The end of June and early July has been challenging. The cow who broke her leg last year and healed, keeps re-injuring another other leg. She has done this several times this Spring and healed even though I keep her separate from the herd and in a pasture where she doesn't have to walk much. She re-injured her leg and was limping in June and I decided to turn her into hamburger. Of course it would be easier to take her to auction than try to sell hundreds of pounds of hamburger. I had planned on selling her at auction once I was able to wean her calf but even if her leg is fine I don't want to chance her re-injuring her leg in the 100+ mile trip to the auction. There I wouldn't get anything for her. Maybe as hamburger I can get something for her. Her "appointment" is July 18.
The day after I made the hamburger appointment her calf died. He had stuck his head into the hay rake, and instead of pulling his head out, either broke his neck or suffocated. It was a freak accident. Welcome to my life lately.
This is how I found the calf just after noon. Around 6 am I had heard a cow moo, and the bull answer. So I thought it was another cow in heat. Maybe not. Maybe it was the calf's mother finding her son. Even over a week after I removed the calf the mother occasionally walks over to the hay rake and looks and moos. So sad.
As you can see the calf should have been able to slide his head back to the larger area and pull it out. Why he didn't do so is a mystery. He must have panicked. After the accident I moved the hay rake and put a board in the opening to block it. Once I build a shed to store all my equipment the problem will be solved.
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| Something happened to my best friend. Mr. Rancher guy, can you fix him? |
To keep the limping cow company I have one other cow and her calf also in the pasture. The two calves were best friends. This calf is sad at times as he has no one to play with anymore. In less in a week he and his mother will be reunited with the herd once the other cow leaves for her "appointment".
I re-dug a hole where a tree stump once was located until I dug the stump out this Spring. As I dug the hole the other cattle came over to check the calf out and say good-bye. The bull got spooked and jumped away when he approached and sniffed the dead calf. He didn't want anything to do with the calf after that. The rest of the cows and calves were not affected in the same way.
Of course the darn brown calf had to stand between the dead calf and the hole, and after I took this photo the calf slipped and almost fell into the hole. Just what I need... two accidents in the same day!
Most everyone got in the way as I tried to push the dirt back into the hole.
I am both sad and mad. Sad I lost such a nice calf. Mad that he was dumb and died in such an avoidable accident.
The calf was my first born calf of the year; the largest calf, and one of only 4 steers. I expect he would have weighed over 600 pounds come Fall, and if I got the same price per pound as last year, would have gotten $960+ for him. That money was buried in the hole as there is no insurance for something like this.
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