Another Calving Experience

We had an adventure a couple nights ago with a heifer the ladies call Chocolate. She's one who was bred a little too young and we knew we'd need to watch real close. Well her time came two nights ago and sure enough her calf got stuck in the birth canal. Only his hooves and snout had cleared. The poor guy's tongue was swollen and sticking out. Tera was the first to see it and thought for sure he was dead. At a glance that was the only conclusion one could make.

Nonetheless we had to get it out, so we called the neighbors for back up. Douglas Earl and Gary showed up on the double. Earl announced that the calf was still alive and worked quickly to pull the calf. It was fairly easy--Chocolate just needed a little extra help. We got the calf moved into the the calving shed and then into our bathroom where Korin comforted him and Tera gave him his first meal, a bottle of colostrum the guys were able to milk from Chocolate while she was in the corral.

We weren't real sure what was going to happen to Chocolate. She seemed to be in give-up mode so Gary, Earl and I had to prod her a bunch to get her on her feet and into the calving shed to warm up and get a bite to eat. She spent the night alone on a bed of straw and probably thought she'd died and gone to heaven.

The whole ordeal was fairly traumatic, for me anyway. I was like an apprentice, just watching the masters take over (gladly, I must admit). Tera, Maureen and Korin were naturals--hopping right it. I'll never forget how fast Korin moved when Tera first announced that the calf was coming. She was already in bed, but I could see the whites of her eyes when she heard Tera. "Well," I said. "What are you waiting for? Get out there!" She was up and in her coveralls so fast, I couldn't have caught her if I tried.

Well anyway, Tera and Gary brought the calf out to Chocolate yesterday and now we're hopeful that she's going to take him, otherwise he'll be a bottle calf for the next three months! In hindsight, both Tera and I feel bad for being so ill-prepared. Nothing like the school of hard knocks. It's just too bad the health and happiness of our animals is so dependent on how well and fast we learn! Anyway, I bought a book on calving at Borders yesterday and Tera's already reading it, cover to cover.