We have our first calf on the ground. She had a little rough start but is a strong little heifer. She was born around 6 pm. Her mother, being a new mother, didn't quite understand that she needed to lick her calf thoroughly for the calf to get up and nurse. George and I went out about an hour after her birth to check on her because we had come out just moments after she had entered the world and didn't want to distract the mother from her job. Well an hour later the mother was curled up next to her calf, but the calf didn't look all that licked off. Licking drys the calf off and sends a signal to the calf to get up and start nursing. It was pretty cold yesterday and the cow was trying to keep the calf warm, but really had no clue what to do. We ended up coming out after dark to give the calf a little warm milk and rub her dry. George was hoping the calf had gotten up, but when we got there she hadn't actually found her legs yet. We poured some warm milk down her and rubbed on her and she sprung up and started to find her legs. The mother during all of this was mooing and circling, not knowing what to make of us or the calf. We dried her off pretty well and left her with her mother. The calf was trying to nurse our knees as we left and the mother became very attentive.
This morning I walked out my trailer and saw the little calf jumping up and down in the field. Later during chores, the calf got an ear tag and a good pat from me and the new apprentice.
Photos to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment