We have been blessed with a pretty uneventful calving season. Well, not completely uneventful. However, compared to the first two years that we calved, the first year including a calf being born in the muck during Anna's 3rd birthday party and the following year when every calf was born in some sort of inclimate weather, it's been a good year.
However, this morning, Joe found a calf who had gotten into a fence line, and I will spare the details, but the calf did not make it. I hate it when this happens. Joe hates it when this happens, but these unfortunate events do occur now and again. However, we are surrounded by other cattle farmers, and had just received a phone call this past weekend from a neighboring "rancher" who had a calf who needed a mama. I can't remember if it was a twin who was rejected, or a calf who had lost his mother, but this neighbor was looking for a good home for an orphan.
At the time, we didn't need a superfluous calf, but as we speak, Joe is working with this sweet little thing and the mother who lost her baby today, trying to get the two to learn to love each other. The foster care program at the ranch has begun.
This all starts with nursing. If the mama can accept the calf and allow it to nurse, and the calf will take to this new mama, then all is well, and, like a good foster parent, the calf will be treated like he or she is her own. We're hoping that this is the case tonight. I'm hoping it's smooth and quick, considering it's been a gorgeous day, and I have three dirty kids who need baths, and I can hardly bend over.
But, I digress. This process is interesting to me. Cows and their "original" calves have a tight bond, that's for sure. Joe has experienced many a near miss with some ticked off mamas when he has tried to tag (or pierce) the ears of the new babies. Like any good mama, no girl wants her baby messed with (see any new mother as her baby is being passed around a baby shower or the church nursery). However, like any loving being, a mama cow also knows that all creatures need to be cared for and nurtured, and thus the simple act of nursing this calf will create a bond that will be as tight as if she had given birth to this little one herself.
It's amazing to me how something that is so much a business for us, something that inconveniences my ability to do this or that can really get to me as a mother.
Either that, or it's hormones.
Showing posts with label calving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label calving. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Guest Post--From the Guy Who Does It All
For the guy who is not only plays the role of a large animal vet, obstetrician (not for me, don't worry), nutritionist, handyman, husband, father and snow removal expert...snow days, especially ones with the threat of no power, are a big deal and tons of extra work for Joe. He's out checking his heifers now, in the midst of a time when I have heard more than once in the 15 minutes of TV I have watched today: STAY OFF THE ROADS! Well, no kidding, however, we're pretty far down on the county's snow plow list, so we tend to be pretty conservative.
Regardless of whether you are snowed in, or enjoying beautiful summer-like temperatures in some tropical, exotic location, please take a moment to appreciate the work American farmers, particularly livestock farmers do for your food supply. Unless you're following and drinking the Oprah Kool-Aid again by going vegan. However, remember that although one may be told otherwise, life is not all or nothing, instead, take a minute to appreciate all the controversy and craziness that make our lives interesting!
Happy reading!
Snowpocalypse 2011- A Cattleman's Perspective
With a few minutes of break here in the middle of the day, I thought I'd share what this snowstorm means to those of us caring for livestock on days like today.
The past two days have been spent preparing for the blizzard of biblical proportions, according to the weathermen. Fixing up and cleaning sheds for the lucky cattle that have one available to them, bedding down extra loose hay in the areas that have windbreaks for those cattle that won't have a roof over their head, and making sure water is readily available in all situations. We fed enough hay this morning that if the weather necessitates, the older cows will be OK if I can't get there tomorrow.
The maternity ward is a different story. I'm in the first week of calving season for my first calf heifers. These are first time mothers, and like first time mothers, they often times have no clue of what to do. Sometimes when they go into labor, they want to be alone, so they will leave the comfort of the shed and go out to the corner of the lot and give birth there. As first time mommas, in that scenario, they are likely to get up and head back to the shed. Not such a good deal today! Experienced cows won't do this- they will either stay with their baby, or run the others out of the barn so that they can have it to themselves. Thus, the heifers will be checked every two hours during the day, and when I check them before I go to bed, I will shut those four heifers that I predict are most likely to calve in the barn where they can't get out into the snow. If at that time I believe that any of them are in the process of going into labor, I will be out at 2 am to go check them and make sure that they deliver successfully and assist them if required. If the forecast holds true (and it is so far), I will have to take my loader tractor for that trip as the roads will likely be impassible for my pickup (the calving barn is 3 miles down the road).
As if today wasn't bad enough already, I hear that Oprah is having a big deal on going Vegan for a week, having Michael Pollen and his ridiculous fabrications and lies (all in the name of lining his pockets to sell his books) and having an "expose" on beef processing plants. This should be good (sarcasm alert)- everybody is snowed in so her audience will be even bigger. They will probably go to great lengths to talk about how cruel we livestock producers are to our animals, how meat is terrible, so on and so forth. Funny that there are no cameramen following me around today- maybe that would tell a side of the story that they aren't interested in telling. I don't know what the show will have to say about livestock and meat, but i know enough about the people they have on to know it won't be fair, accurate, or based in sound science. That would be asking far too much. Maybe I'll be surprised. I won't be watching, I'll be busy caring for my animals.
Regardless of whether you are snowed in, or enjoying beautiful summer-like temperatures in some tropical, exotic location, please take a moment to appreciate the work American farmers, particularly livestock farmers do for your food supply. Unless you're following and drinking the Oprah Kool-Aid again by going vegan. However, remember that although one may be told otherwise, life is not all or nothing, instead, take a minute to appreciate all the controversy and craziness that make our lives interesting!
Happy reading!
Snowpocalypse 2011- A Cattleman's Perspective
With a few minutes of break here in the middle of the day, I thought I'd share what this snowstorm means to those of us caring for livestock on days like today.
The past two days have been spent preparing for the blizzard of biblical proportions, according to the weathermen. Fixing up and cleaning sheds for the lucky cattle that have one available to them, bedding down extra loose hay in the areas that have windbreaks for those cattle that won't have a roof over their head, and making sure water is readily available in all situations. We fed enough hay this morning that if the weather necessitates, the older cows will be OK if I can't get there tomorrow.
The maternity ward is a different story. I'm in the first week of calving season for my first calf heifers. These are first time mothers, and like first time mothers, they often times have no clue of what to do. Sometimes when they go into labor, they want to be alone, so they will leave the comfort of the shed and go out to the corner of the lot and give birth there. As first time mommas, in that scenario, they are likely to get up and head back to the shed. Not such a good deal today! Experienced cows won't do this- they will either stay with their baby, or run the others out of the barn so that they can have it to themselves. Thus, the heifers will be checked every two hours during the day, and when I check them before I go to bed, I will shut those four heifers that I predict are most likely to calve in the barn where they can't get out into the snow. If at that time I believe that any of them are in the process of going into labor, I will be out at 2 am to go check them and make sure that they deliver successfully and assist them if required. If the forecast holds true (and it is so far), I will have to take my loader tractor for that trip as the roads will likely be impassible for my pickup (the calving barn is 3 miles down the road).
As if today wasn't bad enough already, I hear that Oprah is having a big deal on going Vegan for a week, having Michael Pollen and his ridiculous fabrications and lies (all in the name of lining his pockets to sell his books) and having an "expose" on beef processing plants. This should be good (sarcasm alert)- everybody is snowed in so her audience will be even bigger. They will probably go to great lengths to talk about how cruel we livestock producers are to our animals, how meat is terrible, so on and so forth. Funny that there are no cameramen following me around today- maybe that would tell a side of the story that they aren't interested in telling. I don't know what the show will have to say about livestock and meat, but i know enough about the people they have on to know it won't be fair, accurate, or based in sound science. That would be asking far too much. Maybe I'll be surprised. I won't be watching, I'll be busy caring for my animals.
Monday, January 17, 2011
The Name Game
As calving season continues on (we now have two purebred Simmental calves), I have been constantly reminded of the increased workload Joe has to endure, as well as the excitement the girls get from hearing the news, "It's a boy!" or "It's a girl!" My girls are so excited to actually pet and visit the new calves, however, the excitement continues when they are asked to name the calves.
As I reported earlier, Yosemite Sam is the first bull calf we had, just a few days ago. Bugs Bunny was born Saturday night, named again by Anna, who, in the car on the way to Grandma and Grandpa's decided that she would name the boys and Josie would name the girls (Amelia was thrown under the bus this year). Sounds like a good plan, don't you think?
While the girls believe that the responsibility of naming the new babies is theirs to bear, Joe has the final say on the truly correct, registered names. The names the girls come up with are merely nicknames only to be used on the farm (Joe used to use ex-girlfriend's names, but has since stopped that). They do have a registered name, which is Joe's initials, followed by a derivative of their dad's name, for the bull calves, and mom's name, for the heifers. For example, Bugs Bunny's actual name is JRW (initials) Dominique (dad's name) W2Y (tattooed name). The true name of each animal ends with this series of letters and numbers: the first letters being Joe's initials, followed by the number which indicates the order in which the calf was born, and then another letter, which denotes the year in which he or she was born. This sequence, on the purebred calves, also matches their permanent ear tattooes. Quite a science. Josie thinks it's great that the little calves get to wear earrings so young, and Anna wonders what their mothers think about their tattooes, since we have made it abundantly clear how we feel about scarring the girls' beautiful skin.
Even though they're just nicknames, naming the calves gives the girls a sense of ownership, making it such a great way to introduce them to the cattle business. However, sometimes, the inevitable has to happen. When some of the cattle need to be "culled" (which means sorted out and sent to the sale barn due to many factors: some of them include being difficult or trouble makers in the herd), it becomes tricky to explain to little girls about keeping the herd healthy and breeding with the traits we want in our cattle. That's why when Paige, Anna's bucket calf, lovingly named after one of the girls' favorite cousins, needed to go away because as a bucket calf (a calf literally fed by a bottle and a bucket) and a twin, she did not have the qualities that would allow her to be a viable asset to the herd, we had to pull a fast one on Anna. Joe didn't have the heart to tell her that her first true responsibility on the farm wasn't working out, so he switched out the tags with a similar looking calf, and thanks to the fact that the kids don't quite get the true naming system yet, Paige lives on! That may seem dishonest to some, but I equate it to allowing the girls to believe in Santa Clause. However, if we're still pulling these fast ones on the girls when they're 15, then we have a lying issue in our house. Until then, age appropriate fantasies will occur in our house.
The bearer of the most work during this time is Joe, for certain. Late night checks, assisting in the birth of some of the calves, as well as remembering to write down what calf was born in which order to what mother are just the start of his duties. I am happy, however, that even though they're just nicknames, by naming the calves, my girls are getting a taste of responsibility and ownership in this business that their dad loves. I just hope I can remember to check Joe's pockets for the calving books he uses, as to not wash the important data he recorded with his work clothes!
As I reported earlier, Yosemite Sam is the first bull calf we had, just a few days ago. Bugs Bunny was born Saturday night, named again by Anna, who, in the car on the way to Grandma and Grandpa's decided that she would name the boys and Josie would name the girls (Amelia was thrown under the bus this year). Sounds like a good plan, don't you think?
While the girls believe that the responsibility of naming the new babies is theirs to bear, Joe has the final say on the truly correct, registered names. The names the girls come up with are merely nicknames only to be used on the farm (Joe used to use ex-girlfriend's names, but has since stopped that). They do have a registered name, which is Joe's initials, followed by a derivative of their dad's name, for the bull calves, and mom's name, for the heifers. For example, Bugs Bunny's actual name is JRW (initials) Dominique (dad's name) W2Y (tattooed name). The true name of each animal ends with this series of letters and numbers: the first letters being Joe's initials, followed by the number which indicates the order in which the calf was born, and then another letter, which denotes the year in which he or she was born. This sequence, on the purebred calves, also matches their permanent ear tattooes. Quite a science. Josie thinks it's great that the little calves get to wear earrings so young, and Anna wonders what their mothers think about their tattooes, since we have made it abundantly clear how we feel about scarring the girls' beautiful skin.
Even though they're just nicknames, naming the calves gives the girls a sense of ownership, making it such a great way to introduce them to the cattle business. However, sometimes, the inevitable has to happen. When some of the cattle need to be "culled" (which means sorted out and sent to the sale barn due to many factors: some of them include being difficult or trouble makers in the herd), it becomes tricky to explain to little girls about keeping the herd healthy and breeding with the traits we want in our cattle. That's why when Paige, Anna's bucket calf, lovingly named after one of the girls' favorite cousins, needed to go away because as a bucket calf (a calf literally fed by a bottle and a bucket) and a twin, she did not have the qualities that would allow her to be a viable asset to the herd, we had to pull a fast one on Anna. Joe didn't have the heart to tell her that her first true responsibility on the farm wasn't working out, so he switched out the tags with a similar looking calf, and thanks to the fact that the kids don't quite get the true naming system yet, Paige lives on! That may seem dishonest to some, but I equate it to allowing the girls to believe in Santa Clause. However, if we're still pulling these fast ones on the girls when they're 15, then we have a lying issue in our house. Until then, age appropriate fantasies will occur in our house.
The bearer of the most work during this time is Joe, for certain. Late night checks, assisting in the birth of some of the calves, as well as remembering to write down what calf was born in which order to what mother are just the start of his duties. I am happy, however, that even though they're just nicknames, by naming the calves, my girls are getting a taste of responsibility and ownership in this business that their dad loves. I just hope I can remember to check Joe's pockets for the calving books he uses, as to not wash the important data he recorded with his work clothes!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Calf Watch 2011-Update
He's here (I thought about titling this blog post something like this, but my mother would have had a heart attack...considering my current state!)!
Anyway, our newest addition to the Purebred Simmental herd is here!
Weighing in at just around 90 pounds, Yosemite Sam (Anna named him) came into the world with a little bit of difficulty, but (sparing you the truly gross details) with a little pushing from both Mama and Joe, the use of a few chains (don't ask, unless you really want to know), and the help of our neighbor and landlord, Lou, they delivered him safely and all parties are doing well.
We are hopeful that a late night, cold, and rather tricky delivery does not continue to be a trend during our calving season. This delivery occurred at 11:30 PM on one of the absolute coldest nights of this winter. In the cattle world, it seems that this is always the case. A friend of ours was laughing (now) about the birth of twin calves, in the snow, who were warmed by a hairdryer at 3AM, and then unfortunately died the next morning. Calving is tricky, and with constant observation and hopefully healthy deliveries, they can be pleasantly uneventful.
That, coupled with being lucky with your timing when you check the mamas! Thankfully, that night the Illini were playing that night (badly, thanks to the curse of playing Penn State at Penn State), and Joe and I had only been asleep on the couch for about an hour (or the second half of the terrible game), so he awoke to his alarm to go check her, just in time.
We are so excited to get this season started. Well, Joe's excited...I'm cautiously optimistic that most births will go well, and it will be a quick season.
Here's to hoping!
Anyway, our newest addition to the Purebred Simmental herd is here!
Weighing in at just around 90 pounds, Yosemite Sam (Anna named him) came into the world with a little bit of difficulty, but (sparing you the truly gross details) with a little pushing from both Mama and Joe, the use of a few chains (don't ask, unless you really want to know), and the help of our neighbor and landlord, Lou, they delivered him safely and all parties are doing well.
We are hopeful that a late night, cold, and rather tricky delivery does not continue to be a trend during our calving season. This delivery occurred at 11:30 PM on one of the absolute coldest nights of this winter. In the cattle world, it seems that this is always the case. A friend of ours was laughing (now) about the birth of twin calves, in the snow, who were warmed by a hairdryer at 3AM, and then unfortunately died the next morning. Calving is tricky, and with constant observation and hopefully healthy deliveries, they can be pleasantly uneventful.
That, coupled with being lucky with your timing when you check the mamas! Thankfully, that night the Illini were playing that night (badly, thanks to the curse of playing Penn State at Penn State), and Joe and I had only been asleep on the couch for about an hour (or the second half of the terrible game), so he awoke to his alarm to go check her, just in time.
We are so excited to get this season started. Well, Joe's excited...I'm cautiously optimistic that most births will go well, and it will be a quick season.
Here's to hoping!
Friday, February 26, 2010
The Calving Game
Two years ago, when the weather was turning to spring and the promise of spring jackets and green grass was upon us, we had a birthday party for Anna at our house. Now, while the warmer temps lifted up everyone's spirits, and the festive atmosphere of a 3 year old's birthday made for a good day, Joe was wading in the muck. He had just taken over the cattle operation that spring, and was to deliver his first calves in a few weeks. However, on this day, when roughly 30 people were to come to our house for our party, one heifer decided to deliver early. . . in the mud. . . and the muck.
Did I mention ALL of our family was en route to our house??? And then his truck got stuck.
Thank heavens it was our oldest daughter's birthday. . . we all were happy and had our company smiles on when Joe finally came in covered head to toe in mud and manure. Thank heavens everyone there was either a farmer, farm wife or farm kid-- so nobody cared. And thank heavens the Webels are prepared folks, as his grandpa and dad pulled their Northerner boots out of their car trunks and helped out. That's what they have in their trunks. . . I have a stroller and a rubber mat to protect my trunk from aforementioned boots.
Anyway, calving is upon us, and it is seems to be like one of those shell games at a carnival. Joe has a good idea of which cow or heifer or bred heifer (There is a difference, they're not all just "cows" until they have more than one calf. . .thus, I was referred to as a "bred heifer" when I was expecting our first child, and then just a "cow" when I was expecting our second and third children. Isn't that lovely?) is getting about ready to calve, and tries to shut them in a smaller, "strawed down" area so he can check them all day and night, but some of them are unpredictable. And to my "type A" husband, that is enough to drive him to insanity. He walked over snow drifts last night after judging the FFA speech contest in his dress pants and tall boots to look after one expecting mama that was acting "calvey" (whatever that means) only to find, well, nothing. Until a set of feet or a water bag is hanging out, it's hard telling who's going to go and when. Sorry for the graphic description, but try to explain that to a three year old as she watches out the window!
Cattle work is hard, unpredictable, expensive, cold/hot (depending on the season), yet so rewarding for Joe, educational for our daughters, and an exercise in patience for me. Joe is so proud of his herd, and I am proud of his work ethic and the results he gets. He is in tune with the majority of his new mamas, and works hard to make them all comfortable. I am learning more and more about what to expect when the cattle are expecting, and now that another large birthday party is upon us, I am braced for unpredictability and a muddy husband!
Did I mention ALL of our family was en route to our house??? And then his truck got stuck.
Thank heavens it was our oldest daughter's birthday. . . we all were happy and had our company smiles on when Joe finally came in covered head to toe in mud and manure. Thank heavens everyone there was either a farmer, farm wife or farm kid-- so nobody cared. And thank heavens the Webels are prepared folks, as his grandpa and dad pulled their Northerner boots out of their car trunks and helped out. That's what they have in their trunks. . . I have a stroller and a rubber mat to protect my trunk from aforementioned boots.
Anyway, calving is upon us, and it is seems to be like one of those shell games at a carnival. Joe has a good idea of which cow or heifer or bred heifer (There is a difference, they're not all just "cows" until they have more than one calf. . .thus, I was referred to as a "bred heifer" when I was expecting our first child, and then just a "cow" when I was expecting our second and third children. Isn't that lovely?) is getting about ready to calve, and tries to shut them in a smaller, "strawed down" area so he can check them all day and night, but some of them are unpredictable. And to my "type A" husband, that is enough to drive him to insanity. He walked over snow drifts last night after judging the FFA speech contest in his dress pants and tall boots to look after one expecting mama that was acting "calvey" (whatever that means) only to find, well, nothing. Until a set of feet or a water bag is hanging out, it's hard telling who's going to go and when. Sorry for the graphic description, but try to explain that to a three year old as she watches out the window!
Cattle work is hard, unpredictable, expensive, cold/hot (depending on the season), yet so rewarding for Joe, educational for our daughters, and an exercise in patience for me. Joe is so proud of his herd, and I am proud of his work ethic and the results he gets. He is in tune with the majority of his new mamas, and works hard to make them all comfortable. I am learning more and more about what to expect when the cattle are expecting, and now that another large birthday party is upon us, I am braced for unpredictability and a muddy husband!
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