We’re Back in MIlk

On Friday, Ms. Buttercup welcomed a healthy little heifer into the world. The birth went smoothly, and all is well. We are already head over heels in love with the new calf named Ms. Penny Lane.

Milk fever typically happens within 24 hours but can occur up to 3 days post-calving. High-producing cows are at the highest risk. When their milk comes in, if they aren’t consuming enough calcium, they start pulling it from their bones. This results in render them unconscious or even killing them. We reduce the risk by giving two rounds of calcium bolus (Bovikalc), and I’m happy to report no calcium issues.

Ketosis is a risk for the next couple of weeks while Buttercup's milk production continues to increase. We purchased five gallons of molasses from Bar Ale and have been offering it to her mixed in warm water. The increase in sugar will ensure that her metabolism keeps up with its new milk demand.

Buttercup has cleared the colostrum stage and officially has milk available. We ran a CMT test to verify she doesn’t have mastitis and started saving milk on 11/14. We put a sample into our milk lab, and so far so good. E. coli came back last night at 0, coliform at 2 (needs to be under 10), and we should have our SPC back at 9:30 this evening. I have every expectation the count will be within the limits, so over the next 24 hours I will be messaging all members to arrange pickup.