Tried to get this babies' Mom in the barn yesterday before she gave birth. It was a day of driving cold rain. But Mom would have none of it.. Baby was born in bad conditions. But Hubby put the baby in My arms while I rode on the tailgate of his pickup. Mom finally followed us into the barn.. this morning new hereford heifer was doing laps around my tractor.
What a cutie! It is such a welcome sight to calf dance around after they have such a hard time coming into this world.
We had a calf make an appearance in the middle of a snow storm. She got pretty chilled and we dried her off with a cattle drier and space heater and tubed her with colostrum. We really didn't think she was going to make it through the night but is doing great today.
What an adorable baby! I have not had the opportunity to see a calf close up before, do they always have wavy/curly hair like that?
Nebraska_Jewel, those calves must be tough to endure such conditions and do well. Glad that you were there to take care of the little girl!
Jewel, I have never heard of a cattle drier.. Where would you get something like that? How does it work?
TT, Funny you should ask about the curls. I call her Mom Curly cause she has such a curly forelock.. So the baby comes by it naturally and I have never had a calf with such waves in their coat. I'm sure the grooming by her very attentive mother didn't hurt the wave.
Lovely baby. Congratulations.
Kathy Jo,
The cattle drier is a huge blow drier. We used it when Julia was showing cattle. Here is a super deluxe model. http://www.sullivansupply.com/Iowa/detail.aspx?ID=9522
DH has seen them on farm sales already. Also believe TSC and Orschelins sell them for less. The worst part is that the after birth is so slimy that it's hard to dry (I know people didn't want to hear that).
ok. Next silly question NJ. How is it powered? I am assuming it is electric? So it would be tough to run out in a pasture a long way from the barn?
That calf has as many curls as I have ever seen on a calf. She looks warm and comfy there in the hay. Is she going to be a keeper? That blow dryer could be a real calf saver and it is a good thing your barn has the power to run it. I looked at the ad and it doesn't say anything about how much power it takes. I've thought of taking an old blow dryer to the barn to use on the cold lambs, but so far we just dry them with towels or handfulls of straw and put them under a heat lamp. Some need tube feeding which also helps warm them, and now and then we need to do the warm water bath. That would be hard to do with a calf.
MaryE, Yep , I'm planning to keep her. She has some good breeding and she looks like she will be beautiful. She has some long legs , so I think she will make a bigger cow than her mother. I have a little human hair dryer at the barn.. But , mostly I do the same with lambs.. dry with towels and put under a heat lamp.
Towel drying and rubbing the babies helps to stimulate natural circulation so that helps them to be stronger in a shorter length of time. The heater might be nice to have tho for when you can't stay or there is a cold breeze gaining speed as it goes thru the barn.
That calf is a beauty, KathyJo. Congratulations.
pretty calf kathy.
We just bought a beefmaster heifer calf. I'm bottle feeding it now. Her mother died in birth. their so cute when their that size.
I got a big one out back that loves to push me around, she was bottlefed too
