Maybe 4th Time's A Charm

Christina spent the day bellowing.  She and Sunflower did lots of jumping on each other, but Christina never stood for it.  This morning all was calm, so we figured Christina had gone into standing heat in the night.

The AI guy came over this morning to breed her.  As soon as he was finished, Christina jumped around and the AI guy cocked his head. 

"This may be a false heat," he said.  He's done this enough to know when things feel different, and they did.  He said they sometimes do that on the 2nd cycle from conceiving, which this would be. 

We had a farm visit scheduled with the Vet for next week, which we were going to cancel, but now I think we'll keep it.  The Vet can do a preg check and maybe he'll find a little baby calf!  Or, maybe he can figure out what's going on with Christina.

I'm struck by the AI guy's attentiveness with Christina.  So much of good farming boils down to listening well.  Of course, there is the application of talents and knowledge, but if you don't pay close attention to the animals, the crops, and the land, much will be missed. 

That is the spiritual discipline of growing food.  It demands that you pay attention and listen well.  I think it is a discipline that God is going to have to spend a good many years teaching me.

5th Time's A Charm?

For the fifth time this season, Christina is going into heat again.  We bred her in January, February, April, and June.  And now she's mooing her head off, a sign that standing heat is coming.

We've learned the progression.  First she starts mooing.  Then she gets kind of hyper.  Finally, she goes into standing heat, when other cows jump on her back side and she stands for it. 

Today she mooing incessantly, so we watch.

We asked the dairy farmer who we bought Christina from if there are other ways besides getting jumped on to tell if a cow is in heat.  She pointed out the eyes.  She says when a cow's in heat, she has kind of wild eyes, not content.  So my daughters have been looking in Christina's eyes.  I think those are wild looking eyes.

So now we wait for standing heat. 

But this is the fifth time this year.  Something is going wrong.  We have a shot from the vet that will prompt ovulation to use when we breed her.  If that doesn't work, the next step is to put her with a bull (I really hope we don't have to do that, it will be such a hassle).

This is the part of homesteading that doesn't follow the rule books.