Day 35 ~ The Dairy Farm!

Today I spent my first day at the dairy barns! I worked from 7 AM until 6:30 PM in my coveralls and wellie's that didn't stand a chance against the manure. WOW, what a long day! I met my manager, Les, and another young volunteer named Anastasia today who unfortunately I will not have another opportunity to work with. Les and Ana are really cool, and Les is a great teacher when it comes to the cows! I got to see, do, and learn soooo many things today! I arrived as they were finishing the morning milking of 240 cows. Then I took the rectal temperatures of 10 fresh cows, gave IM injections to those running fevers and needing antibiotics for retained placentas, and I got to palpate 2 cows and feel their cervix's! Next, we took care of the heifer and bull calves giving them milk, cleaning their straw bedding, changing water, and feeding the bigger calves concentrates. After this, a cow dropped her calf and we took it away from it's mom and began feeding it. Les names her Kacie! A bull calf was also born yesterday and hadn't received a name yet so he asked me what my boyfriend's name was and so he is called Brad - unfortunately Brad probably won't live for more than a few weeks (his future is grim --> veal). But Baby Kacie is a large, strong heifer calf and I spent a long time petting her, helping her stand, dipping her umbilical cord in iodine, feeding her colostrum, and I even got to tag her and Baby Brad's ears! They're so cute! I took a few pictures today but I will definitely take more tomorrow! After the calf excitement, we took a break for breakfast and tea around 10. Then, a cow had died unexpectedly during the night, so the vet came out and did a post-mortem dissection to see what her cause of death was. This was so much cooler then dissecting a cat! The cow was all bloated and when the vet (Phillipa) cut into each quadrant of the stomach so much gas and chewed cud came spewing out like fireworks on the 4th of July! It was great! I got to feel the different linings in each stomach (Rumen, Reticulum, Omasum, and Abomasum). Phillipa declared that the fatty omentum has twisted around the Abomasum causing it to twist and fill up with gas and kill the cow within 5-6 hours of twisting, also known as a Right Displaced Abomasum (RDA). She let me fish around the cow's abdominal organs a bit more before Les and I sewed her back up for the guy to come take her body away - I even cut open a teat to see all the lacrimal glands! I could definitely be a specialist in dissection, it's fascinating! After this came lunch and then hoof-trimming a lame cow that we discovered had ulcers (I learned the main causes of cattle lameness are caused by abscesses - foreign body intruding from the outside causing inward infection- and ulcers - infection from the inside coming out [two types of ulcers 1) sole ulcers 2) toe ulcers]). Hopefully after all the corrective trimming and the removal of a hoof block that was causing bruising and and ulcer, the cow will be back on her feet feeling better! The last act of the day was the milk all the cows again and then turn them out to pasture. This was my first experience helping out in a huge milking parlor. The equipment here is really fancy and high-tech! I will definitely take pictures tomorrow. Hartpury can milk 32 cows at once and all I have to do is 1) spray the teats with iodine 2) wipe them off 3) apply the milking cups/"spider-like machine" 4) dip teats in special antiseptic 5) apply mastitis tx. to infected teats that need it 6) push buttons to get finished cows out and new cows in. Multiply this by 240 cows and you get very sore arms! Hahaha, but hard work feels good, and I'll sleep better tonight. Still, I have to be at work even earlier tomorrow 6AM-6PM tomorrow. 4 more long days ahead of me! I did make it back to main campus in time to catch dinner, so that was good. And when I got back to my room, I found an amazing surprise!

My surprise! from my amazing boyfriend~ Delivered to my dorm room from a florist in the UK

Baby Kacie 2 hours old

I tagged her ears myself! After drawing USA flags on the back!

Baby Kacie! 4 hours old

Shhhh she's sleeping!!!

Feeding Baby Kacie!