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What we learned from Lady M

25/3/2012

6 Comments

 
“I’ve got a 100% mad cow for you guys,” said the guy from the Southland transport company. “She should be in Blenheim tomorrow morning.”

“Do you have deer fencing? You’re going to need it for this one,” said his colleague.

“Your very friendly cow should be arriving around 7:30pm,” said the guy from the Nelson transport company.

“I wouldn’t get in a paddock with her,” said his driver. “I’m just glad she’s off my truck.”

Mad, murderous and Scottish... it seemed only natural to name our replacement Highland cow, Lady Macbeth.

Picture
She arrived on Thursday evening last week. On Friday, she was quiet and seemed a little dazed. On Saturday, Farmer Wan noticed her staggering, seemingly unable to hold her own weight. We rang the vet in Richmond. He said she had either ryegrass staggers (unlikely, because all our other animals were fine) or a condition that’s uncommon in New Zealand, known as transport tetany. The symptoms are the same as those for staggers but the cause is different: stress from long-distance travel, along with a lack of regular food and water.

Farmer Wan made the two-hour round trip into town to collect a bag of medication. Although Lady M was obviously ill, we still couldn’t risk getting near her. We had to wait.

On the Sunday morning we found her lying on her side. We spent 11 hours in the paddock with her, trying to keep her alive. We gave her the medication, poured almost 50 litres of water down her throat and, with the help of one of our neighbours, propped her up into a more natural position. She struggled hard to get to her feet but her back legs kept buckling. In the end, Farmer Wan built a frame around her to prevent her falling back on her side. There was nothing left to do but hope she’d make it through the night.

She didn’t.

That learning curve just kept getting steeper. We now knew how to give our cow subcutaneous injections (cowhide is as tough as, well... leather) and how to make her open her mouth (hook fingers in the nostrils, pull up and back) but we had no idea how to dispose of her carcass. We couldn’t leave it where it was – in the middle of a paddock fronting the road. We don’t own a tractor or a digger and even if we did, our ground is too rocky to dig a substantial enough pit. The vet suggested hooking her up to the 4WD, towing her somewhere less conspicuous and letting nature take its course. That’s what we did. We bought some agricultural lime to spread over the carcass to hasten decomposition and we’ll cover the remains with branches.  Vale, Lady Macbeth.

It felt disrespectful to dispose of such a magnificent beast in this way but there wasn’t much else we could do. The meat was no good and we didn’t have the knowledge and resources to remove the hide. Farmer Wan took off the spectacular horns and we’ll use them in future when we convert our conventional orchard to biodynamic. It still seems such a waste, though -- so much energy expended down the long chain of human involvement in that animal’s life. The feed, the transport, the veterinary care... thousands of hours, huge amounts of fossil fuel, just to end as a rotting carcass in a gully. We had a vague, theoretical understanding of what's involved in producing our food before, but now we actually get it. And that’s the biggest lesson we learned from Lady M.

Posted by Farmer Nik
6 Comments
Cat
25/3/2012 05:33:54 am

So sorry to hear this, it must be heartbreaking.
You both care so deeply that there could never be disrespect to your poor lady. Maybe you could plant a lovely flowering bush nearby that will turn her life energy into beautiful blossom (Red fllowers for Mrs Macbeth naturally)
I hope your animal husbandry will not continue to be so emotionally tough. Much love from Brad and I Xx

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farmer nik
27/3/2012 02:27:04 am

Thanks to you both x. I've wanted to plant a rata tree for ages -- beautiful red blooms, all the native birds love it and now I have a great reason.

We were very sad at the time but we're well aware that it's all part of farming. I don't know if I'll ever get used to it, though.

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Jean link
25/3/2012 08:25:07 pm

Your respect for the poor departed cow is very moving. You are to be congratulated for your care and compassion. I reckon those horns will serve you well xx

Reply
farmer nik
27/3/2012 02:41:55 am

Ach, darlin', you've been experiencing something far more tragic and painful than the loss of a cow. I'm sorry I didn't stop by sooner and I'm very sorry for your loss xxxx.

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syth link
30/3/2012 01:50:25 am

Hi folks - really sorry to hear about Lady MacBeth - what a tragic end after all that trouble to get her. I am so glad to hear that Hamish is well and happy. Sounds like you might need to grow a field of carrots!!

Reply
farmer nik
30/3/2012 02:40:33 am

Hi Syth! Lovely to hear from you. Hamish is thriving. We had the vet out after Lady M died and he said Hamish looked terrific and is in great condition. He's going to be even happier shortly -- we've got a new girl arriving from Sherry Valley and she's GORGEOUS... a beautiful honey colour. I'll put up pics when she gets here. All the best to you and yours :)

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    About Ewan and Niki

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    Farmer Wan

    Scottish mechanical engineer with a deep and abiding passion for good food. Outstanding cook. Builder of lots of stuff. Cattle whisperer. Connoisseur of beer. A lover rather than a fighter.

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    Farmer Nik

    Kiwi writer and broadcaster who hates cabbage, even though she knows it's good for her. Chook wrangler. Grower of food and flowers. Maker of fine preserves. Lover of dancing and wine. Definitely a fighter.

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