2025: Calf 12 - No Tail's

Another calf born early this morning.  The mother hadn't expelled her afterbirth yet. So it wasn't too much earlier that the calf was born; even though the calf was clean and dry when I first saw him.  Another bull calf.  This year that makes 6 boys and 6 girls.  The calf's size was back to the usual birth size of the calves.  The mother is a cow with no tail.

Michael and Kari came over early afternoon to help me band and ear tag the new calf. It went quick.  Unlike the previous calf this calf wanted to stand up and be let go once he was banded and ear tagged.  The second photo is the calf calling out to be let go.

Then we went looking for the previous calf, calf 11.  Today he was among most of the cattle in the loading corral.  A few other calves were interested in Michael.  They want to get to Michael to check him out but they couldn't get enough courage to get really close.

We found calf 11 in the middle of the others.  Then, where is his mother?  We looked and looked.  Then I saw her laying out in the extended corral.   After calf 11 peed he walked around looking for his mother.   Michael and I guided calf 11 out of the loading corral, across the corral, and then out to the extended corral.  It got muddier.  I took over as I had my mud boots on.   It still was a struggle for me as my one mud boot kept wanting to come off and stay in the mud.  I got the calf guided to remnants of the tractor tire tracks and he got to his mother and then started drinking.  He needs to drink more as he is a little narrow in his back half. 

One calf left to be born.  The mother is looking closer.  Any day now.  The sooner the better.