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Yep, that happened! Guys the hilarity never stops around here. In the heat of the moment we aren't really able to bask in the glory of the "did that really happen" moments as they come. Usually because we have a mini emergency on our hands and need to get crap done, like NOW. But after the fact, we usually get a really good chuckle out of our farm mishaps!
I had been looking high and low for a milk cow since before we moved to our farm here in Tennessee. But I started getting serious about bringing a milk cow home as soon as we got a little settled here on the farm. I spent months looking for just the right cow. I was being very picky because we were planning on drinking the milk raw and wanted the "cleanest" cow possible.
I found a couple that were real contenders but as we had thier blood tested, they came back for some the nasty diseases that can run rampant in dairy herds, like blv, q fever, and johne's. I was able to find ONE cow that met all of our criteria and produced milk with A2/A2 protein. A2/A2 protein is closer to goats milk in the way we break it down in our bodies meaning that those that have problems with dairy might no have the usual stomach upset drinking this milk.
She was a first calf heifer and her little calf was growing like a weed. We really took a chance with her because she had only started to learn how to stand for milking for a few months when we got her. But I was willing to put in the work.
We had been letting her calf stay with her 24/7 and we were getting no usable amount of milk, because the calf was taking it all at each feeding. So I wanted to do what is called milk-sharing. Meaning, you leave the calf with her mom all day and at night separate the two to prevent the calf nursing during the night. In the morning you come milk, and let baby back in with mom to enjoy the day. Sounds perfect!
Well Poppy our cow seems to only like me. Austin she sees and takes off and same with my oldest daughter. This was going to be a problem. Austin's dad came up for the day and we decided, ok we are going to get the calf roped to put a halter on her so we can separate them for the night. I left to go take Rebekah to a birthday party so I was not able to witness what happened next.
The boys hatched up a plan that they would move a couple of our corral panels into Poppy's field in a corner. They wanted to push her up into that corner and separate out her calf and put a halter on her. Sounds like a solid plan.
They decided to get started before I came back and they would have this great thing accomplished to help me out and I would be so happy. :) Unfortunately. . . . they didn't count on our cow to freak out quite so bad when they had her cornered!
Everything was going according to plan, they got Poppy and Dandelion up to the corner and were getting ready to separate Poppy out when she freaked out and somersaulted OVER the fence into our big pasture.
She sat there on her back, four legs up in the air, with a what-the-heck-just-happened look in her eye. I am pretty sure Austin and his dad probably had the same look on their faces too. They thought well, lets salvage the situation and at least get the halter on the calf. Nope.
That little calf rolled right under the bottom of one of the corral panels and took off! Austin grabs a rope and goes to get Poppy from the big pasture before she can mix in with the beef cattle. He manages to get a rope around her neck, and when she figures it out she bolts! Austin had the rest of the rope around his shoulder and is trying to get it off before it pulls tight. He ALMOST succeeded, but not quite (seems like the theme for the day).
Poppy now has him dragging behind her on his stomach at a full run down the hill to our pond. CRAP! Just a side note I am glad I wasn't there for all of this! He did manage to get free and Poppy still had that rope around her. Austin had some new rope burns and pattern on his shirt. He did say, at least I didn't hit any cow patties! Way to find the silver lining love.
I came back to both men sitting in the shade in the field trying to game plan what to do next. Ha ha, poor guys!! I told them thanks, but maybe you should just call it a day. ;) They gladly went along with that suggestion!
Austin had to go back to work out of town, and we had to have someone come and rope our crazy dairy cow and drag her back into her field. It was quite the adventure!!! Needless to say, we are still not getting much milk from that cow yet!