Monday, March 18, 2024
Panda's calf still not banded
Sunday, March 17, 2024
2024: Calf 4 - Panda's
This morning I found that Panda finally had her calf. Probably late last night or early this morning as the calf was clean and alert when I first saw him. This calf is a boy.
Donna came over by 3 pm. Panda and her calf were at the far end of the middle pasture. I almost got to the calf before it jumped up and took off. Panda and the calf then walked along the middle north pasture barb wire fence. The calf tried to get through the fence. Failed. We continued to walk along the fence. The second attempt. Success. The calf walked along the fence in the north pasture and Panda along the fence in the middle pasture. When we got to a point where the top fence wire was broken I was able to get to the north pasture and grab the calf. I sat on the calf and waited for Donna to reach us. Panda was upset I had her calf. She reached through the fence to her calf. Just before Donna got there Panda jumped over the fence. So I now had Panda and her calf around me.
The calf's scrotum was on the small side. Normally Haynes' calves have large scrotums and it is easy for Donna to band them. Donna found that only one ball - oopps, Donna will correct me once again - the testicle had dropped. We need two testicles down before we can band the calf. We tried and tried and gave up. We will try again tomorrow. I did put the ear tag on the calf today.
Since Panda and her calf were in the north pasture we herded them into the corral. That way tomorrow we won't have as much running after the calf to do. The calves get stronger and faster each day.
When I first saw Panda and her calf this morning. It looks like the calf has Haynes' hairdo. I should have guessed it was a boy calf before I looked.
Saturday, March 16, 2024
No new babies today
Friday, March 15, 2024
2024: Calf 3 - 62's
Thursday afternoon another calf was born. In the afternoon I went for a bicycle ride. On the way I stopped and removed /changed the winter tires from Donna's car. Then I trimmed some tree branches by her driveway near her garage. When I got back home I discovered I now had three calves in the corral. The cattle were in the corral today waiting for me to put out a new large hay bale by evening. The mother had a calf before so she didn't need any help from me to have her calf.
The calf is another female calf. That makes three in a row. She was laying next to her mother along the east corral fence. I was able to put an ear tag in the calf's ear as the calf was young enough it couldn't outrun me.
After I put out the hay bale I let the cattle out of the corral. 62 and her calf stayed in the corral along the fence. So I left the gates open. When they are ready they will go out to the hay bale.
Calf 1 went out with her mother. Calf 2 stayed laying along the loading corral fence. After the cattle left the calf got up. I herded her out of the corral. Then herded her to the gate to the middle pasture. In the middle pasture she didn't head to where the cattle were at the feeder. Instead she started walking south along the pasture / hayfield fence. When she got halfway her mother saw and mooed for her. She didn't get the 'memo' so her mother then walked / ran after her. Once they were together I let them be.