In calving news

In calving news we’ve shot past the center line, but not without casualties. Friday night hubby and I were out at friends for worship team practice. The guys used to work together and hang out together and since Jim got the job at the mines in June, they hardly see each other any more. Anyway, long story short, we were there quite late.

Hubby checked the cows when we got home and lo and behold if we didn’t have a calf, likely less than an hour old. Jim went out and checked a bit later, but the calf wasn’t up. By then I’d gone to bed so he woke me to help him put the pair in the shed to warm the calf. It wasn’t particularly cold, but baby was shivering. Anyway Jim came to bed about five am after finally getting the calf sucking. Usually once that has been figured out, their prognosis is good.

Calf still looked a bit better through Saturday but not like he should have been. Anyway, by the time Jim left yesterday evening back for the mines, we didn’t think the calf would make it. He was dead this morning when I checked.

The weather hasn’t helped, but he wasn’t out in it. We had about six or eight inches of snow yesterday and then it turned to rain. The other babies all looked pretty miserable this morning and one looked like he’d rather drown than carry on but I booted him up and the last I saw as I was going out the driveway he was sucking.

Of the ten births so far, six have been heifers and four bulls. Of course it was a bull calf that died. Prices for either are similar at the other end but heifers tend to put on less weight, so we get a bit less per animal.

Some of that sunshine we had last week would be welcome again about now.