3, 2, 1, Action!

Years ago, we did it. And, no surprise to me, I blogged about it HERE. (One of the best things about blogging for so long… I can go back and read my entries and get a kick out of my own stories!)

But that was years ago. While it worked well for a few seasons, it kind of slid by us, and we dropped it. Now, though! NOW! Technology has come a long way since 2011, security cameras among them. Daniel has installed new cameras in our calving shed and we can once again see our calving shed pens over the internet!

In fact, the first day it was up and running, we witnessed two births. Sweet!

See that sweet little calf asleep in the straw?

This doesn’t replace walking through the heifers and sorting them into individual pens so they can calve alone. What it does save is multiple trips to the calving shed when one is in labor. Even if you’re quiet, you have to get close enough to see the progress (or lack of). If the heifer is nervous, which many are, they’ll stand, move around, and delay labor. It’s a survival mode… if danger is around, maybe delaying calving is a great idea. Of course, they can’t stop it, but it sure seems like they can slow it down!

Now we can stay away, letting nature proceed on her own, just showing up for the actual birth or assisting if she needs help.

The thing I like best is that it comes with audio! There’s that special momma moo that cows do with newborns and I love listening to it. Supposedly, we could talk through the cameras as well, but mine doesn’t seem to work and I’m sure Daniel will appreciate it when I give up trying to make it happen by pushing all the buttons!

Kudos once again to Daniel who installed and got the cameras up and running… I love sitting on my couch and watching calves be born! Ready, girls? 3, 2, 1, action!

Find me here!

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