In addition to the regional Dexter Cattle meeting, and the Camel farm sighting, yesterday also made for an interesting day on the farm.
Since having her calf (who's name is TBD), Dixie's udder has grown beyond what we feel is healthy for her. The baby is eating well, and has been since only a few hours after birth. But there's just no way she can eat enough to reduce the amount of milk that Dixie is producing. So for the health of Dixie and her udder, we needed to take some of the pressure off. You can see how HUGE her udder is in this photo of her licking her back.
The natural way to remove the pressure in an udder is by milking. Dixie's not used to being milked. Cows kick and carry on, especially when they're in situations they're not familiar with. We knew Dixie wasn't going to be very happy with us grabbing around down there, so the best solution for the situation was to put her in the chute where she would be in a safe and controlled space. Having her in the chute also allowed us to easily control her kicking, and reduce her stress level (and ours). Once John (Alan's dad) got the milk flow started, Dixie was certainly curious as to what we were doing! Being in the chute does not hurt the cow at all. It's actually very safe for them, and us. It's where we administer all of their medical treatment, as necessary.
Alan held a soft cotton rope around Dixie's leg. He was able to safely, and gently, keep her leg in place - and keep her from kicking the hand of whomever was milking at the time. Dixie is familiar with being in the chute, but knowing that this was her first experience with being milked (as well as ours), we were happy to have Alan's parents there not only to help move Dixie safely into the chute, but also for their first hand knowledge of milking a cow.
We all took turns milking, but John was exceptionally good! We should call him Two-Stream John from now on! We didn't milk her completely since she has the calf to feed. We just milked enough to take the pressure out of her teats, and ease the
tightness of her udder. When we were finished, we opened up the chute and let Dixie out. She stepped out, gave each of us a long displeased glance, and then headed off to the barn where her calf enjoyed a nice meal of warm milk from Dixie's udder.
Today, Dixie's udder looks much better. It's still large, but at least it's not so large that it looks like it's going to explode! Alan and I are very grateful that his parents were able to assist with this process.
New experiences here never cease.
I think I'd kick and carry on myself.....love seeing all your pictures---my daddy (family) had some cattle for awhile (outside of Austin) and those were good times! TFS
Posted by: Kathleen | April 29, 2008 at 04:35 AM
Oh, I feel Dixie's pain! I just had surgery Thursday, and of course I couldn't nurse my daughter because of the medications I was on, so I was about to explode too! Afterwards, I had a great sense of relief thanks to a pump, and I'm sure Dixie appreciated your help as well!
Posted by: Angie | April 28, 2008 at 03:12 PM
Love all of the pictures and stories from the farm that you share with us! You are such a wonderful photographer and writer. I enjoy you blog so much.
Posted by: Inky Paws | April 28, 2008 at 11:13 AM
The trials and tribulations of new "motherhood" ... I so remember the discomfort of engorgement and speaking on Dixie's behalf..."BLESS YOU"!!!!
Posted by: bonnie weiss | April 28, 2008 at 10:15 AM
glad you milked Dixie, but why didn't you save the milk?
thanks for the photo of Alan with (darn, i forgot which cow)! it was just the visual i needed to figure out how DINKY these Dexter cattle are!! :) we always had big cows except for the occasional runt that never grew to full size; like Bitsy, who made up in cussedness what she was missing in height! lol!
Great that you picked a name! Are you going to call her Cup? lol! i have some Dixie cups in the bathroom right now, so i'll think of her when i'm brushing my teeth.
Shala
Posted by: SWJC | April 28, 2008 at 09:57 AM
Anna, I especially LOOOVE the 2nd photo, she's like, "whoa tiger, get your paws off my tah-tah's"....lol
Posted by: Dawn | April 28, 2008 at 08:13 AM
And here I am mixing milk for Rosie, cuz her Mom just isn't making enough! I can only imagine the "pressure" that has been releaved and hope that Dixie is feeling much better!
Posted by: Michelle Oatman | April 28, 2008 at 08:12 AM
I can not tell you how I look forward to your "Farm" updates. My husband comes home and I regale him with the latest farm stories. I need a life out here in sunny Cali!
Posted by: Phillis | April 28, 2008 at 08:05 AM
Poor Dixie -- her udder looked so painful! I'm glad you took matters into your own hands (literally!) and helped her out. I LOVE the picture of her in the chute. That expression is priceless!!!
Sorry about Boxcar Willie :( You are very kind and brave to do the right thing for him.
Posted by: Jennifer (jkincolorado) | April 28, 2008 at 07:26 AM
Oh, what a fun life you lead, Anna!! Thank you for sharing all the pictures & stories of life on the farm ~~ all very interesting!! And you are just the queen photographer ~~ I love *all* your pictures!!!
Posted by: Michelle (milwaukeemommy) | April 28, 2008 at 07:06 AM
Thanks for the update on Dixie and the photos - I find it all so fascinating since I am a city girl and no nothing about farm life. I still vote for Pennelope (Penny) for Dixie's baby girl!!!
Have a fun day on the farm!!!
Dorothy
Posted by: Dorothy | April 28, 2008 at 06:36 AM
Poor Dixie, but like the first commenter, I've had personal experience -- when my son was 3 months old we visited Italy and though he was eating, either the better food, the air, whatever, I had to get up and express myself! :)
Posted by: Queen Mary | April 28, 2008 at 06:35 AM
Poor Dixie!! I too, know that feeling! Just want to mention how much I enjoy your blog, I have always been a 'city' girl, reading your blog makes me feel as if I am on a farm. Love your stories, thanks for sharing!!!
Posted by: Joy B | April 28, 2008 at 06:08 AM
Poor Dixie! I'm sure she feels better,alot better!
Posted by: Diane Lapointe | April 28, 2008 at 05:36 AM
Poor Dixie! I bet she feels better now though. My brothers and I always got stuck milking the cows. And we complained (like kids do) but it was life on the farm for us. Feeding the cattle in Montana winters was something we really griped about too!
Hugs
Julie
Posted by: Julie Phillips | April 28, 2008 at 05:36 AM
(looks like I'm not the only one) Oh yea, can definitely feel her pain! I nursed for 5 years, two kids. Being engorged is not a happy feeling - hubby likes the look ;) but not a good feeling!
Posted by: Leticia Fournier | April 28, 2008 at 03:58 AM
Poor Dixie! It looked like it would be painful with that much milk. Milking looks like fun but I never thought that the cow might not like it. Looks like you had a beautiful day for taking care of business!
Posted by: Viv (VivLyn) | April 28, 2008 at 03:28 AM
Blimey O'Reilly, she sure had a big udder, well done you though for taking away some of the pressure. Thank you for sharing all your wonderful experiances with us.
Posted by: Jukie | April 28, 2008 at 02:54 AM
Poor Dixie. It is so sad that you can't reason with an animal that you are doing something that will help them. What an experience for you guys and Dixie.
Posted by: Kittie Caracciolo | April 28, 2008 at 02:22 AM
Boy, what hasn't she been through? It looks as though her udder is almost to the ground in the first photo. I'm glad you were able to give her some relief even if she couldn't figure out why humans were pulling at her. TFS.
Posted by: Juanita | April 27, 2008 at 08:17 PM
Anna, thanks for sharing farm life with us city slickers. I find it fascinating! So, if you don't milk your cows, and you don't eat your cows, what do you do? Are they just pets?
Posted by: Lisa H | April 27, 2008 at 07:42 PM
Oh, poor Dixie! Thank goodness your father-in-law could intervene and relieve her of the pressure. My family enjoys remembering life on the farm vicariously through your posts, Anna. Thanks for being such a sharing and caring person.
Posted by: Sharon (stampscout) | April 27, 2008 at 06:03 PM
OMG! I had the perfect name idea! CHOXIE!
She reminds me of chocolate, and the stuff from Target has the greatest name!
Fun stuff, milking a cow. Glad it was you and not me. ;)
Posted by: Shannan Teubner | April 27, 2008 at 05:33 PM
I love reading your comments. I grew up on a dairy farm. Glad you were able to help Dixie. Dirty looks or not, she felt much better. Ü I take it your goats aren't dairy goats. *wink*
Posted by: Debbie Fisher | April 27, 2008 at 04:56 PM
Nice photos!!!
do you keep the milk? then boil or something?
MJ
Posted by: Maria Jesus | April 27, 2008 at 04:40 PM
Ohh God Bless you for helping Poor Dixie! GREAT PHOTOS!!
Nursing a total of almost 6 years of my life I share some of her pain.. :{
I am sure she would give you a great big cow lick kiss as a thank-you after she got over the initial dismay, shock of being in her chute! Awesome thing to have.
Both your IN laws and the chute!
Posted by: kimiek | April 27, 2008 at 04:17 PM
Yowza's!! I think you and Alan are having entirely too much fun on the farm, lol. I am sure Dixie is grateful. We had a gal at our SCS event yesterday that has a 300 head dairy farm in Canada. I bow to your braveness!
Posted by: tracy harp | April 27, 2008 at 03:47 PM
You know, I can't decide which I enjoy more, your card photos, or the farm photos. It's been a delight seeing what's been going on with Dixie and the other animals, and I'm sure Dixie, disgruntled looks and all, is just so happy to have some relief!! Thank you for taking the time to update us so often.
Posted by: diane M | April 27, 2008 at 02:57 PM
Poor Dixie! She looked quite uncomfortable in that first picture. Her legs looked like they were splaying and her back was caving. You did her a great service! I'm sure she must be much more comfortable:)
What's odd is that when I saw the earlier pictures of her with her baby I almost said she looked like she should have had twins because of the size of her utter - but being a city girl what did I know?! I just knew they were ginormous and felt so sorry for her.
Posted by: Cindy H. | April 27, 2008 at 02:30 PM
Wow! My 2 year old daughter just LOVES looking at your farm pictures with me. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Jen Daloisio | April 27, 2008 at 02:29 PM
Oh, bless her heart, I know she feels great relief after your assistance! That was QUITE an udder she had, and those teats...almost horizontal~! YIKES! Thank goodness for grandparents, huh? LOL :D I'm glad the pressure is relieved, and baby should be able to nurse more comfortably now, too. Life on the farm is GOOD! :D
Posted by: diane mcvey | April 27, 2008 at 01:36 PM
After giving birth to our first daughter, the nurses would come into my room and just gape at my milkmakers. They told me I had enough milk to provide for the entire nursery. Just what I wanted to hear, don't you know! I realized laying down or standing, I couldn't see my feet for the two melons! I so feel for Dixie. And I know how much better she felt after your intervention. Thank you for being caring parents.
Posted by: Mecah Dow | April 27, 2008 at 01:30 PM