Calf 3 - Sugar's

Late this afternoon I found the third calf of the year out in the north pasture.  While the calves' due date shouldn't start until March 10, based on how Sugar had been looking recently, I shouldn't be surprised she had her calf early.  The calf is another heifer.

I don't know when the calf was born.  But as the calf was pretty dry, and moved around fairly well, the calf could have been born late last night or this morning.   Yesterday when I  let the cattle out of the corral so they could go eat from the latest large hay bale I put out in the pasture, Sugar was acting a little odd as she followed the other cattle out to the hay bale.  I checked and did not find a calf at that time.  I should have checked this morning but my new cat, Rascal, had spent the night sleeping on the bed next to me, and in the morning wanted more attention from me and didn't want me to leave.

When I first found the calf it was laying on a little bit of left over hay near the feeder in the pasture.  Last year's steer calf was next to the new calf and checking it out.  No mother around.  Most of the cattle were eating hay from the feeder and the mother didn't come over when I checked if the calf was a male or female calf.  I went over and checked on the rest of the cows standing under trees and near the north fence to see if there was a calf over there.  No.  When I returned to the new calf Sugar stopped eating and walked over to her calf.  I then saw Sugar's udder and it is massive.

Since I had lost a calf last year to a colder than expected night, this time I didn't want to leave this calf in the pasture and wanted to move her and Sugar to the corral for a night or two.  Donna came to help me.  When Sugar saw Donna she took her calf and walked away.  Donna thought the calf was moving great and would survive staying in the pasture overnight.  But since the calf easily followed Sugar I figured I could herd Sugar to the corral and the calf would follow.  I didn't want to carry the calf all the way across the pasture.

Sugar kept walking away from Donna so herding was pretty easy.  But when we had a quarter of the pasture left to cross Sugar didn't want to go to the corral.  So I had to push the calf to walk into the corral. Sugar followed.

Since the covered area in the south part of the corral was full with the two cows, their calves, and Muscles, I put some straw in the loafing shed for Sugar and her calf.  I closed the corral gate so they would stay in the corral and the other cattle wouldn't come into the corral.  When I herded Sugar and her calf into the corral, last year's steer calf was very interested and would follow right along until we got to the corral.

I put out new straw and Donna and I got Sugar and her calf to the straw area.  When I got hay to add to that area, Sugar and her calf left.  Donna was nearby this area and Sugar wasn't trusting Donna.  So I had to push the calf all the way across the corral and back to the straw area.  She didn't want to move so it took some effort to push her along.  Most of the corral was mud as the cattle over the past few years ate the grass and then pulled up the grass roots.  So I was getting frustrated and annoyed, which Donna called me out on.

After a night or two I will let them out of the corral as I'm sure the calf will survive.

Sugar