Post by springvalley on Dec 30, 2009 8:44:55 GMT -5
I have got to tell you guys this one. Last spring, March 9 I had the vet. out to preg. check my cows. The very next day one cow that was due to calve one month later looked like she was going to have a calf. By mid morning went to look at her and she had a calf, a small tiny heifer calf. The calf was so small and tiny I had little to no hope it could make it, I took the calf to the milk house where it was warm. I put her in a mineral tub with lots of straw, I knew she was a month early according to my breeding records. The poor little calf didn`t even have her teeth through her gums yet. I have never seen a calf so small and tiny, and early, make it. But being a heifer we do everything and anything we can do to save them. First thing it would not nurse, so two days I tube feed it colostrum. Then to make matters worse the cow went to the lower shed and laid down and would not get up. So now I had tiny calf and a down cow, man this is not a good day. I kept working with the calf over the next few weeks and she finally would nurse a bit, and did better each day. The cow on the other hand would not get up, crawl a bit , but that was all. after three days the cow got her back legs out behind her trying to get up and I could not get them back under her. I just knew she had givin up, she was an older cow, and figured she just couldn`t go anymore. The next day I talked to my mom on the phone and told her I probably had a dead cow in the shed this morning, as I had not looked at her yet. Well low and behold she walked in the barn that very night and got milked. I never thought that she would ever get up let a lone come to the barn again. Well the calf grew stronger each day with only a few close calls and is now a healthy young heifer that goes bounding around the barn. I hadn`t known at first, but our three year old daughter had been saying prayers everynight for the cow and calf. And she kept doing so for some time till all have done remarkably well. Well all are well, cow was rebreed, calf is fine and our own miracle daughter, who`s name is Faith, is the fantastic little girl she is. Thanks Marc