A Day from Hell

It was a typical winter morning in the Golden State of California. Temperature was a brisk 55 degrees, sun shining, and mud puddles covered the ground from a storm that blew through the night before. This was of course back when it actually rained in California. I was excited because it was the first day of winter break and there was nothing I was looking forward to more than being out at the dairy helping my dad do daily chores. As I child there were two things that got me excited for winter break. I know you probably are thinking Christmas because of all the gifts and not having to go to school, but I was weird and loved Christmas break because I got to be at the dairy before sunrise and leave when the sun went down and because I loved playing in the mud.

Just like every Friday morning at Migliazzo Dairy, cows that are pregnant for seven months get hoof trimmed before they go on their two month break from milk before calving. Hoof trimming of dairy cows is very similar to a pedicure that girls receive periodically. There were fifteen cows that had to have their feet trimmed that day, but there was one cow that caused a memory that to this day still haunts me every time we run a cow into the hoof trimming chute. Her ear tag number was 5209. She stood 68 inches tall at the withers, she had an ass wide as the state of Texas, and walked with a gimp of a 90 year old World War II veteran who lost a leg back in the war. Due to her gimp, it was evident that there was something inside of her foot that was painful for her to put pressure on.

So my dad and I walk her slowly to the trimming chute and close the gate behind her once she put her head through the stanchion. The hoof trimming chute is hydraulically driven. We put the belly strap around her stomach to contain her in the chute once we flip her on her side. It is like a roller coaster ride for the cow but not nearly as fun because you’re only allowed on the ride when you’re in pain. The reasoning for flipping...