Boy Oh Boy!

Yesterday was my only day off all week from work, and by that I mean the work that requires showering and putting on clean clothes to go into town.

Lucky me, we had a nice little surprise during morning chores, but not without a little scare!

When my uncle came up in the morning around 6a.m. he said Lace-it (a cow) was calving. Now, when I find out a cow is calving I get both really excited, but I also realize how much more work that means, and it wasn't exactly nice weather outside. After I finished milking, around 7a.m, I went out to the pasture to check on Lace-it. She was standing by herself in the far corner, looking a little uncomfortable. Then again, I guess if I had a 100lb calf coming out of my body I wouldn't be in the best mood either. 

Anyhow....

Usually we can tell a cow is starting to give birth because she is off laying by herself. Remember how I said this cow was standing? Not a great sign. We want them to lay down when they calve. Even though I wasn't within 20 yards of her I left to see if she would get comfortable and lay down because I could see the feet of the calf. I came back after about 10 min and she still wasn't laying down and the feet were still hanging out. 

Yes, I got nervous. Who knows how long the feet were already out right? What if the calf was backwards I kept thinking? Lace-it looked like she might be having trouble calving (something you pick up on after you've done this once or twice.) So, I walked her up towards the barn thinking we were maybe going to have to help her give birth. I got her up there and my uncle decided to wait it out a bit longer....Needless to say I was chomping at the bit to get this calf out of her! 

I waited....

and waited...

She laid down. Got up. Laid down. Got up. Laid down. Got up. 

Finally I came back at about 8:30 and I found this little guy

They Grow Up So Fast!

Sorry for the delay in posts, and specifically this one!

Last week we moved calves on the farm. This usually occurs a couple times a year, Spring and Fall, and depending on weather, in the Winter also. 

So, here is what happens:

The babies get weaned off of bottles at about 6-8 weeks old (you think your kids grow up fast, my baby calves grow up even faster!) Until that point, and usually a few weeks after (we don't want to make too many changes at once to keep stress levels low), they'll stay in these huts:

They are incredibly warm in the winter and during the summer we take extra precautions to keep the calves cool. All that straw is only from half of the winter!

Last week, before we could move the calves in, I had to fence and get the water and feeder ready. Fencing means to go around the pasture fence and make sure nothing fell on it or knocked it down over the winter. Then I set up the water. This required me to make sure the little babies would be able to reach it. That is why it is on a slant.

I think pictures can describe the story of the two hour process better, oh and a super cool video narrated by yours truly!

My brother, Zach. 

Everyone is having a good time with the calves!

We lead them to water so that they know where it is.

Hmmm...where to go first?!

They all learned where the water is! Must be thirsty after running around!

This one is for the farmers!

Yes, this weather just plain sucks! I'm sure your thinking the same thing, but for a different reason.

I love spring, hearing the birds chirp, watching green grass grow and working outside (in sunshine and decent temperatures!) Oh, I also love the long days :)  

I always think its funny when the urban population complains about the nasty weather and 17" of snow in May. Okay, I know it sucks for you too, and you'd much rather be outside enjoying nice sunshine and green grass. I'm sure your drive to work is also no fun, probably not real safe either. That is one thing I am grateful I do not have to do every day!

However, for farmers, this snow makes a ton of extra work! So please, if you the worst thing you have to endure during this icky Spring is one or two lousy commutes, don't complain. Actually I shouldn't say that. The snow in general is not so bad. Neither is pushing it. We are pretty lucky we have tractors to push it around! But...that still doesn't eliminate shoveling away from all the doors (and there are many places the tractor can't get to), the melting snow that turns to mud, the extra bedding needed to keep the animals dry and the soaking wet clothes that won't even dry over night. 

The worst part though? 

1.) Many farmer's hay fields are dead. This is a huge problem because hay is a large portion of the cows diet. Meaning, many farmers won't have enough feed their cows. (More questions about this? Message me.) 

2.) They are out of bedding. We baled extra straw and cornstalks last year and we are still almost out! We can't very well just let the calves get wet and dirty, especially if the temperature drops. But when we are out of bedding what are we supposed to do? This is why farmers are the most creative people I've ever met. 

On the bright side:

1.) We aren't as bad off as many farmers. Especially ones that encountered the drought last year and are already short on many supplies (hay/straw.)

2.) The snow is better than rain. Hopefully it will soak into the ground and not just create mud like rain would do instantly. 

3.) During the Depression they had to cut trees down for the cattle to eat. It isn't this bad yet! :)

Thank you farmers for being creative and finding solutions even when it continues to poor! The animals depend on you and so does everyone that eats!!!