Calf 3

Thursday night, before 9 pm, the third calf was born.  Another heifer.   The calf was born to cow #110.  This is the cow who initially wouldn't let her calf drink last year.    Last night the cow was acting the same way.  She had licked the calf off after birth and was attentive to it.  She constantly mooed at the calf to do something.  But whenever the calf tried to walk back to the cow's udder the cow would back up and push the calf with her head.  Then moo at the calf.

This cow is as dumb as a rock.

A few times I rapped the cow on her head after she head butted the calf too hard.  The cow would walk a short distance away.  When I moved away she went back to her calf.

I may have seen the calf the first time she stood and walked as she had the drunken sailor routine down well.

The cow and calf were in the trees close to the river.  It was getting dark.  No chance of getting the cow and calf into the corral loading ramp like last year to hold the mother so the calf could drink.

There was still time to wait till morning.  The calf would have until 8 or 9 pm (24 hours) to drink from her mother and get the colostrum needed to get her immune system going.

The next morning before 10 am Donna and I went looking for the calf.  The mother was eating hay from the feeder.  We eventually found the calf laying under a tree near the middle of the pasture.

Since it was a heifer I would put an ear tag on the calf indicating the mother's number.

The calf was sleeping.  But as I slowly and quietly approached the calf it jumped up and began to run.  I ran after the calf and finally caught it.  The calf was bellowing loudly and most of the other cows came running.  Mostly importantly: the calf's mother, Mama, and Buddy.

I carried the calf and stepped over the old 3-wire strand fence and into the middle pasture.  There Donna and I were able to put an ear tag on the heifer without having to watch our backs.

Now you'd think - not being rushed - I would put the tag on the 'correct' way. But I didn't.  I had trouble getting the tag's clip all the way through the ear.  I also didn't want to tear the ear.  Somehow I put the tag on 'backward'.   That is, the main part of the tag is in back of the ear and not the front.   This does not hurt the calf, but looks odd.  And to see the tag's number you have look at the calf from the back.

I didn't see the calf drink from the mother.  Judging from it's strength at only 13 hours old, I think it had drank her mother's milk.  Donna and I watched the calf after we let it go.  Her mother was attentive and didn't appear to push the calf with her head.  The calf wasn't thirsty and she laid down and then the mother also did so next to her calf.

In the evening when I checked on the cattle and hay, the cattle and calves were just outside the corral.  When I check on the hay in the feeder the cattle came also.  The calves had no problem keeping up with their mothers.  The third calf stood next to her mother and the mother no longer insisted on keeping her calf in front of her.

Ranching doesn't pay well.

The tag is back of the ear!  Really?!

Mother checking her baby after I released the calf.

Let's get out of here before that mean old rancher does something else!