2023 - Calf 7 - No Tail's

Panda is so close to having her calf.  Yesterday morning her udder was large.  I thought she would have her calf later that afternoon.  No.  Then I thought by sunset.  No.  This morning I checked earlier than normal.  Walking out I saw a cow and a calf and from a distance it looked like a new calf.  When I got close I saw it wasn't Panda.  No Tail had her calf a very short time before.  No Tail was still licking her calf and the calf had not stood up yet.

I went and checked on the rest of the cows and Panda.  No other calves.  When I came back to look more on the new calf some of the replacement heifers followed and now want to check out this new calf.  No Tail was not happy with their attention and would shake her head at them when she wasn't licking her new calf.

The new calf is a heifer.  Big and beautiful.

In the afternoon Donna came and helped me ear tag the calf.  We did it quick.    No Tail and her calf were now closer to the rest of the cows.  The calf has strength and got up quickly after she got her ear tag.  She then wandered around while Donna and I looked at the rest of the cattle.   Then one of the replacement heifers got interested in the new calf and would follow and check it out.  When the heifer tried to mount the new calf I chased the heifer away.  But she would eventually come back to the calf.   Teenagers!

As you can see, while momma has no tail, her calves always are born with a tail.

Little Beulah's calf, and more

Little Beulah's calf is something else.   A few days when I put out another large hay bale I also take some of the hay and make three or four little hay piles so everyone can eat at the same time in the beginning.   Little Beulah's calf took one hay pile for herself, and kneeling down, rubbed her head and neck in the hay pile and spread the hay all around.

This afternoon when checking on the cows and the hay I found the metal hay feeder empty and Little Beulah's calf inside the feeder.  How did you get inside the feeder?!!   I had to get inside the feeder and encourage her to climb back out.  She did without my help, after she somewhat hopped up and partially on the feeder side, and then wriggled over the side with some effort.

I also saw she is missing her ear tag.  She somehow ripped the tag out of her ear.  Well, Little Beulah's calf is a unique color so I doubt I will replace her tag by putting a tag in her other ear.  Beside, I doubt I could catch her in order to ear tag her.  She is getting fast now.

I later put out another large hay bale in the middle pasture this time.    While working on removing the netwrap from the bale one of the replacement heifers got through the fence so she could come over to the hay bale.   Argh!   Some of the other cattle walked along the fence line and wanted to also get through the three-strand fence.  I encouraged them not to.

Once the hay was unwrapped and dropped into the feeder I went over to the nearby gate to let the cattle through.  Most cattle walked over to the open gate to come to the middle pasture.  One of the replacement heifers didn't want to walk all the way and tried to go through the fence.  She didn't make it.  Now I have to do some fence repair work tomorrow.

I walked into the north pasture to encourage this replacement heifer and three of the calves to go to the gate.   Little Beulah's calf didn't want to go through the gate and veered off the other way when she got to the gate.  I then herded the other cattle to the gate to go through.  At the same time Little Beulah's calf went through the fence to get into the middle pasture.  She did.

Little Beulah's calf is a handful.

I rode 40 miles on my bicycle today as it was a nice day with little wind.  Three or so miles from my place I saw a ditch where the grass had been burnt.  I think it was done this Spring, but maybe last Fall?  This area had no snow in the fields. Odd, as I still have a good amount of snow in my field.  My ditches are snow free.  I'm eager to be doing something outside.  So I thought I would try to burn the grass in my ditches.  It didn't go well.  Taller grass would burn, but grass laying down or not so-thick grass didn't want to burn. I gave up.  I'll have to wait until it gets a little drier.

More photos of Little Beulah's calf

Here are a few more photos of Little Beulah's calf (calf 1 of this year).  The photos were taken when she was still in the south corral.  Now that she is out in the north pasture, the calf is here and there checking things out.  She is active.  Yesterday afternoon while all the cows and calves were laying and relaxing, "Little Little Beulah" was walking around along the fence checking out the grass and trees.  This morning when checking the cows and calves I had to look for "Little Little Beulah" as she wasn't with the group.  She was laying under a tree sleeping elsewhere in the pasture.  And she was laying stretched out, and not in a curl.  That got me concerned as that is how I found Sugar's calf yesterday.   "Little Little Beulah" was fine.  Sometimes she lays stretched out when she is really tired.

Sugar and her calves

Tuesday morning I checked on the cows and calves at 8 am.  No new calves.

Initially I only saw Sugar and her heifer calf.  I didn't see her steer calf.  I had to look around and around and finally found the steer calf a distance away laying by another tree.  It is nicer when Sugar can lay near both calves.  I carried the heifer calf over to the steer calf and Sugar followed us.

The steer calf stood up.  He walked around the front of Sugar looking for a place to drink from.  Usually the first time or two new calves act this way.  After they figure it out, they remember and immediately go to the cow's udder.   The heifer knew immediately knew where to go to drink.  I tried to guide and help the steer calf and Sugar would move sideways.  I got the steer to the udder. Sugar's udder was full of milk.  So full that one of her nipples had milk flowing out it to the ground.   Sugar's udder is huge and her nipples are large also.  The calf struggled to get the nipple in his mouth.  He didn't drink much milk.

Also distracting us were three of the replacement heifers.  Teenage females.  They were running around us checking things out when they could.  They wouldn't stay still.

Then cow 20 (the mother of the second calf) and Panda were fighting.  Around and around they went, each trying to reach the other's udder.  I tried to break up their fight but they didn't want to stop.  Finally I got Panda to run off and cow 20 ran after her.  I had to run after them to get them further apart.  Eventually I did.  And eventually they got over their fighting.

I decided I wanted Sugar and her calves to be in the main corral.   Just them.  So they wouldn't be bothered, and so the calves wouldn't end up so far apart.  Try guiding two calves.  They kept wanting to split apart and one go right and the other left.  I had to carry one calf to the corral, then carry the other calf.  They are not light.  Sugar followed us.

So they had alone time in the corral this afternoon.  Each time I looked at them the calves were laying in different parts of the corral.  But at least close enough that Sugar could see where each was laying.  Sugar laid near the steer calf in the loafing shed.

At the end of the afternoon it was time to put hay bales out of the cattle.  I wanted to put the next bale in the north pasture and not the middle pasture.  Less area to look for newborn calves.  That meant I had to get the cattle into the main corral so I could put a new bale out and not have to deal with the cattle while I unwrapped the bale.

So I herded Sugar and her calves into the south corral to be with Haynes and the others.

I then noticed Sugar had two "balloons" of fluid hanging out her back end.  There is afterbirth after a calf is born.  But that is a "ribbon" of material and not a "balloon" of fluid.  I gently pulled on one "balloon" and it came out a bit and then detached from the rest of the "ribbon" of tissue.  The other "balloon" remained.  I left it.   This "balloon" of fluid reminds me of what sometimes comes out before a cow gives birth.   Is Sugar having another calf a day after the first two calves?

One fluid balloon

Sugar and her heifer calf.

Wednesday.     Sugar's fluid balloon was gone.  Probably broken.  Still some "afterbirth?" tissue was hanging out back.

I checked on the cows and calves before 9 am.  No new calves.  Sugar's heifer was up and around.  The steer was laying and resting on the ground.  I checked again after 1 pm.  The steer was laying at the same spot and was stretched out and dead.  A surprise.   The steer was okay yesterday when I moved Sugar and the calf into the south part of the corral.  I never did see the steer drink from Sugar.   He should have as in the corral he had the opportunity.  But did he? Or drink enough milk?   I feel bad as in hindsight I should have made more effort to see/have him drink.    I got to remember, females are tougher than males.  Even though the heifer was born after the steer, and was smaller, she was tougher and more active.

Moving cattle around

After Donna, her friend Betty, and Betty's husband, helped me band and ear tag the new calves (calves 4, 5 and 6) on Monday, since I had extra people to help me, we all switched the calves and the bull around.  I still have another month before I need to put the bull into the corral to delay him getting some cows pregnant.  But with help, why not do it now?  And it helped that Haynes had followed us back to the corral entrance.   Let's do it.

First we got Haynes into the corral.  Then we got him to go to the east side of the corral to check things out.  Then Betty's husband handled the south corral gate on the west side and Donna handled the corral gate to the north pasture.  I herded the replacement heifer calves out of the south corral and to the pasture.  Initially they didn't want to leave the corral and around and around we went.  Three heifers finally left.  Then I had to find the last heifer who was hiding at the eastern end.  Haynes saw what was going on and before I got the last heifer out I had to herd Haynes into the loading corral where cow 110 and her calf spent the previous night.

I also herded the second calf that was born last week and her mother out into the north pasture.  

Then I herded Haynes into the south corral. 

So, in the south corral are: Haynes, cow 110 and her calf, and the two steer calves from last year that I will sell in April or May.

Here are Betty and her husband after all our work.

Calf 5 and 6 - Sugar's

Sugar finally had her calf Monday morning.  Sugar is the cow that I thought would be the first to have a calf this year.  Sugar was so big when pregnant I thought there was a chance she would have twins.  And she did.

When I went out at 7:30 am to check on cow 110 and calf 3, I then checked the rest of the cows.  Sugar's first calf had just been born.  It was wet after having been just licked off.  It hadn't stood yet.  Off and on it was struggling to stand. It was a male calf.

I went and checked on Little Red's calf.  Then I went and let cow 110 and her calf out of the loading corral and over to the south corral.  Then I went back to check on Sugar's calf as it still hadn't stood up yet.  When I reached Sugar I found another calf.  It just had been born a few minutes earlier as Sugar hadn't had a chance to start licking the calf clean yet.   This calf is a heifer.

Both calves were born about a half hour apart.  Both calves are large, with the male calf a little larger than the female calf.

After 1 pm Donna, Betty, and Betty's husband helped me band the male calf and then ear tag each calf.

Fortunately Sugar has a very large udder as now she has two mouths to feed.

Late afternoon when checking on the cows I saw the two calves were a hundred feet or so apart.  Sugar was laying by the heifer.  I carried the heifer over to the male calf who was laying under a tree, and Sugar came along with me.  It is better if they are together and Sugar lays next to both of them the first day or two.

The first time the male calf stood up.  The female calf still has goo on her from her birth.

After the calves were banded and ear tagged.  The male is on the right and the female on the left.

2023 - Calf 4 - Little Red's

Sunday, around 5 pm, I found Little Red just had a calf.  A male calf.   Monday afternoon, Donna, her friend Betty, and Betty's husband helped me band and then ear tag the new calf.  Another cute calf.

Calf 3 is drinking now

I checked on calf 3 and cow 110 at 3 am this morning.  They were just laying right next to each other and enjoying the night.

At 7:30 am I checked and calf 3 was drinking from cow 110.  Success.

I released cow 110 and calf 3 from the loading part of the corral and moved them over to the south corral where the hay is in the feeder.  Cow 110 wanted to eat the hay and calf 3 stood next to her.  But the replacement heifer calves were fascinated by cow 110 and the calf.  It was like several of the replacement heifers were in heat by the way they acted towards cow 110 and the calf.  When one heifer tried to mount the little calf I had enough.  I didn't want the calf to be hurt.  I herded the two heifers, who were acting up, out into the main corral.  They can cool off out there.

Cow 110 now acts like an attentive mother and looks out for her calf and lets her drink from her.

2023 - calf 3 - 110's

Saturday afternoon cow 110 had a calf.  Cow 110 is the cow that initially rejects her calf each time.  I have to put 110 and her calf in part of the loading corral so 110 doesn't run away or headbutt her calf.   Last year when I replaced four cows I planned on replacing 110 as I was tired of 110 initially rejecting her calf.  But then Speckles had the vaginal prolapse and I replaced her instead.  I didn't count on this Spring being cold and with lots of snow still.

Saturday afternoon I was sleepy and slept from 4 pm until a quarter to six.  Then I went outside to check on the cows.  As I approached the hay feeder in the north pasture I saw a new calf.  Then I discovered the calf was trying to drink from Haynes the bull.  Haynes was eating from the feeder and was fine with the calf brushing against his testicles. Okay...     All but one cow was eating at the feeder.  I found 110 a distance away under a tree.  And I could see some afterbirth coming out her back end.  The new calf was hers.

I went and got the plastic sled.  I tried to bring the calf to the corral but the calf would not lay down.  Before I could start to pull the sled the calf got up and out.  Over and over and over we went at it.  I could not keep the calf from standing up.  I went and herded 110 over to her calf.  110 sniffed her calf, pushed it with her head and walked away.  I tried again to have the calf lay in the sled but it would not.  110 came over, sniffed and walked away again.  110 went way to the east end of the pasture, close to the corral.  I tried again the bring the calf in the sled.  No luck. All this effort and I made it only a quarter of the way.  The calf insisted on standing.

I doubt the calf had drunk milk already.  And I'm sure it was born over an hour ago and it still had strength to fight and stand up.  The calf is a heifer.  Female calves are tougher than male calves.  And females don't like to be told what to do.  This one certainly didn't. 

Donna arrived.  Since 110 was closer to the corral we tried to herd 110 into the corral.   110 refused to go to the corral and eventually ran off.  So Donna and I hauled the calf to the corral.  Donna pulled the sled and I held one of the calf's front legs.  Even so, several times I had to reload the calf onto the sled and she would twist and turn until she fell out of the sled.  In the end I gave up and carried the calf the rest of the way to the corral.  That was tiring.  The calf is another heavy calf.

Once the calf was in the loading part of the corral Donna and I walked all the way to the west end of the pasture and herded 110 to the corral.  This time 110 got close to the corral.  But then she saw the calf in the corral and wanted to go elsewhere.  We were able to herd 110 into the corral.

We had to put 110 in the short section of the loading corral and then back her calf in next to her.  We tried and tried to have the calf suck on 110.  But she wouldn't.  She just stood there.  I tried to milk 110 a little to get milk on my hands and on the calf.  But I couldn't milk her.  Donna had to do it.  And she did it easily.  I don't know why I couldn't milk 110.  Still the calf wouldn't suck.  Finally I got a small plastic bottle and Donna got milk into the bottle.  I had to hold the bottle.  Doing all this was work as there wasn't much room for both of us next to 110 in this small narrow area.  We had a quarter of the bottle full.

We got the calf to drink this milk.  Both of us had to work on getting the calf to drink milk from the bottle.  Then Donna and I got milk from the cow again.  This time on the left side of the cow.  We filled the bottle.  The calf drank half the bottle and didn't want anymore.  We also dried the calf off using blanket so it wouldn't get cold overnight.

Well... 110 and the calf will have to stay in the loading area overnight.  I got boards and built a roof in one corner of the loading corral.  Then I got straw for a dry bed.  This was for the calf to lay and sleep, and not 110.   I got hay for 110 to eat.  I put some water in a large blue plastic tub that had originally contained the mineral lick other years.

Donna and I were finally done by 8:30 pm.

At midnight I called Donna and woke her up and she came to help me feed the calf again.  We finished off the rest of the milk in the bottle.  Instead of filling the bottle again we put 110 and the calf in the narrow section of the loading corral and this time the calf drank from 110's udder.  That made it easier for us.

6:30 am Donna called me and woke me up so I could go out and feed the calf again.  It was just me this time.  The calf drank and drank and drank. Then I went back to bed.

At noon and 5 pm I had the calf drink again.  The calf gets better and better at drinking from 110.  110 licks the calf a few times and lays next to her.  But when the calf tried to drink, 110 walks away.  I went out at 10 pm but the calf wanted to lay on the straw and 110 wanted to eat hay.  I will go out later.  Tomorrow I hope they will be on a normal routine, and I don't have to help the calf anymore.

Noon-time drinking.

After drinking from mom.

Video of the calf drinking from 110 at noon: https://youtu.be/Gy76vYtj5H4

Photos of calf 2

This morning I checked, and yes, the calf is a male.

At 1 pm Donna came over to band the calf for me.  Unlike the previous evening when the calf would only stand, and would not lay down, today he would lay.  So I could get on top of him to hold him down while Donna put the band on him.  But the calf was in the corner of the loafing shed and we didn't have much room to move around.  So Donna had trouble getting both of the calf's balls in place and then the band on the calf.

I then had to move the calf out a little bit and try to get the calf more on it's back and not just laying on its side.  Finally we got the job done.   Putting the ear tag on the calf was much easier.

In the photos it may appear the calf is normal to small sized, but Donna agrees the calf is a big calf.  It appears Haynes the bull is throwing large calves.

2023 - Calf 2

This afternoon the second calf was born.  I didn't see it until almost dark.  Earlier I had to put out another large hay bale in the middle pasture for the cattle.   First I had to use the tractor to clear the snow to provide an area on which to put the hay bale.  That took some time.

Then I had to spend time to use a pitchfork to carry some hay from the calves feeder over to the wooden feeder for the three cows in the main corral.

Of course the cow that had a calf was out in the north pasture.  One would think the two cows in the corral would be next to have a calf.

After I got the remaining cows and Haynes from the north pasture over into the middle pasture and hay, then I could deal with the cow and new calf.  I had to lead the cows and Haynes from the north pasture to the middle pasture and the hay bale.  Of course Hayne then got into a mood.  I made sure I kept a distance from him.  If a number of cows got ahead of Haynes he would spin and turn around.  Then run ahead and then put his head and neck down into the snow and rub all around.  When cows passed him he would run ahead and then rub against another snow pile.  Once he and the cows reached the hay bale he settled down.

I wanted to put the cow and her new calf into the corral.  Warmer and drier in the corral, and a little snow is in the forecast for tonight.  And the mother then would have some hay to eat when she would later get hungry.

Getting the two into the corral was a chore.  And I approached the calf started drinking from the cow.  And drink, and drink, and drink.  I think I stood there 15 to 20 minutes while the calf drank.  Finally it was done drinking.  I had brought the plastic sled to drag the calf across the snow and ice to the corral.  The calf is big.  I had the sled near the snow.  I picked up the calf to carry it to the sled, and the calf was so big and heavy I couldn't.  I moved the sled next to the calf.  I then lifted and put the calf in the sled.  Before I could grab the rope to put the sled, the calf shood up and got out of the sled.  Again I tried and again the calf stood before I could grab the rope.  Normally the new born calves don't move and stand so quick, but this calf is different.

Over and over and then I gave up.  Maybe I could herd the cow and calf and have them walk to the corral.  Nope.  The cow didn't want to leave the ground under the tree and walk on the snow.  And the calf didn't want to leave the cow and also didn't want to walk on the snow as that was hard to do.  Then I had to wait while the calf peed.  I hadn't checked the calf's sex and it was now getting dark.   But I am pretty sure the calf is a boy.  The calf was standing in water and the peeing sound was nosier than usual.  It appears the sound of it peeing was coming from under the calf and not behind the calf.  And he peed and peed and peed and peed.  It went on a long time.

As I couldn't get the calf to walk across the snow I tried again to put him on the sled.  This time I was able to grab the rope and get the sled moving before he could stand.  I only had to stop once when he started to slip out of the sled, but I got him back in.

Once I got the calf and the cow into the corral I closed the corral gate. Before I could pull the sled again the calf stood up and out of the sled.   I tried once more to get the calf into the sled and over to the loafing shed but the calf got the rope around his front legs.  By the time I got the rope untangled he stood up.  I gave up.  There is less snow in the corral and he was able to walk on it.  And the other calf was very interested in meeting this new calf. And her mother stopped eating hay and came over to watch and supervise the situation.  I let them all be.  The calves will eventually find their way to the loafing shed.

It was very dark now.  Tomorrow I will check to make sure the calf is a boy, then band it and ear tag it.  I'll have photos of the calf tomorrow.

Pushing part of a tree stump

Yesterday I noticed a partial tree stump was pushed from the log pile in the NE corner of the middle pasture out and along the fence for a ways.  Haynes the bull I bet did it.  The tree came to a stop where I had made a snow pile when pushing snow with the tractor.  Also stopping the stump was that the stump was partially in the barb wire fence.  Haynes sure can push things.

Here is the 'front' side of the stump, and then the 'back' side of the stump.

I moved the stump back to the NE corner of the pasture.

Some snow today.  More on the minimum prediction, not the maximum prediction.  But we'll see once tomorrow comes around.  The temperature is in the 20s with some wind.  Not bad, though I left most of the cows and Haynes in the middle pasture with the hay.  They spent part of the day in the NE corner of the pasture near the stack of logs, and the partial tree stump, and the middle/north pasture gate.  The tree stump was moved a little bit, and one of the logs also.  I didn't let the cattle into the corral as they had hay in the pasture, and I don't want the new calf to be crowded out of the loafing shed.

No new calves today.  I looked for any several times, early to late.

2023 - Calf 1 - Little Beulah's

Wednesday morning, March 8, the first calf was born.  I went out after 9 am to check on the cows in the north pasture.  Before I even got close to them I could see a dark object laying in the white snow under two cows.  It was a newborn calf.

The birthing fluid had been licked off the calf, but it was still very wet.  I could see the snow crust was broken where the calf laid and nearby - two spots of broken crust.  The nearby spot was colored indicating that was where the birth occurred.

The calf wasn't Sugar's calf.  The calf was 'Little Beulah's' calf.  Little Beulah is a full-sized cow.  She is called 'Little Beulah' because Beulah was her mother years ago.

The calf is a heifer.  I'm glad it was a heifer as female calves are tougher than male calves, and that is needed now with all the snow.

The temperature was in the low to mid 20s.  It was sunny with a little wind.  The calf was not shivering yet.  Probably due to being licked to be cleaned out, and because I doubt the calf was over an hour old.  Maybe closer to a half hour old.

I went and got a plastic shed to transport the calf.  The calf is big and heavy and wet.  I didn't want to try carrying the calf through the snow and ice.

Little Beulah followed me and the calf.  But a third of the way to the corral Little Beulah stopped and turned back to go to where her calf had been born.  I took the calf to the corral and closed the gate.  I didn't want all the cows into the corral as they would hog the loafing shed and leave no room for the calf.

When I went back out of the corral the cows, with Haynes the bull in front, were standing outside the corral.  Hayne did a little mooing.  Uh... is Haynes upset I took his calf?  I walked out the corral carefully.  Haynes just stood and looked at me.  Little Beulah was in the back of the herd.  Before I reached her she walked back to where her calf was born.  So I had to walk all the way back there, then herd Little Beulah back to, then into the corral.  Then I showed Little Beulah where her calf was laying in the loafing shed in the sun.  Little Beulah was then happy.

Shortly afterwards Donna arrived.  She helped me herd Sugar and Panda into the corral.  I think they will be the next two cows to give birth.  I was wrong about Little Beulah as I thought she would calve later.   And technically, calving should have started Friday, March 10.  Having the cows that I think will calve next in the corral is easier, since due to all out snow I prefer the newly born calves to be in the corral for a few days at least.

The news tonight said his Winter season is in the top ten longest snowy periods.  Our overall snowfall is a few inches below normal, but the days of measurable snow on the ground had been 109 days.  The record length is 141 days.  Two to five inches of snow is predicted to start falling tomorrow and then through Saturday morning.  Next week the high temperatures are predicted to be in the 40s.  So maybe we won't set a new record length of snow.  I hope not as I am so over all this snow.

Little Beulah is the brown cow on the left.  Panda is on the right.  I would have thought Panda would give birth before Little Beulah.

Licked off, but still wet.

In the late afternoon after I put the ear tag on the calf.  The calf is now dry.  You can see her hair color is like her mother's.  Her face looks like her dad's.

The cutest looking little calf.

Today, a day later, the calf is laying near the wooden feeder and near her mother.  The calf does like to walk around the corral and check everything out, which makes her mother nervous.  Little Beulah quietly moos at her calf telling her, "Be careful.  Come closer to me."

No new calves born today.