We had been waiting for one last heifer to calve out, and had been keeping her up close to the barn. We had plans to treat the kids to dinner and a movie last evening and decided to check on the heifer on our way to dinner. Lo and behold, there were two legs sticking out of her hind end...plans canceled. The kids were great sports about it though, and always enjoy watching a calf be born. We had a sneaking suspicion that she might calve yesterday because there was a storm rolling in and the barometer dropped. After a valiant effort on the heifer's part with no progress, we needed to pull the calf. She was laying down in the corner, and we decided to just go ahead and pull it where she was laying even though we didn't have much wiggle room.
I helped until the head was out, and then I grabbed my iPhone out of my pocket and told my girl to take pictures with it. Now my phone has dried placenta juice on it. Nice.
After the calf was out, my husband dragged it around to the new mama's head. She got right up and started licking and loving on her baby.
He's a good sized bull calf and our boy is considering showing him next year as his 4-H project. We'll see how he looks next fall. Since he was born on April Fools Day, the kids named him "Trick".
He has a good mama who cleaned him up nice. In no time at all, he was up nursing and trying to buck around... that is....as good as he could buck for only having used his new legs for an hour or so. That colostrum must be like rocket fuel!
Do you remember my Proverbs 31 heifers that I bought over a year ago at the Arizona National Livestock Show? You can read the story by clicking HERE. I love all of our cattle, but those three heifers are extra- special to me because I got a little side job over Christmas break one year and took all of the proceeds to buy 3 nine- month old heifer calves as investments. Anyway, this bull calf was out of one of those heifers!
And so is this bull calf... who I captured in the act of being frisky with his tail up....
and so is this pretty little heifer.
I'm so excited to see the first fruits of my little investment! I can't wait until they grow!
As I left the pasture to drive home this morning, the storm clouds were beginning to break up and the sky looked so big and beautiful that I just had to share it with you. Big skies make me feel small. They also make me think about the Greatness of God. I'm so thankful that he cares deeply about each of us and all creatures great and small.
Hope you have a great week!
Nell
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those are great pictures. Mom said if you come to IndiAna we will take you to the dairy farm not to fsr from here like she took the grandkids it was a great learning and educational day for the grankids they saw ice cream being made chezze and a calf being being born it was a great day
ReplyDeleteThose are great pics...I love your blog. There is NOTHING sweeter than a newborn baby calf. I agree...colostrum must be rocket fuel! ha ha
ReplyDeleteHave a great week.
I love that last photo and agree with your sentiment about it.
ReplyDeleteLove the pictures! It's just like heifers to get all the attention for calving, huh?! Glad y'all got it done, and that the calf was okay, too!
ReplyDeleteLove the last photo, and yes big skies do that to me, as well, our God is AWESOME!
Great pictures!!!! And story! :)
ReplyDeleteAwww. Adore those calf pictures so sweet. Fun to see you in the thick of things too. Your daughter did a great job capturing the moment. I have to say with only 8 weeks to deliver, I giggled a good bit through your post I said, "ouch" really loudly at the first picture. This had kiddos running to see what I said "ouch" too! They adore the post! And, I did too. Great story.
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