Calf 10 - Panda's calf

I've always said I wanted to see the birth of a calf.  Well...I should be careful what I wish for.

Panda (Beulah's daughter) was the last to give birth.  Panda was a heifer and this would be her first calf.  While a good size, she is the smallest of the cattle.  So I was most concerned about her giving birth.

Sunday morning shortly before 11 am I went outside to check on Panda.  I found Panda in the corral near the barn.  She was starting to give birth as I saw the calf's hoofs coming out of Panda.  I ran and got my camera and called Donna.

The hooves were pointed in the correct direction (down).  I could also see the calf's nose starting to come out.

The heifer seemed to be annoyed I was there as she kept looking back at me. I went back in the house and called my friend Dan for advice.  When I came back outside, and before Donna arrived, the heifer moved a little bit.  Also more of the calf had come out.

Donna arrived.  We watched and waited.  And waited.  For what seemed to be along time (but actually wasn't).   The heifer was quiet except for her breathing.  After a bit it seemed like the calf wasn't coming out any more. The calf appeared it was caught around the calf's rear hips.  The calf started to cry.  So I went in the corral to see if I could help pull the calf the rest of the way out.

I was able to grab on the calf's legs with my hands and hold on to pull.  I couldn't tell when the heifer had a contraction so I pull with a small amount of steady pressure until I could tell when she would have a contraction.  I also tried to pull in what would be a downward motion relative to the heifer standing up.  The calf was limp so I was also trying to take care when pulling to also move its head.

The next I knew Buddy the Bull was in the corral coming towards me and the heifer.  He had heard the calf's cries.  All I knew was that the cattle were at the far end of the pasture and I forgot to close the gate.  Buddy seemed concerned.  I stood up and tried to 'shoosh' him away.  Donna came into the corral to attend to the calf.  I was able to get Buddy back to the wooden feeder and he didn't want to go any further.

Donna stood up and came over telling me I was being too nice to Buddy. She waved her arms and in a loud sharp tone told Buddy to leave.  Buddy got a startled look on his face and between the two of use we herded him out of the corral and I closed the gate.

Even though I had gotten a rope for pulling the calf I didn't use it.  I was able to grip the calf's legs and pull.   No movement.  Then I realized I also was holding onto the end of the heifer's tail along with the calf's legs.  I let go of the tail and pulled and the calf quickly slid out of the heifer.

The heifer just laid there.  Donna suggested I pull the heifer up to the heifer's face so she could lick it and clean it.

The heifer put her forehead down to the calf's body then lifted her head again and just stared into space.  She was breathing heavy and seemed exhausted.  Who knows how long she was in labor.

I pulled the calf into the sunny side of the heifer and got some rags.  Donna and I wiped all the goo off the calf and massaged it.  The heifer just sat there, not moving, and staring into space.  The calf seemed to like us cleaning and massaging it.  She didn't shiver much.

Ok.. so I missed a spot on the calf's face.  The calf is a black white faced calf.  With a black spot around its left eye.  Similar looking to calf 8.  Same black spot around its left eye.

After we cleaned the calf we waited for the heifer.  She sniffed the calf but didn't lick it.

Once dried the calf looked bigger.  It was a large calf with long legs.  The heifer probably would have eventually completed the birth but it was hard for the both of them.

Donna and I waited.  Both calf and heifer laid there.  For a long time.

Finally the heifer got up.  Then we noticed that her back right leg was not working.  It was like her leg was asleep.  She could move it but she was very unsteady on that leg.  One time she fell over.  Fortunately not on the calf.  I think she may have temporarily pinched a nerve in her leg during delivery.

The heifer still didn't lick the calf but she was mooing at encouraging it to get up.  So Donna and I held our breath as both the heifer and the calf were unsteady on their feet.

As time went on the heifer appeared to have a little more use of her leg.  Now it was a wait to see the calf take her first drink.  The mother was nudging the calf and didn't appear to be rejecting it.  But she also didn't seem to quite know what to do.  Whenever the calf started to move from the mother's head and to try to 'drunkingly' walk to the back of the heifer the heifer would move and push the calf with her head.

Donna noticed that the calf's right front foot would curl over to the first knuckle when it first would stand up.  That made walking even harder for the calf.

I went over and tried to walk the calf to mother's udder.  But the heifer kept backing up as fast as I moved the calf.

So I picked up the calf and carried it over to the loading corral runway.  The mother followed me.  Once the mother got into the loading corral with its taller green grass she went to eating.  After a bit we got both mother and calf into a small section of the loading corral.

I lifted the calf into standing position on the mother's good leg side.  But the calf stumbled around and ended up on the mother's bad leg side.  But the mother's leg was better, and while not completely recovered, was no longer close to falling over.

The calf was looking for the udder but kept moving past the back leg.  I moved the calf's face in front of the leg and to a nipple.  When I felt its small teeth by my finger I let go.  The calf lost the nipple.  I tried again and again it lost the nipple.  Donna tried and then held the nipple and calf a little longer and the calf then got the hang of it and started sucking.

The calf drank lots. The calf then had a big bowel movement.

Mother still hadn't licked the calf to finish cleaning it.  I got some warm water and washed the calf's umbilical cord.  Then I sprayed some gentle iodine on it for disinfectant.

The heifer had lots of afterbirth.  After the calf drank from the heifer it appeared to have triggered a few small contractions causing the afterbirth to start coming out.

I left the pair in the loading corral until evening.  Before sunset Donna stopped by again on her way to the grocery store.  The heifer was walking almost normally.  The calf, having ate and slept, had more energy and was walking around.  And jumping.  A few times it would jump straight up in the air using all four of its legs.  Just because it could.

I let them out of the loading corral and let them have the corral to move around.  I put out hay and they had access to water.  I kept them in the corral overnight partly because the calf was a little bull calf. I would band him Monday to castrate him.

10 calves: first two were boys.  The next six were girls.  The last two were boys.  Go figure.


Monday noon Donna helped me band the calf.  The calf was shiny.  Mom must have finally gotten around to licking and cleaning her calf..

It took some effort to band the calf.  One of his balls kept slipping back down before we got the band fixed. It took both of us to make sure both balls stayed up and beyond the band.  We double checked before releasing the band.

I straddled the calf as I worked.  Once I was done I noticed my pants were wet.  The calf had peed while we worked on his balls.

Overall the calf was pretty relaxed as we worked on him.

When we were done his mother came over.  She was more upset than the calf had been.  Notice how big the calf is compared to his mother.  He is just 24 hours old.

 One final drink before being released into the pasture to join the other cattle.

In the afternoon I discovered Buddy in the middle pasture.  There was a weak section of fence where a few wooden posts had finished rotting over Winter.  Buddy found it before I could reinforce it.  I was able to coax Buddy along the fence halfway to the gate before he stopped.  After more coaxing Buddy suddenly ran away from the fence jumping and bucking a little bit.  He then circled back to the gate then stood there waiting for me to open it.

Once I opened the gate he ran through it then stopped.  Then he walked to the corral and laid down across the fence from the yearlings.

I went and added steel posts to fix the fence.  Beulah was nearby with her calf.  Panda's calf was there too.  Panda left her calf in her mother's care.   The rest of the cattle were at the other end of the pasture.  As I worked Panda's calf came over and walked up to me.  Beulah had a shocked look on her face.  I think by rubbing and cleaning the calf after birth Donna and I imprinted ourselves on the calf a little bit.  He is not leery of humans like most calves.

Panda saw me with her calf and came across the field to her calf.

Later that afternoon all the cattle were under the trees mid pasture or else at the feeder.  Panda's calf was curled up among the dead branches of a fallen tree near where I had fixed the fence.  All alone.  The calf tried to ignore me and sleep so I let him be.

Later I saw Panda walk from the feeder right past the cattle and then to the back trees.  When she got to the trees she called for her calf and walked around looking for it.  She couldn't see the calf curled up behind the tree.  So I walked out there and stood the calf up.  I 'walked' the calf out beyond the tree trunk until Panda saw her calf.  She came right over mooing at her calf.

Here is a 3 minute 47 second  video of the calf's birth and first steps: (also, near the end of the video, on the right side in the back ground are two cows fighting): https://youtu.be/MDmAp_rwoGc

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Calf 9 - Beulah's calf

Last night I noticed Beulah was staying by herself in the trees near the river while all the other cattle hung out at the other end of the pasture near the corral and the feeder.

Uh, oh.  Someone plans on giving birth soon.

Sure enough early in the morning I found Beulah had given birth.

The calf looks like Beulah: grey (or a very light brown depending on the light) with slightly curly hair indicating the part of her that I think is a Simmental breed.   The calf is also a boy.

This afternoon Donna helped me band the little bull calf to castrate him. We found Beulah and the calf still in the trees near the river.  The rest of the cattle were in the middle of the pasture and continued laying and were relaxed when we walked by.

Less than a day old and I was able to easily grab him by a back leg.  Beulah had been fine with me nearby but after I grabbed her calf and laid him down to the ground she got concerned.  I was going to do the banding but Beulah was getting excited and really close and mooing.  I waved my one free hand and shooed her back while Donna did the banding.

Once I let the calf go Beulah took off with it and walked all the way to the opposite end of the pasture near the feeder and corral.

Newly banded

Let's get out of here!

 
We walked back to the corral.  Now the rest of the cattle were all up and standing near their calves and eyeing us suspiciously in case we came for their calves.

In the evening Beulah come in the corral to drink from the water trough.   I got a few photos of her calf then.

The calf has Beulah's hair style.

Less than 24 hours old and wondering about the world.

Opps... little calf, that's not your Mother.

Ah... there is my mother and milk.

Mama noticed her calf was in the corral and I was nearby so she came to the fence and called for her calf to come outside the corral and join her.

Here is a 33 second video of Beulah's calf: https://youtu.be/gicM7JYBGIc

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Yearlings and corral fence

The other day I noticed the yearlings had broken another board in the corral fence in their effort to reach the green grass growing outside the corral.  The board was not completely broken and this time they did not escape.

When I fixed the board, of course they were all right there so curious as to what I was doing.

Here is a 33 second video of Rose chewing on the new board: http://youtu.be/MXXh1MkC5wQ

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Calf 8

Calf 8 was born to cow #80 overnight.  The calf was pretty spry this morning around 10 am when I found it so it had born a while ago and not just in the morning.

The mother is all black.  The calf is a black white faced calf.  Just like its dad.  The difference between this calf and the previous black white faced calf is that this one has a black spot around its left eye.  It is a pretty calf, like all of Buddy's calves.

I was able to easily grab the calf and hold it this morning.  I felt and did not find any balls.  Its a girl.  The mother was starting to make a fuss so I let it go.

Back with her mother.

Donna stopped by in the evening and we rechecked the calf.  It was harder catching the calf this time.  To get away from me it easily slipped through the three strand section of the barb wire fence.  I was able to grab the calf when it tried to get back through the fence to her mother.  By now the fence was five strands and hard to get through.

I held the calf and Donna double checked.  Yup.  A girl.  That makes six straight girls.

Not even a full day old.  And, yes, the coat is from my 'homeless collection' on its way soon to being burned.

Even though the calf was heavy I carried the calf back to the three strand section of the fence as it was lower and then lifted the calf over the fence and set it down. She immediately laid down. Her mother came and the calf jumped up and ran to her mother.

Then Donna helped me pull another large hay bale into the corral for the yearlings.  While I was working on getting the metal feeder back around the bale, and talking with Donna, two cows came to the corral fence and yelled and yelled at me.  Having got my attention I noticed their calves were in the NE pasture where their mothers could not go.

When I entered the NE pasture the calves scampered back out to the north pasture and their mothers.  The old barb wire had loose wires to the post for the gate.  The cattle also had pushed on the old post toward the new post making the wires even more slack.

A short time later Mama was agitated.  Her calf was now in the NE pasture.  *sigh*  After I herded Mama's calf through the fence I placed an old pallet there to stop the calves from teasing their mothers.

I expect the heifer, number 55, to give birth very soon.  This afternoon as she laid in the corral I could see her vaginal opening was larger.  It was almost like the calf was bulging to come out.  However I had seen a similar look in a cow last year and that cow did not calf until the next day.   When Donna and I checked calf 8 I noticed heifer #55 was up and walking around with no signs of an immediate birth.  But soon.

By the time I got the camera for the following photo she sat up from laying completely down and her opening did not look as large or red.

Heifer number 55

Waiting on calves

I am waiting for the final three cows (ok, one heifer and two cows) to calve.  I think a couple are getting close.  But each morning when I check they have not calved.  Often the cows yet to calve hang to together while the mother cows are off with their calves.

An expectant heifer (standing) and two expectant cows

Mama has chilled out somewhat.  She no longer charges me when I am out in the pasture in the general area of her calf.  One time I had to rap her on her head multiple times with the pitchfork handle to stop her from running me over.

The other evening when I was returning from the middle pasture I decided to cut across the north pasture to the corral.  The cattle were spread out.  Buddy was by the salt feeder outside the corral.  I had trapped my second pocket gopher of the year and was carrying the trap, the pole used to hold the trap, the white milk jug on the pole, and a white plastic sack I found in the middle pasture.  Buddy saw me.  Usually he just stands there but this time he started walking towards me. Hmmm...   I changed course to the corral fence.  When I realized I would have to run to reach the fence before Buddy reached me I changed course again and headed for the barb wire fence closest.  I mostly made it over the fence before Buddy reached me.  My upper pants leg hung up on a barb until I could get free without ripping the pants.  Buddy seemed more interested in the milk jug and plastic bag than me.  *whew*

Mama came over to see what was going on.  Then the other red cow.  As I walked along the fence the other red cow got excited and began to hop up and down and shake her head.  But I had the fence between us and she calmed down.

New pole finally

Remember last July when I wrote about the overhead power lines along the property's southern boundary being so low and Wyatt's hay wagon almost snagging one of the lines?   I've been after the electric company off and on since last year to fix the situation. I was a low priority 'make work' project. I called them again this morning and to my surprise they came out in about an hour after I called.

I showed them where an electric company employee had marked the location of the new pole last year.  The new pole was needed as the span between two existing poles was far apart.  These workers were amazed at how low the wires hung.

A few hours later they had put in a new pole and attached the wires.  The new pole is slightly taller than the other poles.  The overhead wires are now plenty high.

While the ground is dry and solid, the trucks were plenty heavy and left wheel track impressions in the ground.  I'll have to re-drag the harrow over the tracks.

In the following photo, one worker is holding a long 'rod'.  This 'rod' is attached to a hose running from one of the trucks and vibrates to compact the ground around the pole.

Calf 4

The same day Oreo was born, Wednesday April 8, another calf was born.  This calf was born around noon.  The mother was number 7, a first time mother.  I had some concerns as she was a first time mother, but the birth apparently went well and she turns out to be a great mother.

The calf is a girl.  Notice the color.  At first I thought the calf was black.  But the color is a dark chocolate brown.  A color I've not seen on any cattle before.  Dan thinks the calf may turn black when it gets older.

The mother the day before she gave birth.

The following photos were taken a few hours after giving birth.

What's that Mama?

Time to eat.

Here is a 1 minute 16 second video of the calf a few hours after being born: http://youtu.be/gHupBeRCMaY


The sunset that evening.

Calf 3: Oreo

Last Wednesday morning - April 8 - I woke up before 7 am with baby calves on my mind.  Since the weather is decent usually I don't go outside to check on calves at this time.  But I felt I needed to check on the cows.  And wouldn't you know it... a new calf had just been born.  The calf was mostly clean.  I'm not sure if it had stood up yet.  I checked: it was a girl.

The mother was number 20 - a broco faced cow.   The calf is not broco faced.  The calf is almost half black and have white.  She looks like an Oreo cookie.  She is the cutest calf ever.  If Buddy wasn't her dad I would keep her and have her bred.

The calf was ok and I went back to bed.  Later that morning Donna stopped, when driving by, she seen one of the yearlings from the corral out in the hayfield.  The yearling had pushed against an old corral fence board that turned out to be rotten and then got out.  With Donna's help we quickly herded the yearling back into the corral with the other yearlings.  The yearling wouldn't go through the open gate.  Instead it ran to the broken fence and pushed its way back into the corral.

I fixed the broken board.  I then noticed another fence break. This is where the cattle like to stick their heads through the fence and rub their necks.  The end of the pole that is off the fence was weak and rotted.  So I found another pole and fixed the fence.

A few hours after her birth.  The stuff by the calf is the afterbirth from the cow.

Donna said she had seen Oreo up and about looking for her mother and milk.  Buddy was there checking out the new calf.  Oreo was searching for milk, and being only a few hours old, mistook Buddy for her mother.   Donna said Buddy didn't seem to mind that Oreo was messing with his balls.  I forgot to ask if Buddy had smile on his face.


Here is Oreo a few days later.   The yearlings were super curious about the calf.

Here is a 3 minute 21 second video of Oreo:  https://youtu.be/azjQuyCfslk
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Calves 6 and 7

Sometime late night April 14 or very early morning of April 15 I had two more calves born.  I found them after 10 am in the west part of the north pasture.

Mother #90 was mooing and didn't want me around her calf.  She tried to move it away from me.  I tried to grab it and look to see if it is a boy or girl.  I didn't get a good look but I think it is a girl. 

Mama was ambling over with her calf so I moved over to mother #40.  This was the cow that did not have a calf last year.  She was even more leery of me than mother #90 and instilled wariness that in her calf.  They immediately went walking away from me.  Then trotting.  Along the three strand barb wire fence the calf fell through the fence.  When I went on the other side of the fence the calf ran and fell back to the same side of its mother.  I think the calf was also a girl.

I gave up and walked home.  The calves may be hours up to half a day old but they are already getting fast.  In another day I wouldn't be able to catch them.

Donna came driving up just as I got to the yard.  She stopped by to vent about a situation she was having.  We walked out to the pasture to look at the new calves.  I brought my pitchfork along and kept an eye on Mama.  When we reached the cows Donna held the pitchfork and I ran after one calf.   Again this calf rolled through the barb wire fence in an effort to get away.  This time I grabbed it before it could get through the fence again.  I held the calf up.  Donna checked.  It's a girl.

I went to the second calf.  I grabbed and held it up and Donna checked.  Yup.  A girl.

Over seven calves born so far, five have been girls.

 Also, I noticed that the all black cow had a black calf with  white face - just like Buddy, her daddy.  The broco faced cow had an all black calf.   Go figure.