Confusion

Boy, don’t know if I can keep everything straight…

Vernon brought me another calf this morning. Born yesterday, but looking like it hadn’t got up to eat. Dry. Add heat lamp. Tube.
Victoria and her boys arrive. They’re on spring break but their cousins don’t get spring break, that’s ok, they’ll see each other after school! We’re off to look for baby calves. Vernon found five this morning. There’s one! And another. And another. We write down number and sex. Another one. Uh oh. Seriously? That one’s calving and it’s another backwards calf! I drop Victoria off to follow the cow and charge back to the barn where the guys had brought the momma to this morning’s indoor calf. By the time we make it back, Victoria about has her cow out the gate and on the road to home.

In the barn she goes and the guys attach the chains to the calf’s legs. This one is bigger than yesterday’s and Vernon calls for the puller. A half moon shaped metal device will fit against the cows bottom. Centered on its exterior curve is a pole with a jack attached. Yes, you crank out the calf just like you jack up a car. It looks horrible, but if the calf is to be saved, it’s necessary. If the cow would just lie down it would be easier, but she doesn’t, and the guys have to maneuver behind her while maintaining pressure and not being whacked by the long pole extending out behind her. Once started, you can’t quit, and Daniel cranks away until with a sudden release, the calf is on the ground and breathing! Yay! It wasn’t an easy entrance into the world but he is here!

A little bit of shuffling other pairs around and we’re back out looking for babies, joined by Lorelei since school is out. Vernon found another one he didn’t think was eating and prepares a bottle for it. Victoria and I find a new baby, but it has another cow trying to claim it. Victoria steps out of the side by side to spray the navel and that cow, who *isn’t* the mother takes Victoria! Nothing like having a huge cow shaking her head and charging you to get the adrenaline flowing! Teamwork eventually gets the job done, but we don’t want the extra cow to claim it as her own, and so we try to run it off. We’re not intimidating enough and though we tried hard, we decide to bring in extra help. Then there’s another extra cow… bawling like she’s had a baby but there’s no evidence… but her bag looks tight. Did she have one? Or not? I’m getting so confused!

We’re looking for a calf to tag for Brandon, a baby to bottle feed for Vernon, a cow stealing another cow’s calf, and one cow who doesn’t have a calf that we can’t figure out. I have to write it all down because I get their numbers all confused!
Finally we feed the one baby, finally separate the thieving cow from the newborn, and decide to take the confusing cow back to the barn to check her. Victoria helps the guys, I slap some leftovers into the microwave and start feeding children and try to bottle feed the calf who’s been in my house all day. They end up pulling that confused cow’s calf, and it’s doing well, and then they come and tube my calf and take it to its mom.

It was a day with everything in it… good thing the day’s so long! Though I probably confused you, so far things have worked out well… and I’m ready for bed!

Find me here!

• 
• 
• 
•