Adventures in Farm Life

Matt went to work yesterday and said he brought one of the cows into the barn since she was about to give birth. I was to check in on it around noon.

The first picture is what it looked like when I found it. It was just shivering away and the mama didn't seem to remember she was supposed to be licking it and getting it going. I got in there and tried to help it up but it was just floppy, deadweight, only barely lifting its head. I couldn't really get a good hold of it to bring it inside so I just left it for Matt to carry in when he got home. He thankfully worked quickly on his job that morning and was able to come home early. He easily scooped it up and brought it into the house and we warmed it up with a bath. (In my brand new bathtub of course.)

It had some blood in its mouth from some loose teeth or something, Matt said that happens sometimes in newborn calves?? Don't know why. Guess I'll have to google it =) Anyway, we let him soak for 20 minutes or so then got him out and towel dried him, but boy, they sure soak up a lot water and it took a long time to dry him out, we even used the blow dryer on him!

But he was much bigger and stronger than the first little calf that I posted about on Facebook, so he was getting up and trying to find something to suck on. Our faces included. Oh boy!

He wasn't being able to suck fast enough out of a regular bottle, and it is important to get colostrum in their bellies by 6 hours old. Which he was about that by the time it was all said and done, so Matt tube fed him while I helped. I didn't do much, just held the bottle up. Ha!

Anyway, here is what a nice warm bath and belly full of warmth can accomplish.

Matt said the little guy was on his last leg when he brought him in. We aren't sure why the mamas are having a bit of trouble this year, these both were from our original herd so this is their 4th year to have a calf. It was just so cold yesterday its like its making their brain forget to take care of their babies!

We took him back out to his mama in the barn for the night and he is still there this morning. It doesn't look like he is sucking on mama much yet, but I will keep checking on him today and checking on the other mamas. Some are heifers, so this will be their first year to give birth so we have to check on them extra vigilantly. Poor Matt has been getting up once or twice and going out in the sub zero wind chill to check on them! 

Update on our first premie calf: It did not make it but a few days. It was just too early. Matt kept milking the mother to keep her milk flowing while we looked for a replacement. Thankfully we found one locally and after getting chased around in the pen by the little gal day after day she finally found it in her heart to just stand still and let it nurse! Praise the Lord! Here is a picture of the replacement calf. It is a little over a week old. It is HUGE-probably three times as big at birth than the one that died!

And a little story-Zethan came in the morning that little one died and told me that it had died.  I asked him if that made him sad and he replied quite gruffly, "YES" like don't talk to me about it, of course I'm sad but did you have to ask??