Cow Cow Update

Good things to report!

Cow Cow has improved significantly in only a matter of days!

We started off with 2 quarts of milk, twice a day. I do have to mix the formula carefully, since the milk replacer is so rich. We do not want to upset his stomach further after being deprived of the milk. We will get him up to the proper mixing proportions as soon as we can. Right now, he is getting about a third of the normal amount of milk replacer, mixed with water to equal the 2 quarts at each feeding.

The calf feeding bucket I bought is working out beautifully! CJ put up a board on the fence to hang the bucket and it works great! Sometimes Cow Cow can be a little aggressive with it, so we must stay near incase he jostles it too much. He knows where his feeding station is now and will come right on up when he sees the bucket. He is still learning the routine and often comes to the station begging when we walk near that section. I know he wants more, and my heart wants to give him as much as he can eat, yet we must continue to take it slow with him. We do not want to overdo things and make things worse!

He also gets free choice of calf feed throughout the day. We must be careful of how we do this as well. While he can eat as much feed as he wants during this time, he needs to eat it in smaller amounts. Again, its all about keeping his stomach settled.  I give him about 1 – 2 quarts at a time and go out about every hour or so to check if he has eaten it. If he has eaten most of the feed, then I will give him more. If not, we check back in the next hour and go from there. He does not enjoy the feed as much as the milk. He does not seem to have a routine yet either with how much feed he is eating daily. Sometimes he gobbles it down, and sometimes it sits almost all day. I created a feeding chart for him, and it now hangs by the back door for me to be able to keep track of exactly how much he is eating and when. I feel like a mom with a newborn all over again! At least this one lets me sleep at night!

I am comfortable that we are on the right path as he has turned into a whole new cow! I cannot believe the difference in him! He has so much more energy. When we first came to us, he stayed in the shelter and hardly moved. Now he is up, moving, and roaming around the pasture. If he sees you outside the fence, he will come up to the feeding station. If you do not give him milk, he will follow you all along the fence line, mooing, as if to say “um, hello, maybe you don’t see the hungry cow here!”. Yesterday I saw him even run! I had no idea cows could move that fast! Imagine a young deer running through pasture, at full speed, that is what he looked like!

His behavior has improved as well. He is calmer; however, he can still be a little pushy when he is hungry. He associates me now with food. I am mom. I am the milk bringer. He perks up when he sees me. This also means, when I do not have what he wants, he can throw a little tantrum and try and get pushy with me. I have seen what this little guy can do, and I no longer underestimate him. He has my respect (and trepidation). He does not behave this way with CJ (of course). He is always on his best behavior when CJ comes in the pasture. At first, I fully believed that the little stinker was trying to make me look foolish. Encouraging CJ to continue to believe that I exaggerated the cow attack. (I most certainly DID NOT!) I no longer believe this is the case, even though I swear, I can see him laughing when CJ is not looking. He just knows that I am mom and I have control of his food. Just like my human kids, when they are hangry, I get the brunt of their meltdowns. I am cautious around him because of this and make CJ go in the pasture with me now just in case I need saving.

Once he is settled in his feeding routine, and knows that he will always be fed, I expect him to calm down even more. He is still a hungry boy and you cannot blame him at all for that! He is obviously improving and getting healthier by the day. That is all that I need for now.