small bulls with low birth weights.....that positioning thing can still get you!

There are some breeds that have much higher chances of easy births... Herefords are know for easy birthing.

I have no idea though which dairy breed would give you the best chance of having an easy birth.

But for milk..... what about goats? Smaller, easier to handle, etc. I really like my sister's goats. And FRESH goat milk isn't at all strong and goat tasting (well, depending on diet of course).
 
Oh, and with a goat....even if everything does go wrong, you can actually heave them into the back of a regular car and drive to the vet, so at least you skip that horrid farm call fee.
 
I will have goats too. But my husband does not like goats milk. So a jersey is in order Plus I love cream and butter. They put out a great amount of milk fat for that. The goats will be for cheese and meat.
 
Yep, that is a problem....butter....you really need a cow for butter. :D And I REALLY love butter!

My sister practically lives on butter......but I don't think she wants a milk cow.. Bigger animal = bigger problems
 

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