Oh, man. Life on the farm. Life on the farm is… full of awesomeness. And challenges. And heartache. And great blessings.
This week has favored the challenging side, I must admit.
Where to start…
Okay. How about we start with the open dairy cow? Remember HER SAGA? That just KEEPS GOING?
After hearing her bellowing down in the field the other day, I walked down to take a peek at the ‘ol girl. I'd been watching her closely over the past few weeks since we artificially insemeinated her on the 3rd and 4th of this month and was eager to see signs that she had skipped her heat cycle.
For those unfamiliar with cows, no heat cycle = pregnant.
Pregnant = calf.
Calf = milk.
Milk = happy homesteader.
Just tryin' to keep it simple.
So as I meandered down to check out my bellowing cow, I was already a bit discouraged. A bellowing cow is often times a sign that the cow is in heat. Because Kula is the only cow on Beatha Fonn, it's very difficult to notice when she is in heat. Often times, cows will attempt to mount other cows when they're in heat, so it's quite easy to spot when a cow is ready to be bred. Unforunately, since Kula is alone, it can be a big challenge to spot it. When I checked Kula further, as usual, I checked out her girly parts. Sorry, but it's the truth. I've spent a lot of time over these past few months staring at her backside – eager to learn the “normal” for her, as well as the “in heat” signs I spent so long looking for. Upon further visual inspection (soundin' like Sherlock, aren't I?) I noticed a very small amount of blood smeared on either side of her girly parts. This often happens from the swishing of the tail back and forth. If any amount of blood has come out of her girly parts, the tail will smear it across her backside.
Small amounts of blood (I'm talkin' a few drops here) are often signs that a cow has just ovulated.
Dang.
DANG. DANG. DANG.
Bellowing cow. Bloody cow. Open cow? Most likely.
I'd like to say that I handled the obvious signs of heat well. That I gave the Lord thanks for this challenge and this lack of pregnancy, that I skipped back up to the house and very lovingly told my husband that our dairy cow is still not bred. But I didn't. Not at all.
I came up to the house with the attitude of a trapped rattlesnake. I snapped a bit at Stuart, walked straight back to the bathroom, and began to weep.
I haven't wept like that since the Russian's almost stole all of our belongings when we were moving back from Alabama. But it's the truth – I wept like a baby.
Then, I had a few cross words with the Lord. “Why?” “I wanted it to work so badly!” “I'm feeling so discouraged.” “Is this not what you want for us?” “How will we continue with this financially?” “Do you hate me?” “Why do you hate my so much!”
I tease. At least about the last few. But the rest were pretty true.
I felt, and do still feel, somewhat deflated and upset about the entire saga. Not only was Kula supposed to be bred when we purchased her, but then we kept the bull for two months in attempt to get her pregnant. Now, on top of that, we've invested hundreds of dollars and heartache to get her A.I.'ed, only to have her open at the end of it all. What a bummer.
After the kids went to bed, Stuart and I sat down. I sipped my hot chocolate, watched my new favorite show, and wallowed in my anger (I'm, like, so holy). When we finally began to talk about the situation, I felt the anger bubble up inside me like a simmering stock. I wanted to spew venom.
Thankfully, the good Lord has blessed me with a husband that (quite often) talks me off my cliff of despair. And frankly, he made some pretty dang good points that helped to put it all into perspective. So I think I'll make a point to write them down, lest I forget and act like a complete turd once again:
1. Anger doesn't solve the problem: Ain't that the truth. All the hours that I spent being angry about the situation were hours spent NOT working on a solution. There's nothing wrong with being upset about a difficult situation, but letting that anger rule the aftermath of it all is no good. This one is a toughy for me – I'm the sort that likes to bottle my anger, chew on it, spit it up, and then re-chew it for a few hours until I really feel like I've proven my point. Ya. Because that's productive.
2. If we're going to get upset about difficulties, this ain't the lifestyle for us: Ain't that the truth, too. Animals die. Animals don't get pregnant. Animals turn out to be roosters. Animals refuse to lay eggs. Animals eat other animals. Weather knocks out crops. Floods overtake the garden. Insects reek havoc. You never have the right size of screw. Or enough netting. It's just the name of the game and if I desired a life of ease and perfection, homesteading would not be a smart hobby to choose. If I can't deal with that, then I should have given up yesterday.
3. Nature is organic. Heat cycles, breedings, pregnancy, growing, harvesting, planting, and raising animals are all organic processes. They cannot be perfectly calculated or accounted for. Our culture is so used to having what we desire instantly. We plug the equation into our scientific calculators and get an exact answer. We desire something so we put it on our credit card and enjoy it immediately. In society, we are deprived of the organic circle that is life – getting a cow pregnant is not something that be completely controlled and perfectly calculated. It is a livable, changeable, difficult, living, breathing process. Getting to see this cycle in our animals and crops is one of the biggest blessings of homesteading – having to accept the difficult part of this cycle is the other side of the coin and should be appreciated as well.
So after Stuart talked me down from the cliff, expressed his love and concern via his words, and assured me it wasn't the end of the world, we began to think about our options with Kula. While we're still waiting for a pregnancy test to confirm she is in fact open, we're also beginning to prepare for what will happen if she is. As of now, because we don't have access to a bull or A.I. technician to attempt another breeding, we're thinking that we will need to sell her. Perhaps to a family that has better access to breeding options. This means that we're, once again, in the market for a bred dairy cow.
Not exactly where I'd hope to be at this point, but none-the-less, it's where we are. And I do believe that it's where the Lord wants us to be – even though I don't understand it now.
We have a few more weeks to wait before we'll know for sure. In the meantime, we're awaiting confirmation of pregnancy on another few cows to narrow down our options on purchasing the new one.
Because remember my tough farm lesson #1? ALWAYS HAVE YOUR ANIMALS PREG-CHECKED BEFORE YOU BUY THEM.
Don't worry about me… I'm just here… livin' the dream… learning the tough lessons for both of us.
Learn from me. Be smarter than me. Keep on strivin' for that dang milk, man.
Rosalyn
Shaye, I’m super sorry to hear about Kula and the frustrations that you’ve dealt with since you bought her. If you do decide to sell her, I’m just wondering if you’re absolutely set on a cow being your option for home dairy? I know you had a facebook post about the pros and cons of goats versus cows several months ago before you got her, and I wonder if you should maybe look into that again? Nigerian dwarfs give beautiful creamy sweet milk, apparently (I personally don’t own any but hope to in the next year!) and there is amazing info about them on this forum: nigeriandwarfgoats.ning.com They’re small, easy for little ones to handle, give milk that is wonderful for cheese and isn’t goat-y, and you could keep a variety of bucks on hand that you could totally manhandle should one give you any problems but apparently for intact male livestock, they’re quite sweet (albeit a little smelly). And they’d be way cheaper to feed and easier on the pasture. Just a thought. Good luck and God bless! You’ll get it worked out.
Shaye Elliott
Rosalyn, you bring up a good point. Goats would probably be a good option for us, at some point. Cows are just so dang cute though!! 😉
Rachel
Sorry to hear about that! I am not a homesteader (but I am passionate about organic, plant based local food and homemade products- I only grow some herbs and vegetables!). I have been through some serious pitfalls in life (again, not homesteading problems, mostly personal health issues and two losses within my nuclear family. Totally different circumstances, but I sympathize with the emotions you expressed.I’ve come to believe the bad, trying times, though so emotionally difficult, absolutely NEED to be a part of our lives. We need to experience these trials in order to be able to truly appreciate the good. If everything was good all the time, worked just the way we wanted it to, none of it would matter because we wouldn’t be able to comprehend the importance of any of it. So yes, this will be a difficult time, but appreciate the pitfalls, because they make the good even better. Be patient with Kula, Not all mammals get pregnant too easily, but don’t underestimate their value. All creatures are important! Nature has a way of knowing what is best, things will work out as they should.
Ramona
I am going to second the goats on this one too. I haven’t milked a Nigerian Dwarf by hand for human consumption, but my little Nigerian isn’t much bigger than my pygmies and those girls are no fun milking! I’ve had to do it to reduce a bad half to give milk to the runt. Needless to say, that doe after two kiddings for me and her lack of good mothering instincts has found herself a good pet home. I have heard a lot of good things about the Nigerian Dwarfs and I am partial to the Nubians as well. Apparently the flavor of both those breeds milk is closer to cow’s milk. As Rosalyn said, you have room for more than one, you can keep a buck in a separate pen (highly suggested) and they are easily handled. Their gestation is only 155 days and you could space breeding out to have a wet doe at all times, for the most part, choosing to either bottle feed the baby or keep it on its momma. Maybe you can find someone wanting to make goat’s cheese or soap who has a dairy cow that y’all could trade milks for so you have a resource for butter.
I will say a buck in rut is just…..crude. They pee on themselves, lick their privates and snort. Then they chase the women around until they are ready and the girls are just as slutty at that point. My buck is trying his best to squeeze through the fence as my girls come in heat. Then the little hussies are rubbing up to the fence trying to get some lovin’. I don’t want babies in February so they have to wait one more month before I’ll let them get all the loving they want. I would much rather watch cattle, rabbits, or chickens breed. But, you could get some nice does and a buck for the money it would take to purchase one bred cow. God has closed this door for some reason. My take is either He knows what is around the corner and you wouldn’t be able to handle milking a cow at the time you wanted a delivery, or a cow isn’t for you. That’s really between you and Him right now…
rachelle johnson
I had goats growing up. The milk was delicious! Easy to breed too.
Lisa
Hola Shaye,
So sorry about Kula. Your excitement just flowed across the pages as you wrote the story, when you purchased her and the excitement of her delivery to Beatha Fonn. It’s terrible that the situation with Kula has turned out the way it has. As I am sure you are well aware, all in the Lord’s time. There is a wonderful lesson in this story, for you and for your followers as well.
I am always reminding my husband, double check, write it down, get the person’s name. My mom called it CYA, cover your a**. This lesson will do you well on your farm. You are a smart cookie. Knowledge is power, right? No one will sell you a cow again without seeing the calf winking at you on the way out, right, hahah? Such a shame that you did not get what you paid for when you bought Kula. As sad as I know you are, take heart, dear one, no one died; you learned a very valuable lesson and tomorrow is a new day. This can be fixed. You got it, girl! Now, go get some milk!
Keep writing! It’s some good stuff. ssxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Heidi
Consider this: you now may have the option of getting a calf in the season you originally wanted, instead of just trying and trying and taking a calf “whenever”. The Lord will turn this to good…and I agree with the decision to (probably) get a new cow. If several dependable means of conception didn’t work, it’s okay if Kula finds a new home.
Shaye Elliott
So true. Thank you for the encouragement, Heidi!
carmen coles
I wish my husband could sit down with Stuart and have him go through the steps he went through with you. I was raised a farm girl so I know things seldom work out right, there is seldom enough money, etc. My husband was a city boy and was thrust upon farming because his wife is an incurable farm girl. Sounds like you’ve worked this out in your mind and can now get on with Plan C, or D, or are you up to Plan Q yet?
bobbi
awww, that is a bummer, but you guys will figure it out. The Lord will come through and you will be able to move on. You will be able to look back on this and help others in the same situation too. 🙂
becky
We need to be buds. Seriously. And if you tell me there is even a hint… an inkling… of potential homeschooling or adoption in your future, then we are kindred spirits (I haven’t been around here long enough to know one way or another). We’re new homesteaders (though I will not have anything needing to be milked until I have no more kids in diapers), but I so relate to this. And you. We have lots of things in common (and I mean that in the least creepy way a perfect stranger can say it). I am so wishing your fence and mine butt up to one another!
becky
p.s. – we do drink raw milk, though. I just get it from some awesome farmers whom we love dearly.
Tanya
Definitely go the goat route, you’ll never be disappointed. They give lots of milk and lots of kids. We average 2-4 per doe and never have any problems with them getting bred. You can use them to pack or pull carts and since they’re smaller are less likely to hurt you if you get stepped on or bumped, that goes for children too.
Karrie
Oh Shaye,
Honestly I am learning so many homesteading lessons from you! Thank you for sharing your life lessons and your heartaches. Sounds like you have a wonderful husband to cheer you up like that. Hang in there…I just know the Lord will bless you with your dream of milk. Trials sometimes make us appreciate things a whole lot more.
Shaye Elliott
Thank you Karrie!
C
Humm-sounds a bit like my reaction when I learned that the SIX gallons of lard I HAND rendered over a three week period, with three kids three and under, on nap time…went rancid. I got in the shower and sobbed while banging a shampoo bottle against the wall, and telling my husband we were just going to be a “normal” family and I was never going to make anything EVER again…even though I knew we both knew that wasn’t true.
Have you read any of the little house books as an adult? I’ve been reading it with my girls and I am completely humbled by how adult pa and ma act. They loose their entire years income to grass hoppers, and NO one yells or crys or anything. They watch the chickens running around eating them and Ma says something like- “Well at least we won’t have to buy chicken feed for a while. There is no great loose without some small blessing.”
Humbling.
Brooke
Found your page looking for a friend that wants to both ai and homestead…. I’m quite familiar with ai for beef, As we use it for some of our herd, I was curious how people who only have one cow detect the heat….read your first post where you described your ai process and was curious if the process is different for beef vs dairy cows ( hubby took the actual’ai class… So I’m his assistant, and not completely in the know on all the different techniques) We use several different drugs and cidrs as well ( think big iud looking thing) when we bring our cows into heat….. Is it possible another method would work better for her? How was the semen handled? Could that have been the issue? Curious what you ended up doing?
Shaye Elliott
We were never able to get her bred. We have a new cow now and are hoping to breed her to a bull in June.