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Northeast Iowa | 9 years ago today I found myself waiting at the front of a church waiting for the love of my life to join me. Still is the biggest and best decision I ever made. I had been just milking my own cows for just under a year they have been our cows ever since!
My wife Molly is the calf care specialist with our small herd as well helping with every other aspect of our dairy and grain operation. Its been a true blessing to work together these years and Lord willing we will share many more! We both love our cows and the way of life that comes with them. Which leads me to a story of one of our favorite cows.
Tulip was born in 97 so she was already old by industry standards when I brought the herd to my farm in 2006. She was a cow that never showed her age and maintained a boss cow status up until the day she passed away on our farm in late May of 2016. During those 10 years she consistently bred back although sometimes it would take awhile and we did only manage to get 1 heifer calf out of her with the rest of being healthy bulls.
In 2014 she was dragging out on her lactation, we figured she was all but done and we'd just let her enjoy retirement. We did preg check her just in case and the vet identified what he said felt like tumors inside her. Well we dried her up thinking it was the end. Until around 2 months later when my wife walked in during milking one morning saying guess what TULIPS CALVING! The old girl gave birth to a healthy backwards bull all on her own with my wife watching. To this day the vet still doesn't know how he identified a near full term calf as tumors lol.
She took right of on great lactation topping out at 74 lbs. She milked decent and then dried her self up in the early fall of 15. We figured she deserved an pampered retirement so she spent rest of her time on the bedded pack but would still come into the barn for grain if we let her. We always knew she wouldn't last forever but she lasted the winter and was able to make it to pasture in the spring of 16. She was still the boss cow and it was really fun watching her maintain that status. Most of the time she'd only have to lower her head and the other girls would leave her alone. She had always been tame with people and wouldn't pass up a head or neck scratch no matter where she was! Another thing was she had really began to gray in her old age.
One late May morning we brought the cows up from pasture to milk and Tulip was bringing up the rear, completely normal. I left the cows in the lot to get the barn ready. 10 minutes later when I opened the barn door I knew by the look of her something was wrong. She saw me and made a line straight for the door stumbling a bit as she came. She collapsed right there at the door. Maybe I get to close to my cows but the look in her eyes said everything. Molly and I both said goodbye to her and I'll be honest I'll still get misty eyes thinking of her from time to time.
Thanks for reading and maybe some of you have some other old cow stories to share. With the foot of snow we got here in Northeast Iowa its at least away to spend the time.
Pics are of my wife and I with Tulip.
Tulip out on pasture
The lone daughter we have from her who is still going strong.
Last one is the last pic I have of her before she passed.
Edited by 1HandDairyman 4/18/2018 21:59
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9 years ago today plus an old cow story.
