Kumbayah Cow Take Two

I originally posted this last night but then took it down because I was worried about it showing the farm in a negative light. This is real and it's what I have seen. If you ever have questions about the way things work or why they do the things they do, please ask. The McBees are happy to share.

Today's blog is meant to be educational for the bleeding hearts among us. In addition to being a lactivist, I was a vegetarian and animal rights activist for most of my adult life. I truly could not have envisioned landing on a dairy farm.

As an activist I always supported small farms. Eating meat was not for me but I had no problem with others eating meat or drinking milk from humane sources, like small farms or hunting. I just objected to factory farms.

I still had questions about the way things worked though. I thought it was mean to take the calves away from their moms. I realize they don't have higher intelligence but I still thought they should be allowed to peacefully nurse from their moms while mom took a break from being milked. Eventually the calf would wean and both could then be milked. Kumbaya and all that.

It can't work that way. The babies need to be bottle fed so that they get used to being around people and being handled. If they weren't bottlefed it would be like trying to milk a feral cat. As it is Kris's job to milk the cows I would prefer them to be docile.

So letting them stay with momma long enough to get a few days of colostrum and get some newborn love would be the ideal, right?

That's what I believed until today. But nope it can't work that way either. A few days is a lot of time for any mammal to bond with its baby and a cow is no different. Dairy cows need to be compliant and a momma in mourning is not compliant. In fact she throws the whole herd off, as evidenced by the repeated circles the cows made tonight when they should have walked to the barn. Once momma settled down every one else walked calmly down.

"We" had a calf born Monday and momma was such a good hider that we weren't able to get the calf in until today. She spent most of the day at the pasture gate wailing for her
baby. Apparently she will be better in few days but it would have been easier on her and her calf if we had gotten her in sooner. By we, I mean practically everyone else on the farm of course. I was still in bed when they brought her in.

So it's sad that the calves don't get to stay with their moms and heartbreaking to listen to mom and baby cry but if we want milk that's how it works. We have to trust that everyone is being cared for as humanely as possible. Conveniently, I am there and know that they are.

Momma is treated as gently as possible and is milked just enough to get milk for her calf. The baby is bottlefed as soon as she will take the nipple and is loved on by everyone at the farm for a while. Who doesn't love a new baby cow after all??

So that was probably common sense to all of you. The 8 and 10 year olds certainly looked at me like I was nuts for not knowing, but I really didn't get it. Now I do and I am good with it. Hopefully momma cow will be soon.

Here are pics of the herd finally going in to milk, the kids working their colts, and gratuitous shots of my kid.