Milk Testing and Jersey Cows

Typically on the farm we have our milk testing done the third Friday of every month, but due to inclement weather we opted to reschedule for today! This was one of the last groups being milked and I happened to be popping in to grab a jug of colostrum for our newborn calves. The Jersey cows all looked super curious as to why I was there so I swiped a quick picture. Most of my posts are admiring the Holsteins on our farm, but I want to emphasize how important our Jersey cows are. Our Jerseys may produce on average fewer gallons of milk than a Holstein (6 gallons vs 9 gallons respectively), but they make up for it by having higher butterfat contents. The butterfat content of milk helps attribute the characteristics we like such as creaminess and sweetness, and Jerseys happen to excel at butterfat content. 

Today we shipped 4,891 gallons of milk.

Today we had one new bull calf. 

What is Bloat?

Today I had an experience with a cow that was dealing with bloat. I remember learning about bloat in my animal diseases course and my animal nutrition class I took at the University of Maine and I want to share my knowledge! There are two general types of bloat called frothy and non frothy (dry) bloat. This relates to how quickly feed is being digested and if the cow is unable to belch and release the gas buildup this can cause visible rumen distention. This distention can be observed by looking at the left half of the body near the pin bones (hip bones)! We can help prevent instances of bloat by ensuring that our calves are receiving feed that is not too finely ground up and that plenty of forage is being offered. In the event that a cow become severely bloated then immediate release of gas can be accomplished by using a special device that can be inserted directly into the side of the cow, specifically by the rumen. In the illustration below, you can see the highlighted area on the cow that gets distended during bloat. If the bloat is not severe, then using a veterinarian grade hose can relieve gas buildup and even the foam from frothy bloat.

Image curtesy of University of Maine Animal Nutrition

Today we shipped 4,956 gallons of milk

Today we had one new heifer calf. 

Bottle Feeding

Come feed a bottle calf with me by clicking this link. It is important not to hold the bottle too high when feeding the calves because we do not want to risk milk flowing down her trachea into her lungs. In fact, on the bottle there is a little black button that allows for air escape when feeding. If this black button is plugged or stuck, then this creates a vacuum which causes the walls of the plastic bottle to collapse and prevents the calf from eating properly. 

Typically once a calf starts eating on a bottle to the point where I can feed her like the one in the video posted above, then we can begin training them to eat on a bucket. Usually for the youngest bottle calves I will have to straddle them or assist them by holding their head level with the nipple. The most bottles I have fed at one chore was 24! 

Today we shipped 4,791 gallons of milk.

Today we had _ new calves. 

Defining "Bedded Packs"

Today at the barn we focused on cleaning out the weaned pens. We made changes to the weaned pens roughly one month ago and it is very clear that the calves are flourishing. More silage is being eaten daily which also means the calves are drinking more water and growing larger. To clean the pens, now we will add fresh bedding on the top and spread it out fully. This method of bedding care is termed a bedded pack which puts focus on maintenance of temperature and pH with frequent management. It is important that a bedded pack is stirred/cultivated each day as this ensures ideal composting conditions. In fact, the Witter farm at Umaine has transitioned to using bedded packs for their lactating cows and have noticed an increase in milk production and a decrease in somatic cell counts. You can catch a video of myself spreading out some fresh bedding with the help of our weaned calves here.

Today we shipped 4,974 gallons of milk.

Today we had _ new calves.

Feeding Changes

Big changes are happening at the barn! Starting today we will be readjusting out feeding routine at the barn for our calves. Here are the two major adjustments we are going to initiate today with hopes that this will improve the health of our animals: weighing milk replacer powder using scale and feeding from youngest to oldest. 

Why are we making these changes? Well, calves can have sensitive stomachs and since we are feeding milk replacer we need to make absolutely certain that we are mixing the milk replacer powder with the appropriate amount of water. This can help reduce instances of bovine diarrhea (BD) and bovine respiratory disease (BRD) which are the two biggest threats to growing newborn calves. The second change (feeding youngest to oldest) is a biosecurity change that can also help with reducing BD and BRD and other diseases. By feeding youngest to oldest, we are not exposing our youngest members to pathogens that our older calves can handle. In other words, the youngest members on the farm have the least developed immune system so limiting their contact with pathogens is ideal to controlling disease.

I am very excited and eager to see how our calves adjust to these slight changes in the feeding routine, but as for today the only ones that seemed grumpy were the oldest calves that have to wait a little longer than usual for their meals 😂🐮 just look at this Jersey's glare! 

Today we shipped 4,887 gallons of milk.

Today we had _ new calves. 

Moving Babies and Contracted Tendons

Did you know that sometimes when a calf is born they can sometimes take a few days to be able to stand up and walk without falling down? This little lady was born today with an interesting problem that is often overlooked at many facilities because it can resolve itself, contracted tendons. I found a very informative article published by Mississippi State University which addresses contracted tendons in newborn calves and claims that most of the issues are a direct result of the calf being to too big in the womb! When a calf is born large it is likely that the position the calf lays exerts pressure on the tendons in the calf's legs causing the appearance of walking on their knuckles or resistance to standing. Although I called this calf my little lady, she actually was born quite large for a calf. Recommendations for treatment involve gentle stretching and flexing of the limbs, splinting in severe situations, and administration of anti-inflammatory and pain relivers if needed. I wanted to rehouse this calf into a new pen with fresh shavings and excellent ventilation so if I ever encounter a calf that needs an extra hand (like this girl) when it comes to walking, I will settle them in this wagon and wheel them around as if they were a toddler! Most of the time the calves will sit still like she is while I wheel them to their new pen. There were a few curious glances from our older calves as I wheeled her down the isle, sometimes I wonder what the calves are thinking about the personal cow-uber! 

Today we shipped 4,786 gallons of milk. 

Today we had one new heifer calf.

Supernumerary Teats

At the farm today I was able to assist with the cattle pregnancy checks where our farms veterinarian will come by with special equipment to check the status of our bred animals. Usually we can start checking our animals for signs of pregnancy around 30 days post service date, however if we are unable to see signs of an embryo implanted in the uterine wall we will consider that cow a "recheck" and put her on a list with other "recheck" cows to be checked again. This is important that we assess the status at least twice to ensure that we did not miss embryo as before 30 days it can be very difficult, if not impossible to tell if the service was successful. We will continue to check the embryo to ensure that it is thriving throughout early gestation. While I helped line up our cows in the headlocks; as this keeps them still so our veterinarian can preform his job; I couldn't help but notice that one of our older cows had an extra teat attached to her udder. In a typical cow their udder will posses four teats, one per udder quadrant, yet this cow here had five total teats! I took a picture and included it below to share the discovery. When I asked out veterinarian about this suspicious teat, he informed me that sometimes cows, goats, sheep and other animals can be born with an additional teat called a supernumerary teat. Some supernumerary teats can be functional and secrete milk when stimulated, while others like the one I found on this cow can be nonfunctional and serve no purpose. How fascinating!

Today we shipped 4,819 gallons of milk. 

Today there were two new bull calves born. 

Cleaning the Milk Tanks

Today I spent over 10 hours at the barn tending to the calves, treating a few sick cows, and even going inside milk tanks to really scrub them clean! Our milk tanks are cleaned daily using detergent and a special acid base solution to remove any calcium buildup and potential bacterial contaminants, but it is still important for us to scrub the walls by hand once in a while to ensure that the tanks remain as clean as possible. After all, no cleaning chemical can beat the strength doing it yourself! To do this, all we had to do was wait for our milk to be picked up in the milk truck and once the tank is empty we gave it a rinse and climbed inside with scrub brushes and cleaning supplies. We use Ridstone from DeLaval as a primary acid detergent to clean the mineral buildups. It was quite the exhausting, yet rewarding work day! I included a picture of our two milk tanks and there is a little tiny bit of milk that dripped onto the floor during collection, but do not fear! The floor is rinsed and hosed repeatedly throughout the day because, well... this is a farm, we get dirty so we are always cleaning! 

Today we shipped 4,813 gallons of milk

Today there was one newborn heifer. 

 

The Grand Escape

For some reason the cows like to stick their nose into absolutely everything. You must have heard of the saying; curiosity killed the cat? Well, I think this phrase should include cows as well because of the devious personalities that I have seen from these guys! In fact, today at the barn when we had just finished feeding and bedding up all the calves we noticed that all of our Jersey cows were running around like toddlers that ate too much candy and coincidentally knocked down some gates... Luckily when the cows do get out they always stick close to the barn because they simply love eating their grain too much. When we realized what was going on all we had to do was find a replacement gate for the broken one and walk the rambunctious bunch of Jersey cows back to their barn. Oh, and did I mention that it was raining? That's right, it was raining and cold and instead of hunkering down in the freshly bedded barn these criminals wanted to dance in the rain. After the Jersey cows had their fun we walked them back to the barn so they could warm up and avoid any further cold stress. I sure hope the rest of the week isn't as eventful as today!

Today we shipped 4,852 gallons of milk

Today we had no newborn calves.

Kitten Season

I have returned from Spring Break and we have baby kittens at the farm! Ordinarily my posts are very focused on my work alongside the cattle at our farm, but I do like to add an occasional post about the other critters I work with which includes our barn cats. Last Summer I made a post about a cat called Ketchup that had several baby kittens on our farm and this Spring Ketchup and another friendly barn cat called Floofy both had a litter of kittens. There were three adorable kittens from both female cats, and the most bizarre thing about this is that Ketchup and Floofy keep their total of six kittens all together and share the same responsibilities of caring for the little babies. Typically a female cat with care for her kittens away from others so this dynamic that our female cats have is rather special. Ketchup and Floofy will both nurse the six kittens and at times I have seen them in the nursing box together! I have never heard of female cats co-parenting like these two are, but it seems as though it is working exceptionally well as the baby kittens have very round tummies 😉. For now, we are going to continue to monitor the growth of these kittens closely and eventually search for forever homes. Here is a video of the babies crawling in the pen as they learn to move around. 

Today we shipped 4,558 gallons of milk.

Today we had 1 heifer calf born. 

Spring Break, Be Back Soon!

This is spring break week for Umaine students, I will be back to posting regular updates starting next Monday 3/18! 

See you soon!  

Reproduction Week: Reproductive Disorders

To wrap up the reproduction week, I wanted to discuss a few important complications that dairy cattle can be at risk of which include retained placenta, metritis, and mastitis. 

Retained placenta: as the term suggests, this occurs after birth and is when the placenta is not properly detached from the uterine wall. A retained placenta in cows is considered a medical emergency if the cow has not released it for 24 hours or more. In no situation is it ever ok to try and forcefully remove a retained placenta, instead it should be treated with antibiotics and in severe situations a call to the vet is necessary. 

Metritis: this is a complication that involves an infection of the uterus. Interestingly enough, a retained placenta can increase the risk of metritis infections! As with a retained placenta, this can be treated with antibiotic injections or intervention with a veterinarian if the infection wont resolve itself. 

Mastitis: this occurs when the mammary system (udder) becomes infected with a pathogen! Staphylococcus aureus is a common culprit to most mastitis infections and can be treated with antibiotics, however the rise in antibiotic resistant bacteria has made treatment of many mastitis infections more challenging.  

  One of our sleepy Jersey heifer calves!

Today we shipped 4,596 gallons of milk.

There were no new calves born today. 

Reproduction Week: Ovarian Cysts

Have I got an interesting topic today, ovarian cysts! Every Tuesday and Thursday I mention that our veterinarian comes to the barn to preform pregnancy checks by using his ultrasound machine. When examining the cows, out vet is looking at the entire reproductive tract, including the cows' ovaries. Each ovary contains millions of unfertilized eggs called ova, when these ova are stimulated with FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) it can help initiate the formation of a mature follicle. Unfortunately, there can be complications and ovarian cysts, although poorly understood, can be found on the ovaries as firm cysts about 2.5 cm in diameter. Below is an image from imv imaging of an ovary with a visible ovarian cyst marked with the gold arrow. Most of the time these cysts will not go away and can cause strange heat cycles in the cow. To treat, the veterinarian will first determine the type of cysts (three types: follicular cysts, luteinized follicular cysts, and cystic corpus luteum) and recommended the usage of progesterone, prostaglandins, or GNRH (gonadotrophin-releasing hormones). 

                                                Ovarian cyst on cow ovary by imv imaging
 

Today we shipped 4,607 gallons of milk.

Today we had two new heifers and one bull calf. 

Reproduction Week: Estrous vs Estrus

Estrous (aka complete and repeating heat cycle) refers to the complete reproductive cycle that a female cow will experience and on average takes 21 days. This includes the formation of a mature follicle, release and creation of a corpus luteum, and associated shrinking of corpus luteum in non-pregnant cows. This cycle will repeat  

Estrus refers to heat associated behaviors such as mounting and willingness to be mounted. This is the period during the estrous cycle which a cow will be receptive to breeding. This is the perfect time for a cow to be bred, as breeding a cow with a bull or by using A.I (artificial insemination) during her receptive period will have a higher conception rate.   

Image from GENEX, shows the complete estrous cycle with key follicle and corpus luteum events

Today we shipped 4,581 gallons of milk.

There were no new calves born today. 

Reproduction Week: Detecting Heat

Detecting heat in cattle means that we are looking for signs that she is wanting to be bred. These include signals like standing to be mounted, mounting or being mounted by other cows, and valvular discharge. 

Here is a picture of a livestock marker which we can use by simply painting a red line on the base of the tail. Once an animal has been marked, if she is in heat we can see if the red line is rubbed away and we can also find the cow that tried to ride the marked one. This helps assist with visual observation which is the method used for most heat detection on every farm! 

Today we shipped 4,693 gallons of milk.

There were no new calves born today. 

An Incredible Story

Today I learned about an incredible story of a two headed calf that was born alive this weekend. This calf has been given the name Deux Face and belongs to the farm Breaux Farms LLC. If you are interested in keeping up with this miracle calf, I encourage you to check out their Facebook page linked here. I have seen the occasional deformity while working here such as the calf with the misshaped ear I made a post about a few days ago and we have had a Jersey calf born without a tail but I have never seen anything quite like this before. As for chores at the barn, they went as usual with nothing new to report!                                                                                                       

      Photo credits to Breaux Farms! This is a picture above is of the two headed calf Deux Face.

Today we shipped 4,803 gallons of milk.

Today we had _ new calves. 

Cold Days in the Barn

This morning when I got to the barn our giant calf woke up with a fierce hunger and a fire in her eyes and jumped out of her pen! Last night when she was born she was pretty wet and the weather was supposed to drop far below freezing through the night so we thought it was best to keep her inside. I quickly went across the road to fetch the silage and colostrum for our hungry calves. All newborn calves at our farm get two feedings of colostrum, so for the case of our colossal calf she got her first feeding of colostrum last night and is receiving her second one this morning. Check out this colossal calf being silly in this video. After I fed everyone I had the arduous task of thawing over 50 frozen buckets of water. I will bring all of the buckets into the warm room so that they can begin to melt and I found that this simple step makes removing the ice a lot easier.

What happens if there is a calf born in the middle of the night? Well, we always have someone at the farm to ensure that our animals are monitored at all times. If a cow is in any discomfort and requires assistance we will have someone there within a few minutes notice. In the cold winter months the newborn calves are brought into the garage where we have sawdust and a makeshift temporary pen to hold them and keep them warm until they dry off and can go to the calf barn. Sometimes I will drive up to the garage in the tractor to transport a calf myself! They can be very wiggly so I always make sure to drive slow and keep a close eye on the calf.  

Today we had a new bull calf born.

Today we shipped TBA gallons of milk.