A few days ago, as I let Amber out to grass, I noticed this coming from her business end.
I took notice, as that amount of blood and clots is not usual for a cow in heat. I took some photos using my iPhone and text them to our vet.
He phoned back and asked us to collect some antibiotics for her. He thought that as she is three months fresh, she must have retained some of the birth product and started to develop an infection. The heat would then encourage the infection to surface.
Amber has been receiving 20ml twice a day after milking into her neck by me. And I can honestly say that her love of me has turned to terror!
So much so that we have had problems bringing her in to be milked. Yesterday she went the entire day without being milked as we couldn't bring her in from the field. We tried everything!
I managed to bring her in this morning and milked 14 litres from a very tight udder. I think she was relieved to have been milked. I decided to keep her in until she is finished her injections and decides again that she like me! Her last injection is tonight thankfully, I hate giving them as much as she hates being my pincushion.
The withdrawal period for this drug is ten days after the last injection, so again we are having to buy in milk for the house and the pigs are delighted with the arrangement.
The weather has been very warm and I am hoping to check the bees again in the next day or two to see if they are ready to be spilt. I need to see drone bees/cells and that there is spare frames of brood for me to steal. Fingers crossed!
I find your knowledge of bees quite awesome, and wish you lived closer so I could learn from you how to be a proper bee keeper! Hope your cow gets better soon. Of all the animals on our small farm, our two cows are the most valuable in terms of money and affection, and I would think that you feel the same about yours.
ReplyDeleteAwe, thanks Vera! I'm always at the over end of the computer if you need bee help ;-)
ReplyDeleteI follow an american bee keeper called Michael Bush. He uses foundation-less and no treatments. You should Google him as he runs a website and forum.
Amber is doing well and has had her last injection. But she fears me and poops whenever she see me! I'm sure she will forget in a few days but ten days to wait for week seems like a long time.
How many hives have you got?
We have two beehives at the moment, but had another swarm from the original one this morning, which makes three within two weeks. But we do have a lot of other things to do at the moment, so have made up our minds that we will let the bees do what comes naturally and try and gain control of the swarming problem next year. Thanks for the link, and am just over to Michael's website to see if I can get some inspiration!
DeleteMy association is very against swarming but I am starting to think it is a very good and natural thing, and we should allow our bees to do it (in moderation, depending on neighbours ).
DeleteThe swarming process breaks up the brood cycle for about 3 weeks which causes a die back in v.mite, gives you a new queen and increases feral/wild bee populations.
You should look into perone hives, they would match your ideals.Hubby is suppose to start two of these hives this month. A low maintenance natural approach to bee-keeping.
Awww poor cow :-(
ReplyDeleteMy Lovely Hubby reads your bee posts with interest and is very impressed with your knowledge and handling of them, he's off on a Bee Keepers course in May to get some hands on experience for himself.
That's great news! Will he get bees this year then? I think they are a wonderful hobby and so interesting. They gave me a greater appreciation for nature.
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