Zoe and I were wrapt to find our two little premmies made it through the night. And they were hungry! We ended up feeding them each about three litres of milk over four feeds duringthe day. Ella’s breathing is still not right but we’re a lot more hopeful for her now.
Bella and Ella with Zoe on day three
Yesterday, I spotted a tiny calf next to its mother and went to investigate. It looked too tiny, even from a distance. On my way across the paddock, I nearly missed another black and white bundle almost perfectly hidden in the grass. A second calf! Unlicked and still with a wet cord, this calf had been abandoned and she was tiny, too. About 9kg instead of the 40kg we’d normally expect for a healthy friesian newborn.
It turned out that she was the premmie sister of the other equally as small but far stronger heifer (female calf) who’d followed her mother. The cow, who’s one of the youngest in the herd, showed little interest in either of the twins and both were in urgent need of some TLC.
It’s critical that calves get a good feed of colostrum in their first 24 hours of life. This milk, which is only produced by newly-calved cows for a few days, is incredibly rich and full of antibodies. Researchers have found colostrum consumption this early leads to marked differences in the health of cows over their lifetimes!
We brought the twins – named Ella and Bella by Zoe – back to the shed, sat them in the sun on a thick bed of fresh sawdust, dipped their cords in a mix of iodine and glycerine to prevent infection and gave them both a feed. I am hopeful for the stronger of the two, Bella, but the weakest little one, Ella, does not suckle well (never a good sign) and her breathing is not clear, so she’s had a shot of antibiotics to ward off pneumonia and give her immune system a fighting chance. We fed them three more times during the day and both seemed a little better. Fingers crossed.
The House paddock, April 2011
Just like a garden, our farm grows a mix of annual, biannual and perennial plants. Perennials are the most desirable if you can get them to grow. For the last 15 years, the weather has been really tough on perennials and we’ve been hit hard with a charming little grub called the red-headed cockchafer (honestly!), so, over time, more and more of the farm has been planted to annuals. Perennials need better conditions to get established than annuals or biannuals and the seed is incredibly expensive.
This summer and autumn are different. My old friend Jack tells me the last time he’s seen the place stay green all through summer was in the sixties. So, if this is a once in a 50-year- chance to get the more delicate perennials established, I’m going to take it! As a result, about a quarter of the farm is ploughed up, including the paddock that wraps itself around the house, replacing annuals with perennials. It’s a bit scarey but it’s worth the gamble. If we get it wrong, we lose tens of thousands of dollars in seed, contractor bills and feed. If it works, we’ll reduce our vulnerablility to autumn weather, lower our annual pasture renovation costs and, with less disturbance, better protect our soils.
Peter the vet came out today to see one of our young cows, 1160.
The little cow was in very good spirits but we’d seen some bloody mucus around her tail and were concerned she’d slipped a calf (had a miscarriage). Sadly, we were right. The good news is this feisty little character is otherwise in perfect health and after a 20-minute check-up and some pessaries to protect her against the risk of an infection, Peter gave 1160 the all clear to make her way back to her paddock mates. We’ll keep an eye on her over the next few days just to make sure she’s fine.
The Milk Maid Marian 