Today is a big day in the life of our calves. Truffle turned four months old! Today I can trust that her rumen is fully functioning and that she no longer needs mama’s milk but can fully digest the hay and grass that will from now on be her sustenance. But, I have decided not to make that change today…I will allow her to have her mama’s milk on her four-month birthday and change her life forever tomorrow.
Oreo turned four months old on December 30, but rather than separate him from his mama and not separate Truffle, I decided to give him an extra three weeks with Jersey so that when the traumatic change came, they could be a comfort to each other. He definitely hasn’t needed the milk, although you would never know that by how he runs into Jersey’s stall licking his lips (do calves have lips?) anticipating that delicious white nourishment.
It is sad, in a way, to know that they likely will never be with their moms again; that they will not be be thoroughly cleaned by mama’s sandpaper-like tongue or experience the comfort and warmth of nursing off their moms. I will be taking plenty of pictures of this day and will share them. However, as life is made up of many stages, it is now time for them to move on to the next stage of their lives.
From the farmer’s perspective, this day means less hassle. I will give you an example of my milking time so that you can fully understand what I mean: When the calves are first born, they are with mama all the time. So, at milking time, they have to be separated into a separate stall so that we can milk the moms. After milking, they are returned to their moms for the day.
At about two to three weeks of age, we separate them from their moms for a few hours before the evening milking and then they are returned to their mamas after milking for the evening and nighttime hours. Gradually, the hours of separation are increased as the calves grow. By the time they are about a month old they are separated for about 6-8 hours and then by the time they are a couple of months old, they are separated right after the morning milking and are returned to their moms after the evening milking.
A few weeks ago, we started putting the calves together in a separate stall together instead of staying with their moms for the night. It was a sad (and loud) adjustment for them but after a few days they settled in and quieted down. However, when we start the milking process in the mornings, they are quite vocal in telling us that they are eager to see their moms.
So, it’s done. They have been with their moms for last time. Tomorrow they will be very vocal in trying to tell us they we have forgotten to take them to their moms and I will gently remind them that I warned them this day was coming and that I didn’t forget. They will complain loudly for several days and then they will settle down and enjoy the hay and grass and playing with each other.
Mocha and Jersey will be upset for a few days as well. Mocha shows her frustration more readily than Jersey, so I suspect she will make milking hard on me for a few days, refusing to stand still and mooing in her loudest voice. But, eventually they too will learn to accept the new normal and in a few months, hopefully we will be anticipating the birth of their next calves.
This cycle with this set of calves is complete. Soon another cycle will begin but for now, I will just enjoy milking my cows and loving on my calves.
