Post by DostThouHaveMilk on Apr 18, 2006 20:15:41 GMT -5
I don't think anyways.
I did yesterday evening though.
Sandy calved on her due date. She was laying below the Sheep Shed when I was unloading feed and doing chores. So I went over to bump her to see how she was doing. Well, she was empty. She had calved. No sign of a a calf.
She got up and head down to Roll Bale Hollow. Kept bellowing. I wasn't sure who for at first but it turns out she was bellowing for me to follow her. You never know how a cow is going to react. Some insist on leading you to their calves and some you have to stalk from afar if you ever hope to catch that calf. She's apparently the kind that wants to show you she done good.
Just a recap. Sandy has had four bull calves so far. Her first bull calf was when she was 20 months old. We tried to convince both she and Junior, the Angus bull that she was too young but neither paid any mind to us. He was born dead on my birthday close to 6 years ago (this August). The next bull calf was one of El Tigre's last calves. Again, born dead. this time, however, it wasn't weakness on the calf's part. There was no way for the calf to get out. Sandy had a twisted uterus. So when she was due the third time in mid-April three years ago, there was some anxiety. If she had a live calf would she have a clue what to do? She had a live calf..a bull, and was a wonderful mother. He was born below the barn on the flat. Her fourth calf, Jacob, was born a year ago today. He was born below the barn above the spring. I posted pictures last year. She was sacked up huge and her teats were like sausages!
Here she is with Jacob, who went to Kansas to be used as a breeding bull (whether that is still the plan I don't know);
So anyways, back to my story. Sandy was one of two cows we bred to Maximus (7J620) in the hopes of having a bull to raise for breeding. The other was Acorn, our 90 (Excellent) cow who we lost this past Fall at 11 years old. Sandy is at an 87 currently and has been classified four times (was bumped up to an 84 beginning of last lactation and bumped up to 87 one month before going dry). She's out of a line of cows we really like. Carries lots of past herd sires in her lines. Breeds back nicely (big plus!). Anyways, I had assumed, judging by fetal size, she was going to have a heifer calf. So we weren't going to have a herd bull to raise.
Anyways, she led me to where she calved and was just bellowing away for her calf. There wasn't a response. She had calved next to a fence line in a patch of multi-flora rose.
i went in search of the non responding calf. Found it. The calf had crawled up into a multi flora bush and couldn't get out. I dragged the calf out (didn't get too scratched up) and brought it up to Sandy. Went to strip her plugs...my goodness! The calf had not nursed at all. No way, Jose. Took me a lot of work and strength to get those plugs out!
Weak...very weak calf. Couldn't stand, just kinda laid there...like this;
I helped him get latched on. He did nurse well laying on the ground...She did not have much milk. Very little actually. We were giving her another week before she calved.
That picture is after I carried the calf about an 1/8 of a mile or so. I left them where they were because the calf couldn't get into any trouble on the flat there. I went and grabbed my camera, notified dad of the birth and headed back out. If you haven't picked up on it yet...it's a bull calf. I helped him latch on every time we stopped for a break. So he had nursed some by that time..just didn't really have much energy.
Here is after I carried him up and out of Roll Bale Hollow.
After I made it to the top of that hill, I got tired of carrying him and since my back is on the verge of giving out again I decided to try carrying him on my shoulders. Normally I wouldn't dream of it because the calves are good sized, energetic, and have nursed their fill (think of what happens when you put pressure on those tummies). This calf wasn't very full, was extremely light and it just was too tempting. I understand now why dad prefers that method when at all possible, even if he gets peed on! Such a relief for my back!
I gave him some Bo-Se this morning. He still wouldn't stand. Dad said he wouldn't even hold his head up last night for drinking. I fed him this morning. Stood him up and he finally had some energy and gumption to stand on his own, with his head up. I put 2 1/2 pounds in him and that was all that would fit his little belly.
Not real impressive right now. He has a very short face but a narrow muzzle.
Sounds like we may buy one of Priscilla's twins out of Maximus to raise along side him and pick the one we like more in a year.
Yup, I said twins! The school had their second set of twins in a row born last Sunday morning. Mellisa had twin heifers back on Feb. 26th. One dead when Mike and I got there and her down with milk fever (she was 11 years old or so). They lost her.
Priscilla (9 years old) calved with twin bull calves out of Maximus Sunday morning. They were a chore to get on the bottle!
Unfortunately, it is dark there. The second calf is in the left upper corner there. The one in the corner has leg issues and needs Bo-Se. The one closest to Priss there was dopey and is a lung drinker. The one in the back corner has a shorter face as well and was standing more.
Priscilla, thankfully, was in great shape. No signs of milk fever Sunday evening. She got to keep her twins for a day (not much space in the barn for the calves and Priss had to go back into the calving pen in case she did go down). Not that the calves could find her teats...they are like 6 inches off the ground at this point.
No more bovine due here until Nessie around July 9th....
Goats though. Still not done there.
I did yesterday evening though.
Sandy calved on her due date. She was laying below the Sheep Shed when I was unloading feed and doing chores. So I went over to bump her to see how she was doing. Well, she was empty. She had calved. No sign of a a calf.
She got up and head down to Roll Bale Hollow. Kept bellowing. I wasn't sure who for at first but it turns out she was bellowing for me to follow her. You never know how a cow is going to react. Some insist on leading you to their calves and some you have to stalk from afar if you ever hope to catch that calf. She's apparently the kind that wants to show you she done good.
Just a recap. Sandy has had four bull calves so far. Her first bull calf was when she was 20 months old. We tried to convince both she and Junior, the Angus bull that she was too young but neither paid any mind to us. He was born dead on my birthday close to 6 years ago (this August). The next bull calf was one of El Tigre's last calves. Again, born dead. this time, however, it wasn't weakness on the calf's part. There was no way for the calf to get out. Sandy had a twisted uterus. So when she was due the third time in mid-April three years ago, there was some anxiety. If she had a live calf would she have a clue what to do? She had a live calf..a bull, and was a wonderful mother. He was born below the barn on the flat. Her fourth calf, Jacob, was born a year ago today. He was born below the barn above the spring. I posted pictures last year. She was sacked up huge and her teats were like sausages!
Here she is with Jacob, who went to Kansas to be used as a breeding bull (whether that is still the plan I don't know);
So anyways, back to my story. Sandy was one of two cows we bred to Maximus (7J620) in the hopes of having a bull to raise for breeding. The other was Acorn, our 90 (Excellent) cow who we lost this past Fall at 11 years old. Sandy is at an 87 currently and has been classified four times (was bumped up to an 84 beginning of last lactation and bumped up to 87 one month before going dry). She's out of a line of cows we really like. Carries lots of past herd sires in her lines. Breeds back nicely (big plus!). Anyways, I had assumed, judging by fetal size, she was going to have a heifer calf. So we weren't going to have a herd bull to raise.
Anyways, she led me to where she calved and was just bellowing away for her calf. There wasn't a response. She had calved next to a fence line in a patch of multi-flora rose.
i went in search of the non responding calf. Found it. The calf had crawled up into a multi flora bush and couldn't get out. I dragged the calf out (didn't get too scratched up) and brought it up to Sandy. Went to strip her plugs...my goodness! The calf had not nursed at all. No way, Jose. Took me a lot of work and strength to get those plugs out!
Weak...very weak calf. Couldn't stand, just kinda laid there...like this;
I helped him get latched on. He did nurse well laying on the ground...She did not have much milk. Very little actually. We were giving her another week before she calved.
That picture is after I carried the calf about an 1/8 of a mile or so. I left them where they were because the calf couldn't get into any trouble on the flat there. I went and grabbed my camera, notified dad of the birth and headed back out. If you haven't picked up on it yet...it's a bull calf. I helped him latch on every time we stopped for a break. So he had nursed some by that time..just didn't really have much energy.
Here is after I carried him up and out of Roll Bale Hollow.
After I made it to the top of that hill, I got tired of carrying him and since my back is on the verge of giving out again I decided to try carrying him on my shoulders. Normally I wouldn't dream of it because the calves are good sized, energetic, and have nursed their fill (think of what happens when you put pressure on those tummies). This calf wasn't very full, was extremely light and it just was too tempting. I understand now why dad prefers that method when at all possible, even if he gets peed on! Such a relief for my back!
I gave him some Bo-Se this morning. He still wouldn't stand. Dad said he wouldn't even hold his head up last night for drinking. I fed him this morning. Stood him up and he finally had some energy and gumption to stand on his own, with his head up. I put 2 1/2 pounds in him and that was all that would fit his little belly.
Not real impressive right now. He has a very short face but a narrow muzzle.
Sounds like we may buy one of Priscilla's twins out of Maximus to raise along side him and pick the one we like more in a year.
Yup, I said twins! The school had their second set of twins in a row born last Sunday morning. Mellisa had twin heifers back on Feb. 26th. One dead when Mike and I got there and her down with milk fever (she was 11 years old or so). They lost her.
Priscilla (9 years old) calved with twin bull calves out of Maximus Sunday morning. They were a chore to get on the bottle!
Unfortunately, it is dark there. The second calf is in the left upper corner there. The one in the corner has leg issues and needs Bo-Se. The one closest to Priss there was dopey and is a lung drinker. The one in the back corner has a shorter face as well and was standing more.
Priscilla, thankfully, was in great shape. No signs of milk fever Sunday evening. She got to keep her twins for a day (not much space in the barn for the calves and Priss had to go back into the calving pen in case she did go down). Not that the calves could find her teats...they are like 6 inches off the ground at this point.
No more bovine due here until Nessie around July 9th....
Goats though. Still not done there.