rachels.haven 2026 kidding,lactation&farm journal

[farmerjan]

Breaking up that sort of hard udder, chunks that adhere to the inside of the udder is hard... and a machine doesn't do it... only hand milking... working the udder as you milk to break up that congestion.... God bless her good disposition for it... it's like it is more cheese than milk... see it on occasion in a cow... often in only 1 or 2 quarters for some reason... Getting it stripped out is a pain, but it is not caused by something like a staff or strep .... It's like the milk from when you dry them up just sits there and gets hard and just sits there...

 

[rachels.haven]

Oh Jan, I really hope so. That's what it felt like.

Today there was less big clumps and more grit and sandy stuff. Half her udder has thickened tissue like they get with mastitis and the mammary tissue was swollen and hard. I'm going to pull a sample and freeze it and I may treat for the thickened tissue and hard half anyway since we're snowed in and I doubt the mail is going through. I still kind of hope if I get all the chunks, grit and sand out she'll clear out.

We've gotten about a foot+ of snow and it's still falling. Currently it's sleet. i'm worried about it turning to freezing rain like it did in Nashville last night. That part of the storm is coming.

But chores are done. My butt, thighs, calves, and feet are sore and cramped from the way I have to walk to wade through while pushing a wheel barrow. Oh boy am I tired. BUT DONE.

Time to feed more baby goats.

 

[farmerjan]

If she were mine, I'd go on and treat her....you will just have to discard milk and it looks like you are doing that already. I'm not one to do preventative treating just in case most times, but this is one time I don't see the harm.... The added stuff in the mastitis medicine also is supposed to help soften the tissue... and if you have any, or ever have, use some of the mint udder cream that you rub on the outside... gets more blood flow to the udder which will help to get the softening going too.. Dairies use it on all these heifers that have all the edema when they come into the barn... it really helps with the heat and swelling...often times they will use it at the sign of a few flakes and not treat mastitis, to see if a couple of milkings that they can get it all out that way...

 

[rachels.haven]

Thanks, I'll do that. I'd like to keep her.

 

[rachels.haven]

This evening about 4-5ish I discovered Elsa, standard Lamancha, much like Clover, kicked Riker out of his sleeping spot in the shed and kidded one baby doe goat on her own. Then she turned around and I discovered she was a pushme-pullyou and had a head sticking out of her rear and no feet. Elsa was bred to mini Polaris for minis because she doesn't have much extra room in her kidding shoot and the kid was not feeling like it would pull out head alone, so first I tried to go fishing in the shed, but instead of laying down or walking into a wall or corner Elsa was going to war with every one while I had my hand in her canal so that didn't work. So I hauled her 200 lbs butt with a kid sticking out to the barn and stalled her (she came back to be at 140 last year...she's filled out a bit and looks healthy again, kind of like a boat)...that took a long time considering the snow height, and how witchy she gets when kidding, and that I was already tired from marching around with a wheelbarrow full of hay in over a foot of snow for kicks and giggles.

So my hand went back in...freaking felt like it was a kid snake with no legs, so I turned off my brain and went from head to neck to shoulder to elbow, to hook a leg and bring it forward between pushes so it wouldn't get stuck on the "hump" on the way out. Okay, that was good, and it was doeling number two.

Elsa has had two terrible kiddings so I wanted to see some placenta before I let her go, so I got some molasses water and she guzzled that and got to work eating some hay...and pushed out another head with no legs instead of that placenta I ordered. So we did the dance again except this kid was proportionately larger with longer leg elbow to knee so it was a little rougher but we got it out (doeling). Unfortunately on my way out I felt something a little on the right from the exit that felt like a head in a water balloon (yippee) so I waited around and she kept eating.

Eventually I got cold and since I'd been showering in birth fluids with my new buddy (who was busy cleaning me and filling the void each kid left with hay) I was REALLY cold, so I temporarily gave up and went in to shower, find new clothes, feed baby goats and maybe snag some food if Mark and the boys left me any (lol,nope).

When I came back out she'd pushed out a bag but no kid so I took off my coat yet again to feel what I could feel (more fluids). The kid was not lined up at all, still in his sack, definitely not head first, and mushed up against the exit...and I was out of patience so I grumpily found the head and helped it mush against the canal until it was stuck out like the other two siblings had presented themselves. Then I crabbily went back in for front legs just like I'd already done twice and pulled that buckling out.

So Elsa went back to eating...so I stuck my hand back in her rear and felt around and felt no more heads in water balloons so I'm in here again, about to feed her buckling. She totally would have mothered those kids, but it's too darn cold so I took them away as soon as she got distracted.

Her udder is not large much like the other three we've kidded so far. I complained to Mark (about everything, always) and he suggested the weather is stressing them and he's probably right. At this time i'm tired, still have to force some colostrum on her not very lively or compliant kids, and milk everyone with lots of snow wading cardio in between. I also want to see those cleanings from Elsa to confirm we're done.

Here's Elsa after three does waiting on her buck.

Show me the cleanings, doe!

 

[rachels.haven]

CLEANED, thank goodness. I'm spent.

 

[Mini Horses]

Hard kidding ...good job by you.
I lost count -- 2 or 3 ? How are they doing?

That's a lot of snow!! I got ice here.

 

[rachels.haven]

Just three!Everyone is alive and doing okay last I saw.
Only the last one is feeling like she'll be a normal milker so far out of the three (the ND is now producing about a pound per milking or two cups because she's a yearling FF and doesn't count and may get dried off so she can grow and reduce my work load). I was really counting on Clover.
There are five more due this week, two standards and three Nigerians (not loving the eat:dam's milk ratio of these ND kids)

Today's goal is to sleep a little more before going out because all seems quiet, milk, feed, and get these kids out under a heat lamp in the barn. My kitchen only has room for three tubs and we're up to nine kids so things are quickly getting moist.

This all would be easier if I didn't have to march and sink into the foot of snow with every step outside. By evening I was tired enough I had to stop mid trip to catch my breath like daytime had turned me out of shape. I'm definitely getting my cardio. (I wish my men loved me enough to shovel me a few paths, but if I want it I probably have to add that to my work list too and I'm already full)

 

[Mini Horses]

Kids are home....make a game of shoveling for them

 

[Baymule]

Congratulations on the triplets. Good save on pulling them.