Featured Bovine of the Week..."the Twin"...

You know how often there's a teen of the week featured in the local newspaper? Or at least there used to be...

A week or so ago when the vet was here for herd check, he was doing pregnancy checks on some cows, and we got to talking about the history of this one particular cow.  He said I ought to do a blog post about her...

So here she is...#245, aka "the Twin"...

You'll have to forgive her not so perfect photo.  She was much too interested in chewing on some hay than posing for her picture to be taken.

Here are a few facts about her:

Birthdate:  August 13, 2005

Sibings: twin sister #244

First freshening date:  July 10, 2007

Heifers vs Bulls to date:  5 heifers, 4 bulls

Interesting facts, trials and tribulations in her life:

...Twin calvings are often hard on Mom, and she's had several sets.

...Early on, she had some paralysis in her one leg from a complication during calving.  She went down in a narrow entryway (late at night, of course) and we had quite a time getting her up again.  We made a pathway of rubber cow mats for her, and she was able to crawl until she got to a box pen.  She had better footing there and was able to stand.  Jim kept her in the box pen and milked her by hand for a few days, and then with a portable milking unit for another week or so until she had regained her strength and was able to handle herself in a stall.

...Last year after freshening she developed a mysterious infection and temporarily lost her sight.  She has since fully recovered.

...She tries really hard to be good!  She doesn't like to be surprised and doesn't like it if the milker squawks when it's being put on her udder.  For some reason on her (just the way her udder is shaped) when the milker is finished and stops pulsating, it tends to fall off of her right away.  She doesn't like it, but tries to stand still like a statue until someone comes and rescues her!

This was her last night just after the milker was put on.  She's milking like crazy...

And oh, what a relief it is when she's done...

She will be ten years old in August, and is the second oldest cow in the barn. She's seen and heard a lot over the last ten years, and she must be enjoying life here, because she's sticking around a lot longer than most cows do!