It’s almost that time again…
The time for middle of the night checks, mud covered rangers, and prayers for a nice, dry spring. Except this year, we could really use the moisture!
But no one likes to deal with cows that are having babies when the pasture is full of mud!
A few weeks ago we worked our cows at the farm. We gave them all their shots, clipped the hair off their ears, and made lists for new ear tags that are needed.
Today my husband and I worked my two heifers. My cows are called heifers because they have not yet had a calf.
They are due in the middle of March and they are bulging at the seams these days! But, still very ornery! They must take after their owner… 🙂
Today we gave the girls their shots and changed out their ear tags. I gave their bellies a good rub and checked their teats out. Yes, sounds a bit odd…but depending on how a cow’s teats look it can give you an idea of when to expect a calf. When their teats (or bag) starts getting fuller they are getting closer and closer to having their baby.
Sometimes with heifers (and cows too) you can run in to bags not quite getting full. This means problems for the baby calves when they come out. Problems with them latching on and even the cow not producing enough milk- sounds similar to breastfeeding your child right?
Having everything on hand for a premature calf or if the calf has problems getting started is important. I have prepared for the worse, but I am hoping for the best. I have confidence that both of my heifers will be good Mamas!
Here in our house we are geared up for our mini calving season and preparing for the farm’s calving season in another month or so!
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