~~ Hes Got This ~~ Walking to the hay barn this morning with an empty 5 gallon bucket and another bucket with some range cubes. The NW wind was just nasty. Poor face is chapped red and just stings when the wind hits my rosy cheeks. Didnt know how to feel walking across the frozen rough ground. Will the calf be alive? Will he be alive and sort of okay? Maybe he will be glad to hear my voice and see me? I really didnt want to go to the barn because I didnt want to see him looking ill and poor in the face. But I had to go. If he was on his last leg I still needed to take care of the cow. I avoided going to the door to look in...I got water for the cow instead. Took a deep breath and around the corner to the door. Looking in I see the red calf looking bright eyed and bushy tailed. His eyes are fuller and bright. The cow had him licked into beautiful hairdo swills from top to bottom, front to rear. He was all spiffed up. I was over the moon, Hey bud! Look at you! Hungry? Are you ready to eat? He wiggled his ears, shook his head and his sore ears, wheeled out his tongue and rolled it between his lips. OM God...a sight for sore eyes. Hes hungry, he knows it is time to eat and he is ready. I poured the 5 gallons of water in the red tub and the cow was ready to drink. I poured out the range cubes by the red tub and she was ready to eat. I stepped to the side and walked around to the calf, leaned over and rubbed his forehead and said, Come on bud...lets eat. He got up, sniffed my glove and I tried to lead his mouth to the teats with a gloved finger. He just walked to me. Thinking he needed my bare hand to smell, I took my glove off and let him smell my fingers, and he wheeled out his tongue to wrap my fingers in his mouth. Typical deal when you work with a calf that doesnt learn to nurse automatically and you help them. The cow was just as calm as a cucumber. I stepped back a bit and led the calfs mouth with my fingers...towards the breakfast bar. It took us a bit, but he inched closer and I had a teat squeezed full of milk and was just waiting for the calf to get to my hand. It took him a bit to not roll the teat and to get into the sucking action but he got it, Thats right bud, you got this! Good boy! When hed slide off a teat Id give him a different one. We made it around all the bases and he was doing great so I stepped back, watched, got the cow more water and left. He had it now. At 3:30 PM when I went to check on the cow and the calf he was up and nursing. He was really enjoying his afternoon meal. Talk about happy. The calf is happy. The cow is happy. I am happy! The calf is not going to have 1/2 his ears and 1/2 his tail is also frozen and it will drop off too. But hey, it could be worse. His feet are fine and 1/2 of his ears and 1/2 of his tail is better than being full of pneumonia or dead. No fever today, breathing easy, running and bucking and his nose blisters are bursting so his nose will be good in a day or so. It sure is a better day that what I had anticipated. Plus, the folks from Oregon came in the early afternoon and we had a wonderful visit. It was cold but the conversation was great. Karen Jackson-Simmonsand her husband John have me all excited to get to Oregon someday. What a great day. Yes, a great day! ~ Feelin Better & Blessed...Thankn the Lord
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 01:32:09 +0000
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