Bits and Pieces

Yes, the weather has been grumpy for the past few days. They are predicting we are supposed to get freezing, and well below freezing temps on Monday. Great. Happy Spring! But I guess the last frost date around here is in mid-April, I don't remember exactly.

Anyway. On Wed we went up to get one of the downed calves. (The other one is already out in the hay shed) Hubby took the tractor and hip attachment thingy (I dunno the official name for it.) and chains, I brought the 4-wheeler with the little wagon. Calf was down in a ravine and I was petrified that he was going to tip the tractor over getting down to her, but he didn't. He attached the hip-thingy to her hip bones and lifted her out of there and hoisted her onto the cart and I brought her back here. Then after all that she died that night. Well, I guess you can't save them all.

On Wed evening our bull calf-buyer called and said she wasn't going to be able to buy them any more. So that kind of leaves us hanging. Of course you can always take them to the auction, but that's a lot of trouble. But then again I understand her point; it's a pain to raise them because you have to get milk replacer and all sorts of other stuff, which is pretty expensive.

So yesterday we get a bull calf. Ha. Hubby has someone coming over 60 miles to get him. That is a long way for one little calf. Today we got another heifer calf. They are cute.

Bye for now.

Comments

Donna. W said…
Would you mind telling me how much you get for a bull calf? Next year when my heifer is fresh, we might think about traveling that far if we could buy four or five bull calves.

If you'd rather not say, it's no problem.
Unknown said…
Oh, I can totally relate to this post! The "you can't save them all" bit really hit close to home. I was depressed yesterday, thinking that I may not be emotionally strong enough to be a farmer's wife! We lost a heifer and her calf yesterday.

Hubby asked me to help him deliver a calf. I knew this was serious since the cows usually deliver on their own. This heifer was at it for hours and hours and we tried to pull her calf. Still nothing but hooves showing. We called the vet and when he came he examined her and said that her uterus was ruptured and it seemed the calf died while the cow was trying to push. We were trying to get her to not push, but she wanted that calf out of her big time.

I was so depressed after. Imagine carrying a baby for its entire gestation period, only to lose it and then die too? I don't know why this particular experience really got to me. We've lost cows and calves before, but this time it was really hard for me.
Calfkeeper said…
donna-I sent you an email on this one. Usually we sell them one at a time; as they show up.

c-yes, I have been in on a terrible calving where hubby had to shoot the heifer. There was no saving her. It was awful and I felt so terrible for days afterwards. It's not easy losing them after you have put so much time and effort into them and let yourself get attached.

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