Calf 11 - 110's

The "Bad Mama" cow had her calf this afternoon.  Finally!  I saw she was about to give birth.  I called Donna and got my camera.  Donna suggested I get the cow into the loading corral before she had her calf as most likely we would have to help her calf drink from her.  So I did.  Donna arrived and we waited a short time before the calf was born.  All of a sudden there was the calf.

The calf is a boy.  That makes 7 boys and 4 girls so far this year.  One calf left to be born.

The mother would lick her calf.  Then headbutt it.  Then lick.  The cow couldn't decide what to do.  So Donna and I went into the loading corral, and using towels, dried the calf off.  We didn't want to wait longer as a large rain cloud looked like it was coming our way.  And the temperature was only around 50 degrees and a slight breeze was occurring. It felt cold.  So much for global warming.

After we cleaned the calf the mother wanted less to do with it.  So I put the cow into the loading corral runway and then got her calf in beside her.  The calf was still learning how to stand or walk and what to do.  Donna and I worked and worked with the calf.  I put my finger in the calf's mouth to get it to start sucking, and it would, but then it wasn't working getting the calf's mouth over to the cow's udder.  The calf would lose the nipple and wanted back to my finger.  Finally we got the calf to drink a little bit.

After we let the cow and calf into the larger part of the loading corral runway the cow occasionally would headbutt the calf.  I had to put the cow back into the smaller runway section.  The previous rain cloud had veered off to the side so we didn't get wet.  But if it rained later I didn't want the calf to get wet then cold.  So I got boards to make a little roof in the corner of the area.

We waited a little while, then banded the calf.  After a little more time I ear tagged the calf. Before I went off to do other work, I put the calf back in with his mother.  This time the calf figured out what to do and he drank more milk.  After I let them out, since the cow would still occasionally headbutt her calf, I left the calf in the runway area and on the other side of the gate put the mother in the rest of the loading corral.

After 8 pm Donna came back to help me with the cow and calf drinking again.  This went smoother.  The cow mostly stood.  The calf drank even more and sucked on all four nipples before getting his belly full.

I checked them at 11 pm but the calf was relaxing and laying.  I went out after midnight and this time got both of them up, the cow into the runway, and then the calf in beside her.  The calf drank some, and then I let them back into the overall loading corral.

I'll see if the cow accepts her calf tomorrow.

You can see the calf's hoof starting to come out.

After I put the cow into the loading ramp area, you can see the hoof went back in.

The calf immediately after it was born and before it really took his first breath.

She is trying to decide if she wants that calf.

Now we are trying to help the calf drink from his mother.  Donna is trying to push the calf back towards the udder.

The calf is still figuring out how to find and suck on the nipple.

After the first drink was done we put a blanket over the calf to keep it warm.  Usually the mother cow would then lay by her calf.  Not this mother cow!

Really to go for a second drink?

The calf has figured out to drink on his own.

Here is a 1 minute 31 second video of the calf standing for the first time and then his first steps: https://youtu.be/hgYPXnVvPlM