A Tribute to #207
Dec 20, 2015 11:08:47 GMT -5
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Post by MaggieGal on Dec 20, 2015 11:08:47 GMT -5
*** Update, she did it again!***
***Update, New Baby***
This is likely to be a long post and it's a post about one of my beef cows. Thank you ahead of time if you make it to the end of the post.
We worked 60+ plus head of cattle this past week. And through all those numbers I have various favorites. One of those is #207.
Back in the spring of 2012 #207 was down in a little valley when I saw she had a calf. I rushed down there and lo and behold she was giving birth to another one but it was coming backwards. She was far from the pens and a head chute but I sent my then bf ahead to prepare the pens. I stayed with my girl.
I watched and she just couldn't get the calf delivered, in hindsight I was really excited and nervous. I was afraid that the calf would not be able to breathe and be stillborn.
I jumped out of my utv and said a quick prayer, please Lord don't let her kick me. I reached over, took the slimy legs in my hands and gave a firm pull downwards, #207 was standing...trying to pay attention to the calf she already had and give birth to the second.
With my pull, the calf emerged and dropped to the ground. It wasn't breathing, I cleaned out its nose and throat then thumped in its chest very firmly a few times...it caught it's breath! I quickly took my over shirt off which only left me with a tshirt on in cold weather and went to rubbing the new baby.
#207 stood and watched me work with her baby.
We borrowed a small calf trailer and brought them over to the house to keep an eye on. #207 accepted both heifer calves.
Three weeks later another cow had a set of twins, bull/heifer set. She rejected both. It was cold so I put them in our small feed room on a thick bed of hay with a space heater on a shelf.
Next to the feed room was where we had #207 and her girls.
When the second set of twins was about 4 days old we took them out of the room and let them walk around. I heard low moo-ing like a mama cow talking to her baby. I looked around and #207 was watching the other set of twins and trying to mother them.
I walked one twin over to her and she licked it's head and then let it nurse. I took the other and she done the Same thing. I stood in shock. I looked in her eyes and told her, if you raise these 4 babies for me, you will never leave place.
She raised them all.
It was a year and half before she calved again, I held back on breeding her to give her a chance to rest. She had a healthy bull calf.
The follow year she had another set of twin heifers. On of those was a bit pigeon toed and couldn't keep up with her in the pasture so we took it and bottle raised her.
#207 checked open the next time around. She stayed. When we preg checked this past week, #207 checked pregnant.
She will be 14 years old in 2016.
I teared up as I was writing this chronicling her story...such a special lady she is.
***Update, New Baby***
This is likely to be a long post and it's a post about one of my beef cows. Thank you ahead of time if you make it to the end of the post.
We worked 60+ plus head of cattle this past week. And through all those numbers I have various favorites. One of those is #207.
Back in the spring of 2012 #207 was down in a little valley when I saw she had a calf. I rushed down there and lo and behold she was giving birth to another one but it was coming backwards. She was far from the pens and a head chute but I sent my then bf ahead to prepare the pens. I stayed with my girl.
I watched and she just couldn't get the calf delivered, in hindsight I was really excited and nervous. I was afraid that the calf would not be able to breathe and be stillborn.
I jumped out of my utv and said a quick prayer, please Lord don't let her kick me. I reached over, took the slimy legs in my hands and gave a firm pull downwards, #207 was standing...trying to pay attention to the calf she already had and give birth to the second.
With my pull, the calf emerged and dropped to the ground. It wasn't breathing, I cleaned out its nose and throat then thumped in its chest very firmly a few times...it caught it's breath! I quickly took my over shirt off which only left me with a tshirt on in cold weather and went to rubbing the new baby.
#207 stood and watched me work with her baby.
We borrowed a small calf trailer and brought them over to the house to keep an eye on. #207 accepted both heifer calves.
Three weeks later another cow had a set of twins, bull/heifer set. She rejected both. It was cold so I put them in our small feed room on a thick bed of hay with a space heater on a shelf.
Next to the feed room was where we had #207 and her girls.
When the second set of twins was about 4 days old we took them out of the room and let them walk around. I heard low moo-ing like a mama cow talking to her baby. I looked around and #207 was watching the other set of twins and trying to mother them.
I walked one twin over to her and she licked it's head and then let it nurse. I took the other and she done the Same thing. I stood in shock. I looked in her eyes and told her, if you raise these 4 babies for me, you will never leave place.
She raised them all.
It was a year and half before she calved again, I held back on breeding her to give her a chance to rest. She had a healthy bull calf.
The follow year she had another set of twin heifers. On of those was a bit pigeon toed and couldn't keep up with her in the pasture so we took it and bottle raised her.
#207 checked open the next time around. She stayed. When we preg checked this past week, #207 checked pregnant.
She will be 14 years old in 2016.
I teared up as I was writing this chronicling her story...such a special lady she is.