Reunited and it Feels So Good

Here is an updated photo of little Aussie.  Aussie was born on January 11th.  He's only a few days older than two months and he is growing by leaps and bounds.  Although he may look like he's smiling, he's not happy.  I'll tell you why.

Aussie spends the day on the pasture with his momma, Rosie. They are together all day long.  Whenever he wants to drink some fresh milk, all he has to do is find Rosie and drink.  She has not one, not two, not three, but four teats upon which to nurse.  He will suck on each one until he has completely dried her up.  In a few hours, she will have produced more and he can nurse to his heart's content. 

On an unrelated note, you can see below one little horn that is beginning to grow.  Although we used de-horning paste, we missed this horn.  That is one of the drawbacks about using de-horning paste.  Sometimes you miss it.

So picking back up on Aussie's story, all day long Aussie can drink Rosie's milk.  But in the late afternoon (around 5 pm), we bring all the cows (and bull) into the barn.  We milk Luna and feed Rosie and Clarabelle.  We then open up one of the corrals in the barn.  Little Aussie is pushed into the corral and is locked up for the night.  When Rosie is finished eating, we release her to the pasture for the evening. 

Aussie, however, stays in the barn.  He will be separated from Rosie from 5 pm to the next morning.  All this time Rosie will be producing milk - just not for Aussie.  It is for us!  Rosie actually makes more milk than Aussie can drink.  It is because of this rich milk that Aussie has continued to grow.  Many times Rosie will stand by the barn door and bellow for her calf.  Other times, I think she forgets about him and enjoys time away from him.  Sometimes Aussie will moo for his momma.  Never fear.  Rosie produces plenty milk to keep both Aussie and us stocked with the dairy best stuff. 

In the morning when we walk out to milk, we milk out both Luna and Rosie.  Then we open the corral and allow Aussie access to his momma.  He is a hungry fellow and empties Rosie's udder in quick order.  I can't tell you how happy he is to be reunited with his Mom!  He rushes out of the stall and makes a beeline for his mom.  He is then with her all day long where her milk is always available to him.

Then in the afternoon the separation policy is put into effect again.  Aussie is separated from Rosie in the afternoon and won't have access to Rosie (and her milk) for about 12 hours.  Rinse. Wash. Repeat.  This milk sharing proposition works out for both us and Aussie.