The running of the cattle

Yesterday, we had a calf that we were unable to find.  Kris knew the cow had given birth in the pasture, but there was no calf in sight.  He looked for it in the pouring rain.  Kody looked for it.  Kris looked for it many more times ... but couldn't find it.  He was disappointed. 

Then last night right before midnight I got an email from my lovely neighbors Sharon and Ben.  She said they had heard a lot of mooing and went outside to investigate.  She "tromped through the weeds" on her side of the fence and found the calf!  She said it was "quite comfortable and in no particular hurry to return to its mom."  Sharon held a light and Ben stood up the calf and walked it over to our side of the fence.  She said, "I loved it!"

A happy ending, orchestrated by Sharon and Ben - thanks!

There is so much going on.  Just a few things: yesterday we put up the new grain bin.  They put on nine out of fifteen roof trusses today.  We're dealing with many new mothers.  Today we got a delivery of 16 more heifers we purchased.  Also, today we moved our one-year-old heifers (called yearlings) out to pasture for the first time ... and they were so excited!

I took a little video.  It went on like this for quite some time.  It's probably still happening right now.
 

Our lunchtime conversation yesterday

"There were six calves this morning, and we had to pull four of them."

"Wow."

"One of them I pulled using my belt.  I learned that from your dad."

"What?!  Why didn't you use the chains?"

"Your dad had my truck with the chains in it."

"Oh ... did it work?"

"Yeah, it worked great.  It's a sturdy belt."

"Well!  I'm glad."

"It's a little crusty now."


Now I know what to get him for Father's Day.

16 going once ... going twice ...

Kris, dad, and all the guys had a long day yesterday.  Sixteen calves born!  It's a record for us.  However, we have more cows this year than any year, so it was an easy record to break.

Happily, we also got some corn planted yesterday.  We pay a custom corn planter to plant some of our fields for us.  It works out quite nicely that the planting is getting done while the calves are constantly being born, getting bottle-fed, having their mothers brought in for their first milking ... you get the idea. 

Kris sent me to town to get a part for the calf cart, but it wasn't the right part.  Today I went back and just handed the phone to the hardware store employee.  I'm sure they get that a lot.  He didn't even seem phased when I abondoned him in the aisle with my phone after my son declared he had to go to the bathroom.

Today was rainy, which always means fewer calves.  They like to birth them on dry days.  But there were eight born - that used to seem like a lot.

My neighbor Sharon watched from her backyard - and took some fantastic pictures!  This is hers:

She told me, "This just never gets old." 

For us, either!  This is really the best time of the year on the farm.  Kris would agree with me, but he's headed to bed.

Calf explosion

Lots of activity at the barn - the builders were pouring cement for the utility building and a grain bin pad today.  Kris let the boys write their names in it.  They both wrote in cursive, because they think cursive is awesome.

Kris pointed out a cow in the pasture that he thought was going to have a calf.  He could tell because she had her tail up and her udder was really big.  She looked so close to calving it was even obvious to me.  After he pointed her out I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed her already.  She might as well as had a sign above her blinking 'IN LABOR.' 

We watched her ... some of us from a higher vantage point than others ...

and in no time, the hooves were out.  She laid down, gave a few pushes, and had her calf! 

I was close enough to see it happen, but not close enough for really good pictures.  If you want to see close pictures of a calf being born, check out my pictures here.  It looked a lot like that.  Really, all the easy births do. 

Eight calves today!  It's 10:40 p.m. and Kris is just getting home from his last calf check.  How many more will be born before midnight?  Only the cows will know ... this household is going to sleep.  We have to get ready for more calves and cursive tomorrow!

First the trade show, then the calf show

Today I worked in the United Dairy of Industry Michigan's trade show booth at the Michigan International Women's Show in Novi, MI.  It was huge!  There were tons of women there and they eagerly snapped up our recipe books, nutritional information, and Got Milk? magnet clips.  (We were calling them 'chip clips' but decided 'magnet clips' was a more descriptive name.) 

 

 

UDIM also hosted a cooking show, with chef Dina Tallman, where she cooked guacamole, smoothies, and parfaits with lots of dairy ingredients.  I assisted her in handing out the prepared food to the attendees.

 

 

This show had everything ... people getting their teeth whitened, people using shaking machines, poison ivy removal services with HORRIBLE pictures of poison ivy rashes ... everything.  It was a great show, UDIM has wonderful staff, and with all the choices of booths to visit - it was nice to hear people rave about dairy!

 

Meanwhile, back on the farm ...

 

Kris came home and said, "I need your help getting calves.  You can drive."

 

I said, "Eh ... you can drive."

 

He said, "I need to open and close the fences, so you should drive.  Come on - it can't be trade shows and marketing all the time, there needs to be some farming!"

 

We laughed, gathered up the boys, and went to collect calves. 

 

At one point you have to throw a log on top of a wire fence, then drive straight over it.  (We switched on the way back so I could get the 'log throwing' experience under my belt.)

 

We picked up some newborn calves:

 

 

We took them to the barn where Kris clipped their umbilical cords shorter, then dipped the cords in iodine to clean them:

 

 

I took this picture because Kris got a call right then.  His phone never stops ringing, actually - salesmen, farm stuff, farm stuff, farm stuff, friends and family.  Today one of his calls was from Kris' former co-worker friend who just quit his job to go back and farm with his family!  So trendy! 

 

 

We have six heifer calves and two bull calves in the barn right now.

 

 They're all healthy and good looking!  Some little ...

 

 

Some big ...

 

 

Some really, really loud:

 

Whether we're in a booth in a city or on our little farm, it's all the same deal.  Thank you!  We hope you're enjoying your dairy products!  We're enjoying producing them. 

Fall baby

Kris stopped by to tell me there was a cow across the road from our house who was starting to calve.  (The kids and I didn't notice, as we were far too busy throwing raking leaves.)

 

He loaded them up in the truck to do chores and I headed out in the field to see if I could see yet another calf being born! 

 

The excitement has not worn off, I assure you.

 

Beautiful day:

 

 

The cow was really far along and pushing the calf out easily.  The calf's tongue was sticking out and she was moving her head around.

 

 

After she got this far, the cow stood up.  The calf didn't come out. 

 

You look like you have a little something there.

The calf stayed that way for a long time.  Defying gravity. 

 

Hey, did you notice you have a calf attached to you?

I could hear the mucous draining out of the calf.  I kept thinking I should assist, but knew that if I weren't there - like the hundreds of other times - everything would turn out fine.  So I just watched. 

 

So did the other cows. 

 

 

Eventually, she gave a big push and the calf plopped onto the grass.  Welcome to the world! 

 

 

Good thing you're pliable!

 

Almost last

A cow was kind enough to calve right in front of our house yesterday!  As I walked out toward her, I could see she was really close.  When I got in a good spot to watch, she pushed out her calf!  It was the perfect timing.

Newborn. It actually doesn't get any more new than this. 

 

All cleaned off and mooing, just minutes old

Kris said that later she also gave birth to another - she had twins.  I guess I was bound to see at least one of them be born ...

It's also that time of year - on Friday we moved the yearlings (that's what you call cattle that are a year old) at the old barn out to pasture.  They've been kicking up their heels in delight all weekend long.  They haven't even broken out yet - fingers crossed. 

So now the pasture is full of heifers.  In the paddock next to them are the last 11 cows that have yet to give birth.  The cycle continues, with one huge difference - this is the most calves I've seen born in any year!  2012 will go down in history!

That number?  Yeah, it's three.  Three births.  Two natural, one assisted.  It's a start.   

Flat tire

Does that wagon look crooked to you? 

Yes, that is one FLAT tire.

This is the way it works:  the chopper chops the alfalfa and blows it into a wagon.  The wagon is being pulled by a tractor.  When we harvest, we have two tractors pulling two wagons.  Once one is full, the driver dumps it on the pile at the barn.  Then goes back.  It's a cycle so that the wagons never stop moving and the chopper never stops moving.

Unless you get a flat tire! 

The wooden blocks on the ground are for helping jack it up.  You have to jack, put a block under the axle, put a block under the jack, etc.  Since it's full of chopped alfalfa, it's really heavy, too. 

Thankfully, we had another wagon we could use.   Nice to have a spare - tire and wagon.

****

Kris said this is the busiest week of his life.  He's working every waking hour, and when he's chopping and such, he's planning what he needs to do next.  But he said that he's not sure if it's like this every year and he forgets about it, or if it really is more busy.

I guess next year we can just check the blog posts! 

Uterine torsion night

Wow - I've seen two births in two days! This one was not as easy for the cow ... she'd been laboring since morning, but she wasn't dilating or progressing. She was tired and weak. Kris called the veterinarian to see what he thought was wrong.

Russ, our regular vet and friend, came and checked her out. He put on the long glove, cleaned her up, palpated her and immediately said, "It's uterine torsion." That means that her uterus has twisted and there's no way the calf can come out.

Russ let my sons and me feel her, too. I guess we'll all be ready next time we need to make a diagnosis.

Russ said that the new vet in their clinic - it was his first week - was coming. He said, "Don't tell him it's uterine torsion! We'll let him make the diagnosis."

Nick came with his fiancee Karen, who's also a vet. He felt around and made the correct diagnosis. We all cheered.

They told me how you correct a uterine torsion. You turn the cow around, while holding the uterus in place, and it effectively untwists her uterus.

It took some figuring deciding which way was the untwist direction. My dad went to get a long board to brace the calf/uterus part of her.

The vets gave her a bottle of calcium through a needle in her neck to help her in her muscle recovery.

Russ said to Nick, "Do you want to do the surfing?" That's apparently vet lingo for, "Do you want to stand on the board we're placing on the cow?" He did.

Note - the cow was right by the road. Kris said he didn't want to chase her into the barn earlier because she was weak. So, by this time quite a crowd had gathered. Friends, strangers, family members ... the uterine torsion show is on!

Kris, my dad, and the vets started turning her while holding the board in place. She didn't resist. 

Nick palpated her afterward and ... it had turned! We were all so happy.

Now it was time to pull out the calf. He went inside her and placed the chains around the calf's feet.

They pulled. She wasn't dilated, so it took a lot of gentle pulling, because Nick didn't want her to tear.

Then, the big, healthy bull was born!

They sucked out his nose and mouth with a bigger version of the snot suckers they use on human babies.

Hello!

The cow bled a lot at first, but it stopped and she rallied. She licked off her calf and was standing and walking around.

So, a happy ending to the story! With all its twists and turns. Or, fixing them.

Success!

I saw a calf being born today!

I got really lucky. I was writing a blog post and looking out my living room window at the cattle across the road. Right in my line of view I saw a cow with hooves coming out!

I ran outside and watched her. (I was hoping the people in cars driving by didn't take note of my hurried ensemble of a blue jacket, green shorts, and red shoes. Nothing odd going on here! Just a rainbow standing in a field!)

She would stand, lay down, and push. Eat some grass. Stand, lay down, push. Look at me, wondering what I was doing in her birthing room. 45 minutes passed. The rest of the cows became interested in me and started to come over to lick my clothes and skin.

I couldn't tell if she was progressing, but then she stood up and I saw that the calf's head was out.

I called Kris and asked if this was okay or if I should try to pull the calf. He said that it was fine and that if she was standing up and I tried to pull it, she'd run away from me. He said he'd be over in a few minutes.

She laid down, gave a few hard pushes, a quiet moo-an, and out slid the calf!

I can hardly tell you how excited I was! (And still am, really. Made my day.)

The calf was quiet and still. The mother - she was a good one who knew what to do - immediately started licking it to stimulate and dry it. The calf started breathing and bawling.

She really went to work on this calf. A few other cows gathered around and helped her lick it off. She also ate all the grass around it that had fluid from the birth on it.

Did you know almost all placental mammals eat the placenta of their young? Know what mammals don't? Humans (most, anyway), camels, cetaceans (like whales and dolphins), and pinnipeds (like seals and walruses.) Try to bring that up at your next dinner party!

Kris and Josh came over to check out the new calf. Kris saw it was a bull.

I left her still licking off her calf - she did it for at least 15 minutes - and went inside and told a friend that I'd just seen a calf born! She said, "Great! That's really going to free up your schedule this spring."

It was a record day this year ... EIGHT calves born! But yes, this one is clearly my favorite.