Today was my first morning back home from a sesquicentennial celebration in Gladwin. I will post pictures and talk all about that when I have some more time. Right now I want to share my early morning event.
At 4 every morning it is my job to push the cows out of the pasture, back into the barnyard so they can eat before morning milking. Everyday I go check on our dry cows, never anything to see but fat sleepy cows....until today.
As usual, when I checked on the dry cows- they are called that because they are dried up from the milking line so that the new calf they are about to have will get sufficient colostrum-they are all huge, pregnant, and lazy. I was talking to them like I always do, explaining what a waste of time this ritual of mine seems to be. I shined my high powered light over all the girls, they all just lay there and watch me to make sure I don't really want them to move. Nothing, as usual so I turn to leave, but someone lets out a small groan. I freeze, turn back and ask "who said that?". And one old cow at the back looks right at me and groans again! I walk over and circle behind her, sure enough, she has trouble! There is the head and just one leg of a calf sticking out, with that other leg bunched up at the gate, she cant push it out. I called home for help, hello, it's 4 am, they are all sleeping, so I try to pull the other leg out. Usually you have to push the head back in to make enough room to maneuver the other leg around, but this old cow has had a few calves, and a few adrenalin driven tugs and out it popped. She pushed and I pulled, before you know it, we have the newest addition to the herd.
She will get a number, not a name, but she will be loved just the same. Maybe I will changed that on the farm next, maybe I will give them official names. We have always had a few cows with names, just not all of them. Any ideas for a girl born at four in the morning, with one arm behind her from an old cow number 44R?
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