Made our first batch of 2013 butter today. Cows’ diet is mainly hay right now. Just had some well-needed rain, so the pastures are finally beginning to green up. 🙂
Today’s (hay) butter on the left side of the picture is slightly less yellow than the (pasture) butter we have been finishing up from October on the right side… It’s always fun to watch the butter colors change with the seasons. 🙂
Boys went on a walk with Grandma yesterday afternoon & spotted Raspberry with her calf. A nice, sturdy boy! His name is Victor. 🙂
Victor walked with his mom for a part of the journey, then accepted a ride down to the barn for the second part…
Only 5 left to go… 🙂
Meet “Uniform”. Found him this morning with his mama, Disco. From a distance he looked all black, but as we got closer we could see a white underbelly and white flecks all throughout his coat.
He has a flecked stripe from his forehead down to his nose, which is definitely unique. I think we’ll call him “Uni”… 🙂
He is a large & sturdy boy, but not as big as his brother Tango was/is. Uni walked all the way down to the barn with his mama. 🙂
Sooo grateful for another healthy calf and mama! Only six more babies to go… 🙂
What a day, yesterday. Started out with another emergency we needed to have the vet out for. [NOT how you want to begin a day…] Another “fluke” – just like on Good Friday, one of our bred heifers had problems. This time, feet were sticking out, but when Mike went to “help pull” like he did with Buttercup on Easter Sunday, the calf wouldn’t budge. Sadly, the calf’s head was not in the proper position, so it couldn’t come out on its own. The calf died, but the mama, Crayola is recovering well. PRAISE THE LORD!! 🙂
Our boys have had an overdose of science labs this week as we’ve all witnessed veterinarians performing amazing tasks, to save an animal. Can’t say that I would have CHOSEN this path, but I realize that this is out of our control. We have all learned from these experiences, and I know the Lord will use this knowledge in our futures, somehow. 🙂
That being said, the first part of yesterday was just. plain. sad. And the thought of 2 more heifers left to freshen was and is, very concerning. I found comfort in praying You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. (Psalm 63:1-8 NIV) And then the phonecall came…
Mike’s mom had gone for a walk & saw a calf back in Mordor! We hadn’t noticed any imminent signs on any of the girls when we were up with them in the morning, so we were a little surprised. So up we went, just in time to see the mama cow, ScotchTape walking AWAY from her calf… (She’s behind the trees, and the calf is laying in front of the trees.)
Not a good day to see that, so we were a little perturbed a we approached the poor little guy…
Only as we got closer, we saw that he must have been born right after we visited the field at daybreak. He was completely cleaned, fluffed, and full-tummied. AND, HE WAS GI-NORMOUS, lol! His mama had done/did what she was supposed to do, so she went out to eat! 🙂
Next “boy” name was Tango, so it became his. Not much of a dancer, though… He wasn’t interested in walking AT ALL, lol. So Mike went down to get the baby mobile & I drove them down to the barn. Poor Mike had to lift him onto & off of the truck bed, which prompted his name to change to Tango-the-tank! 🙂
We are so grateful that we were blessed with another healthy calf – especially after losing one that morning. What an amazing day! 🙂
Gotta ask for prayers for the second half of our calving season, though. Praying that the Lord will equip us to be the best caretakers we can for the remaining 5 cows & 2 heifers left to freshen. Will you unite with us in prayer?
Brought Cuke, Sahara, and SG-13 over to our barnyard (aka Green Dragon), on Saturday. (If you click on their names above, it should take you to the post from when each one was born.)
As we walk our calves with halters on, they always remind me of puppy dogs… Since we don’t have any pet dogs here, I suppose these cute guys ARE OUR puppy dogs, lol…
I really like seeing them in the sunshine…
Here’s Cuke:
And Sahara:
And SG-13…
It is always fun to watch the calves run “full throttle” for the first time…especially when they learn that woven wire fences aren’t doorways, lol! 🙂
And then there were introductions…
The boys from last year are on one side of their fence, and the girls from last year are on another side. What a difference a year makes! Thought it was pretty cute to watch them get acquainted! 🙂
Once our pastures start growing, we’ll be able to move the yearlings, and these newbies will get the whole area to ram around in. They’ve adjusted well to their new digs… 🙂
I even think the yearlings still look puppy doggish, despite the fact they are bigger… Must be their curly/fluffy coats. 🙂
Here’s Augie & Romeo. Click on their names & you can see pics from their birth day last year.
This calf was actually first introduced in my last post. But here are a few more pics of her beginnings…
Mike & I witnessed Buttercup’s water break when we went up for a calf check, so we decided to hang out & capture the birth on “film”. 🙂
Didn’t take long and we saw feet coming out (inside that sack)…
We probably didn’t NEED to assist, but given Friday’s experience being fresh on our minds, we were concerned the calf’s feet weren’t moving… Mike helped a bit, and out came Milkdud!
She walked down like a champ! We milked Buttercup & I became Milkdud’s new mama. 🙂
Her markings are so pretty – and her fur is sooo dense! 🙂
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