Calf Number Three

Next adventure started Tuesday morning.

(Just a picture of a couple of the heifers)

We could tell that there were several very close but one that was fairly imminent. Matt wanted to get her separated first thing so there wouldn't be any calf stealing going on =) He got her in the barn but we could tell she didn't really want to be there. This mama was one that Matt had pegged as a little bit stand-offish =) So she was in the barn and safe and the others were looking fine. We really wanted to get a replacement calf put on the mama that lost hers. Matt went up to a livestock sale to get a calf and left me in charge. Oh boy. Around noon I needed to take Lillie to school. When I got home I noticed that there was a heifer in the pen where the bull is kept. I first thought that one had escaped from the barn but I didn't see any hole in the walls or anywhere that she would have gotten out. But when I went to the barn, the mama in labor had sure enough broke through a poorly hung door. The door had just kind of swung back in place though so I couldn't tell from outside that she had gotten through it. So I opened it back up and tried to corral her into the open door. Well, she was having none of it and it is extremely difficult to get a cow to go where you want it to by yourself, when that place you want it to go, it does NOT want to go to. So I was running all around in the MUDDY mucky pen trying to get it in the barn. I was wearing Matt's mud boots because I had yet to get myself some. They were a mile too big and one got sucked off in the mud and I ended up running around in the muck with my sock on! Lovely.

(This is a picture of the Bull and of course Matt in the background)

She never did go in the barn for me so I didn't want to leave her with the bull so I opened the gate for her to go back in with the other heifers. Well miss heifer #86 (they have ear tags) decided to chase this heifer in labor all around and push her and shove her into the corner and everywhere else. For some reason she was not being nice. And I knew that wouldn't be good for her to have her calf with that #86 bothering and pestering her. So once again, I am out there trying to get a cow to go somewhere she doesn't want to go. All the other heifers (6 of them) would follow me into the other pen. But the one in labor and the one bothering her were being very stubborn. I finally got #86 away from her and tried steering her into the other pen. I would jump this way and that way trying to keep her going where I wanted. I'm sure if someone had been watching they would have thought I looked ridiculous! But eventually she got back around me. I was ready to give up and at least get the other 6 away from the one in labor when #86 decided to follow along with the crowd and I got all 7 of them penned up away from the mama in labor. Then finally Matt got home and through a series of events, we both eventually got her back into the barn because she seemed to be having trouble pushing this baby out. So Matt and I got her in the head gate so she couldn't escape and we helped her get her baby out. This time it was much harder getting that baby out than the other one Matt helped out. We had to tie something to the calf's legs that were out and then PULL! It was pretty neat being there helping pull a calf. And that one figured out how to nurse very quickly! A big blessing! And again a big calf weighing in at 90 pounds!

But as I said, Matt went to get a replacement calf, but came home empty handed. So now today, Wednesday he will go pick one up from a dairy that saw our "Replacement Calf Wanted" ad on craigslist. It was born the same day as the one we lost, so hopefully not too much time has passed to get it bonded with the heifer that lost her calf. I'm sure it will be another adventure.

(This is the heifer that lost her baby.)

And of course, today again I am in charge of watching the heifers and if one seems to be about ready to push a calf out, I have to get the others out of the pen so they won't bother her. Next time when they all calf, they should be able to go out the pasture and without any assistance from us, have their calves just fine. But since this is all their first calves, we felt it best to have them all up here in the pens close by. Hopefully today goes well and none of them will need assistance!