Adoption Agency

Since my last post we've had two more adoptions.  One night R was pulling a calf from one heifer while another was also calving.  That calf was small and frail.  R tried to give it a bottle and thought it would last through the night and we could try again, but it was dead by morning.  I had heard on the radio that a neighbor had a calf for sale.  When M called about it he had already sold it, but later in the day he called back and said he had another set of twins if we wanted one.  M went to get it and we had very little trouble getting the new mama to take it.

A couple of days ago M decided to cut the splint off the broken-leg calf and see how it was doing since it was starting to smell.  He discovered that the ends of the bone were sticking out an open wound.  Very ugly.  We cleaned it out, applied some disinfectant and gave it a shot of antibiotic.  We tried to wrap it back up again, but the break is so high that we can't really stabilize it enough for him to get up on it so I gave him a bottle for a couple of days.  Yesterday R and I kind of made the decision to destroy it because it would never heal, and he knew he'd have to do it because M would never be able to.  R got busy and didn't get it done.  This morning we had another set of twins so M thought we'd give one to baby Bolt's mother.  He's still waffling on what to do with baby Bolt so I gave him another bottle. 

I think Bolt's mother is a bit tired of being moved into the barn, out of the barn, back to the barn, but she likes her ground feed so is pretty easy to work with.  M was not too optimistic that she'd take to a new calf after having Bolt for a couple of weeks, but we put them together and she didn't fight it.  I checked the cow cam a little while ago and the calf was trying to nurse and the cow wasn't fighting it so that's a good sign.  I don't think many ranchers try as hard as M, but it's always a shame when a good mother doesn't have a calf.  Too bad this one was kind of stupid while giving birth.

We are in full-on farming mode now and everyone has been on the run.  Yesterday our brand-new sprayer made it 20 minutes before it broke down.  That stressed everyone out because J was ready to switch to peas and that ground needed to be pre-sprayed.  We knew the wind was supposed to howl today so it was important to get as much done yesterday as possible.  They thought they fixed the problem and it worked for another 30 minutes before it had problems again.  They tried something else and it has been working since then.  Apparently someone at the factory didn't put something together right.  That's been a common and frustrating problem on new equipment lately.  As much as we pay for stuff it should work properly!

I was just having my morning tea thinking I'd have the day to myself when M called to see if I was up because we needed to move the water truck for C and get a seed truck for J and feed the cows.  R was already on the road to Glasgow with a load of lentils.  And, oh yeah, we needed to haul feed to the guy feeding our replacement heifers.  We did manage to get home and have lunch, but then R called in a panic because he had a bunch of cows and calves in the yard and needed help.  We got that taken care of and proceeded to load feed buckets.  We delivered those and came back and picked up J who had moved his tractor and drill and then I got to come home, around 5:00.  M is still at it somewhere.

There's rain in the forecast so maybe tomorrow will be a calmer day.  I've already made it known that I have a haircut tomorrow afternoon that I am not missing--I'm desperate!

NICU?

The craziness continues, and I said last night that the barn was starting to look like neonatal ICU while M was feeding one calf and I was feeding another.  First there was baby Bolt with the broken leg who actually can get around on his own pretty well. Then the deformed calf died so we bought a twin from a neighbor for that cow.  She was a bit uncertain at first so M and R took some hide from her dead calf and duct taped it on the new calf.  The cow immediately showed interest in it then.  It only took one time in the head gate to let it suck and she is now very attentive and protective.  Our third successful adoption!

A couple of days ago we had a heifer calving in the corral.  R had a tough time getting her in a pen, and we could see on the cow cam that something wasn't right as soon as the calf was born. R ran out right away to clear the airway and make sure it was breathing.  It apparently aspirated some fluid because it was gurgly.  It still hasn't gotten up, and we've tried to feed it multiple times with limited success.  It has enough energy to fight us a little bit and beller.  It tries to get up but hasn't yet so M had to get the cow in and milk it.

Yesterday just before dark M was doing some disking by the calving pasture and saw a cow with feet in the air, never a good sign.  He called R who ran out to check and discovered the cow was still alive and trying to have a calf.  It had somehow gotten onto its back and couldn't get back over.  R pulled the calf, with much difficulty since it was huge, and got the cow back over but let it rest.  The calf went to the barn and got a bottle.  R checked on the cow through the night, but it wasn't getting up.  M fed close to it this morning, and eventually it got up to eat and he was able to get it to the barn so mother and son are now reunited.  She'd better rest up because that big boy can eat!

Today M was again disking and saw two cows fighting over a new calf.  He wasn't able to convince the one to leave it alone (by beating it off) so had to get R and a 4-wheeler.  They got  one cow to a pen where she gave birth shortly thereafter.  It's funny how they'll try to claim a calf when they are getting close to calving themselves-- how can they not know they still have one inside?!?!

The calf was down in the bog and getting played out so R took the sled out to get it and its real mother.  It's cold and windy today so they'll be glad for a little more shelter.

My first heifer calved this morning so I was keeping a close eye on it through labor.  M gave it a little assistance while I was gone to warm up a bottle.  He said it would be easier for me after I went through 80 heifers ( only 20 to go).  He was wrong!

J started putting seed in ground yesterday so it's about to get busier around here.  I keep wondering if he's a bit miffed that M has been MIA in that department since he's been so busy with cows.  I'm afraid to ask.  Just thank God every day that R is back to help us.

How Bizarre!

In my last post I mentioned that calves were coming fast on Sunday.  That continued after I posted.  R went to a birthday party so M and I were on cow duty for the evening.  M went to check just before dark and later I went to help him put a heifer in a pen where we could watch her closely on the cow cam.  She was a bit agitated but was slowly progressing.  He decided to go check on her, and I was watching the cow cam.  As he was on the way over, she was pushing the calf out but was too close to the fence and literally pushed the calf right through a panel.  I kept willing her to move before that happened, but she didn't.  Then when the calf was half out of her she decided to get up.  When she did that the calf was ripped out of the panel but was still in her.  She made a half lap around the pen before it fell out.  Not good!  M was there shortly after and made sure the calf was alive, but he hadn't see what had happened and didn't want to get her any more worked up by getting into the pen.  Throughout the night I kept looking to see if the calf was up and never did see it up but did see that it was moved to different spots in the pen.

Just before I went to bed and after R had gotten home I checked the cameras one more time and noticed a heifer lying in an unnatural position in the middle of the corral.  About 30 seconds later our phone rang with R calling to tell M that a heifer was dead.   M had been there not an hour before and nothing was in distress or even lying down at that time so it appeared to be a sudden death.  Very strange.

I had to go to work in town on Monday so didn't help with chores.  M called to let me know that the calf from the night before did not come through unscathed.  It has a broken leg.  At first he thought it was just near the foot but later determined that it is broken high in the front leg.  M tried to immobilize it a bit, but the break is in a difficult spot.  This morning we put the cow in the head gate and helped the calf stand and nurse and supplemented with a bottle.  It's going to need all its strength to heal and hopefully survive.

Also yesterday they discovered a calf with a back leg bent forward and it's backside pushed to the side.  It was apparently in the womb like that, poor thing--and poor cow trying to give birth to it like that.  We're not sure what we're going to do with that one, but M says we're not going to let it starve to death so we gave it a bottle also.

K and Sawyer and a friend and her little girl came out today to see the calves.  I told M they'd think they were at a freak show!  We didn't show them the deformed one and at least the little girls could pet the one with the broken leg since it wasn't going anywhere fast.  It has now been named "Baby Bolt".  Sawyer squealed with excitement when she saw the cows and calves and petted Bolt.  Maybe she'll be our little cowgirl.  She certainly isn't afraid of anything!

All This Work Before Breakfast?

We have a routine where M heads out about 6 am for his first cow check of the day and then comes home and we have breakfast and then go feed.  Imagine his surprise when he went over the hill and there was not one cow left in the calving pasture.  Uh-oh!  He came home and got me out of bed to help him get them all back in before they ventured too far.  He had the Jeep and I had a pickup.  I was a bit more worried about getting stuck in a wet spot than I was about getting the cows back in.  It didn't take too much effort to get them headed back home, except for the three with new calves.  They required the use of a 4-wheeler.  M went with the Jeep to try to keep them from going too far in the opposite direction while I went to get the 4-wheeler.  It wasn't too much trouble to get them in after that although one tried to be difficult right to the last step through the gate.

We fed, filled mineral tubs and moved some pairs.  Then we finally got to have our Sunday pancakes!        

We have had a bit of a lull in the heifer pen as the first-cycle girls had almost all delivered and the second-cycle ones hadn't started yet.  The action there is rapidly picking up again.  While we were eating and drinking at the end-of-season dart league banquet last night, R was busy pulling calves by himself.  One was backwards so I'm sure that was an adventure for him.  I've only seen that once myself, and he probably never has.  Like I mentioned before, he's learning a lot this calving season!  Today we've had three heifers calve in the last hour or so.

The weather has warmed up considerably and hopefully we've seen the last of temps in the teens.  Of course, the warmth leads to more slop and M and R have spent some time cleaning corrals now that they are thawing.

J and C are continuing to gear up for spring planting, but we need a few more warm days before they can get into the field.  J and K have moved into their "summer house", and I'm sure J is enjoying not having the drive every day and being able to have lunch with his family.  K has really done a lot of work and transformed the house.  I told J he's really lucky his wife is so handy, and he completely agreed.

So, we're plugging along.  Gotta love spring.....even on an empty stomach!