Keeping A Family Cow – Joann S Grohman

Her rumen development and grazing efficiency will reflect the fact that she is living the life for which she was evolved. OceanofPDF.com Breeding If you intend to breed your cow, it’s important to be able to detect when she’s in heat. Ideally, you’ll begin to notice the cycles, and mark them on your calendar, and be able to call for artificial insemination in time for the technician to arrive before the heat has passed. • • • • Detecting Heat At any time from one week after calving onward it is possible for your cow to come in heat.

This early heat is sometimes called the “calf heat” and may or may not introduce a normal estrus cycle and may appear as early as six months of age. Occasionally the next heat will be delayed for a couple of months, especially in a thin, high-producing cow. The estrus cycle in cattle is twenty-one days, with a normal range of eighteen to twenty-three days.

The actual heat period is rather short, especially in winter. A period of from ten to eighteen hours is considered the length of time in which the cow can conceive. The signs of oncoming heat will start before this critical breeding period. The signs of heat are mooing and bellowing; agitation, tail swishing, and prancing around; clear or stringy mucus on the vulva or tail; swelling and reddening of the vulva; sudden decrease in appetite or milk production; mounting of other cattle; and a bad attitude.

A cow kept without any bovine companions may attempt to mount her human friends. If she is this excited, you will know she is in heat, so maybe you shouldn’t turn your back on her that day. If you have other cattle of either sex, your cow will jump on them and they on her. After a couple of hours of alternate jumping, the one that stands still while being mounted is in heat. This is true even if the other cow appears to be more excited.

This “standing heat”—when a cow does not object to holding up another—is the definitive sign of readiness to breed. When you telephone the inseminator, he may ask about your cow’s behavior. If you can tell him she is standing for another animal, he will expect his trip to be worthwhile.

First published as The Cow Economy in 1975 with Merril Grohman (Coburn Farm Press) and as Keeping a Family Cow, by Joann S. Grohman, in 1981 (Charles Scribner’s Sons), in 1984 (Ballantine Books), and in 1999, 2001, 2003, 2007, and 2008 (Coburn Press, 434 Carthage Road, Carthage, ME 04224). Unless otherwise noted, all illustrations copyright © 2013 by Max Luick. No part of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form by any means without permission in writing from the publisher. Project Manager: Hillary Gregory Editor: Makenna Goodman Copy Editor: Nancy Ringer Proofreader: Eileen M. Clawson Indexer: Shana Milkie Designer: Melissa Jacobson Printed in the United States of America.

First printing September, 2013. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 13 14 15 16 17 Our Commitment to Green Publishing Chelsea Green sees publishing as a tool for cultural change and ecological stewardship. We strive to align our book manufacturing practices with our editorial mission and to reduce the impact of our business enterprise in the environment.

We print our books and catalogs on chlorine-free recycled paper, using vegetable-based inks whenever possible. This book may cost slightly more because it was printed on paper that contains recycled fiber, and we hope you’ll agree that it’s worth it. Chelsea Green is a member of the Green Press Initiative (www.greenpressinitiative.org), a nonprofit coalition of publishers, manufacturers, and authors working to protect the world’s endangered forests and conserve natural resources.

Keeping a Family Cow was printed on FSC®-certified paper supplied by Thomson- Shore that contains at least 30% postconsumer recycled fiber. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Grohman, Joann S. Keeping a family cow / by Joann S. Grohman ; foreword by Jack Lazor.—Rev. and updated ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-60358-478-4 (pbk.)—ISBN 978-1-60358-479-1 (ebook) 1. Dairy farming. 2. Cows. 3. Dairying. I. Title. SF239.G76 2013 636.2’142—dc23 2013022230 Chelsea Green Publishing 85 North Main Street, Suite 120 White River Junction, VT 05001 (802) 295-6300 www.chelseagreen.com OceanofPDF.com Contents FOREWORD PREFACE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 1: A Brief History of Dairying 2: What Makes Cows So Important?

3: Milking Your Cow 4: Making Butter, Yogurt, and Cheese 5: Drying Off and Milk Fever Prevention Diet 6: Calving 7: The Calf 8: Breeding 9: Feeding Your Cow 10: Your Organic Cow 11: Fencing 12: Making Hay 13: Pasture Management 14: Housing, Water Systems, and Supplies 15: Treating Milk Fever 16: Diseases and Disorders 17: Safety around Your Cow 18: Cattle Breeds 19: Your Cow Economy APPENDIX: DAIRY COW ANATOMY SOURCES BIBLIOGRAPHY OceanofPDF.com Foreword In May of 1975, my wife, Anne, and I rented a little farm in Irasburg, Vermont.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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