Cutting and burning calves' horns

This post was in my drafts unitil now... :)
During the June-July holidays, a friend and I went to the experimental farm to help and learn a few new things. We started at 7 in the the morning and first went to a sick cow. She was injected with something (can't remember what) intravenously and we drenched her with A LOT of water as she could not stand up to drink. When the tube was put into her rumen we had to make sure it was not in her lungs, but we just knew it was in the right place because of the smell! Otherwise we would have had to blow into the tube and listen if we could hear bubbles, which would indicate it was in the rumen.

We injected a few cows and put cidrs in them. Cidrs contain Progesterone. When it is taken out after a few days they are injected with Luteinize (I believe) and then all of them come into oestrus at the same time. This is much easier as having to detect cows in oestrus.

A few calves, probably about 30, were taken up to where the crush and head bail are. We put nose pliers in their nose to control them more easily. One held the rope from the pliers and the other one used a horn cutter to cut the horns and then burn it and put stockholm tar on it so that they don't get infection. They were already actually too old to have it done so there was a bit more blood than usual! After putting on the tar they looked as if nothing had happened and went on grazing, but I think it must have hurt a lot. Some things just have to be done when farming with livestock...preferably at the right age.

I could not take pictures as my hands were really dirty!

A little less than a month to go before the December holidays!Then wedding planning, searching for a dress and spending time with my family over Christmas. Classes start again at the end of January, but the 2nd years have to be at Onderstepoort from mid-January.. so excited!

On a personal note..

It has been a while since my last post. Since then I went to the experimental farm once where we injected sheep with a multivitamin subcutaneously. I never realized that it could be so difficult to try and find the skin under the wool! We eventually injected where there is no wool under the front leg.

About 3 weeks ago I got engaged! We have known each other since 2005 and have been together for almost 6 years. I am so grateful for someone to share my dreams with. 

We are getting married in March next year and will stay close to Onderstepoort. So excited! I cannot wait to adopt a dog.. or 2 or 3! Wetnose will definitely see me sometime soon. 

Experimental farm

This morning I went to the University's Experimental farm to do some work with Ruben, the Dairy herd manager. He is still a student, busy with his Masters degree in Animal Nutrition. 

We would have weighed the calves, but the scale did not work...

We then checked their eyes for a membrane which would indicate a certain disease (I am not sure what!). Luckily none of them had it.

There was a cow that had lied down for 3 consecutive days after calving and she could not get up. She crept around a little, but stayed down. Ruben phoned their Vet from Onderstepoort (Veterinary campus) and this morning while I was there they brought a horsebox to fetch the cow in. About 8 men and a tractor were needed to get this 850kg cow into it! She was put on a canvas sheet and pulled to the horsebox by the men. Then the sheet (with the tape-handles tied together at the top to keep the cow inside) was connected to the tractor by a tape/rope. She was pulled into the box with the tractor.

She had to go to Ondertepoort where they can hoist her up to get her to stand. Also.. the placenta was not yet discharged (which should happen within 12 hours after calving down) and they had to do something about it! It may not be pulled out as this may cause damage and infection.

While they were pulling and loading her into the horsebox I could see how scared she was. She kept looking around, was breathing quickly and shivering even though it was not cold and we were in the sun! She tried to get up a few times but failed.

The tractor used to pull her.

The cow inside the sheet, on the ramp of the horsebox. 

Wetnose

Yesterday I went to Wetnose again and walked with a few dogs. I really love spending time with animals, especially when I see it makes them happy. The excitement when you take one out of its cage to take it for a walk and just give it some attention makes me wish I could have a bigger impact on the situation of stray, unwanted and neglected animals.One day..

The first dog I walked with was a Bloodhound X. The previous time I was there I could not even look at him and he would growl. He was so scared! Yesterday he wagged his tail, jumped up and licked my hands through the wire fence. What a lovely walk it was! Such a beautiful boy!
The employees do an amazing job of rehabilitating the dogs and making them used to humans again.

One of the dogs of the two brothers I walked with. The other one was walking around me on his leash :) Very loving!


*I am still on holiday until 23 July, but flew back to Pretoria with my boyfriend on Friday the 6 th after about 2 weeks at home in De Doorns. He visited  the last week from the 30 th of June. 

Experimental farm

At  the beginning of the year we had to do practicals at the University's Experimental farm. It was for 6 days early morning before class.

The first day we went to the sheep where we did Famacha - check for wireworms (Haemoncus contortus) by lookingat the mucous membranes of their eyes.

"As Haemonchus are blood suckers, the effects of a heavy parasite burden in non-resilient animal will therefore be evident as a low ratio of red cells to plasma. This is seen in the mucous membranes of the eyes as a visible paleness generally known as anemia. By monitoring anemia, resilient and susceptible animals can be identified." http://www.scsrpc.org/SCSRPC/FAMACHA/famachainfoguide.htm

We also trimmed the hooves of some of the sheep.

Hoof trimming.

The following 3 days we helped in the milking parlour from 5-7 am. We learned how to follow the correct milking procedure and how the milking machine works.

Holstein cows of the Experimental farm.

After the cows we weighed some of the young goats, because it is necessary to keep record of their weight gain. It helps to see if one is ill or if something else is wrong - when it does not gain weight.

On the last day of the 6 we went to the Layer house where we collected the eggs and learned about the system.. 

I HATE the battery system. 

Farm practicals

During the December holidays of 2011 a friend and I went to 4 different farms to gain knowledge about the animals and the general management of them, because we have to write a report on all 4 for VKU 220 (Animal science) which is a subject in the second semester of 2012. 

We first went to a pig farm near our home (where my parents and two sisters still live and where I go during holidays :) ) in the Western Cape. We helped with newborn piglets, docked tails, clipped tusks, gave iron injections and dosed the piglets. We observed how AI was done and we saw how they mated. I did not like the piglet screams and how they are handled at all!

Sows being washed just after their piglets have been weaned.

The second farm was Fairview just outside Paarl where we worked with goats. They have Saanen, British Alpine and Toggenburg. We helped with milking, cutting abcesses, gave injections to the young goats, dosed them and weighed them.

A friendly Saanen doe.

Next we went to a dairy cow farm near Hartbeespoortdam in Gauteng. We helped with milking the cows (with machines), castrated some of the bull calves with castrate elastics, burned the horns so that it does not grow out and we just watched the daily activities of mixing feed, feeding them, how they act when they are in oestrus, AI and caring for the heifer calves before weaning. We also had the chance to do a rectal palpation to try and feel the cervix.

Jersey cows.

Lastly we went to a beef cattle farm near Bela-Bela. The farmer has Beefmaster, Brahman and some Bonsmara cattle. We watched how feed is mixed for the bulls in the feedlot, saw how oestrus is detected, how AI is done and we had the chance to go with the farmer to an auction.

A beefmaster bull.