Calving

Calving... What a fun time of year. Calves are being born left and right. Along with the excitement of that comes the trouble of making sure you have the right amount of cow/calf pairs, whether or not mothers are letting their babies eat, the possibility of a mother having problems giving birth, a mother giving birth to twins but only accepting one calf and the list could go on and on.

Sometimes when a mother has their baby, they don't accept the calf. And that turns ugly quick because a newborn calf in the first weeks of it's life relies very heavily on it's mother to give it the nutrients it needs to survive through her milk. Keep in mind that right now in Promontory, UT where these cows and calves are, the weather is ridiculously unpredictable. Like today for example, the 23rd of February, it is 32 degrees and snowing. The last 2 weeks up until this point, our county has been flooding because of unusually high temperatures and a lot of snow to melt. So some of these babies were born when it was nice and sunny and about 50 degrees, while others will be born in the snow and 30 degrees or below. As I am sure you can imagine, a calf who is just born into 30 degree weather with a mother who won't let it eat spells disaster for the rancher. Why? Because he might lose that calf which means losing $$$. As a buckaroo, that means it's your responsibility to try and get that mother to accept her calf. Sometimes they will put the cow and her calf in a corral and supervise while the calf tries to suck. If it seems like the mother might get hostile with the calf, the buckaroos will jump in and intervene so the calf doesn't get hurt. But then what happens to that calf after a few tries of this? Most of the time that means it's time for the buckaroos to take matters into their own hands and bottle-feed.

Sounds like fun doesn't it? Bottle-feeding a cute little calf? I said the same thing and was quickly told by my husband, "It's fun at first, but after awhile it just gets annoying." I was baffled because I couldn't understand how that would be annoying. Calves are so cute! I'd love to bottle-feed one. My buckaroo continues to tell me that even though they're cute, they aren't that small. They are afraid of humans. And they are, obviously, wild animals. I'm sure as you can imagine by that picture in you're head now why it might get a little annoying. Getting continually rammed or kicked in the leg, or nether regions, by a calf you're just trying to help but thinks you're trying to hurt. Maybe the grandeur of it will wear off if I witness it first hand? :)

Luckily for the buckaroos, this year all of the mothers have given birth a time or two. And just like with anything else, if you've done it before it's likely to go more smoothly than if it was your first time. One thing that can happen for a first-calf heifer is the possibility of their calf being breach. Just like a human baby, a calf can get turned around in the uterus and create major issues. When this happens and a buckaroo catches it, they kind of have to let the cow try on her own to get the baby on the ground safely. But if they feel like that isn't going to happen, they will try and get the mother into a chute and get a calf-puller on the baby. Calf-puller.... it looks just like it sounds. Some are made with different materials than others, but all have the same idea. They put the fasteners around the calves legs, and well you guessed it, pull. It helps the mother so she doesn't have to do it on her own. And it's good to get the calf on the ground while buckaroos are around so they can check the calf and make sure it wasn't stillborn.

If the calf that they pulled is stillborn and they have another calf that has a mother that won't let it suck, they will take the stillborn calves hide and put it on the calf that can't pair up. This sounds strange, but it has proven to work. A heifer identifies her calves by their smell. And if a calf that she doesn't recognize as her own is trying to latch, there is going to be trouble. So if the buckaroos are able to get the hide of the stillborn calf onto the one that can't pair up, then there is a good chance that this mother will let this 'orphaned' calf latch. One fire put out. For now.

With love,

Abbie

The Buckaroo's Wife

Below is a picture of my buckaroos colt, who will eventually be our kids babysitter horse. His name is Slic and he is the coolest dude. He is really gentle and patient, which is definitely what I need as a beginner rider. He has the funnest personality and acts like a big ol' dog.

---