I calved a cow!

Lots of animal photos for this week's blog, well we are on a farm after all. After seeing a traumatic birth of twins last week I received a call from Bruce one day this week after if I'd like to see a normal birth. With Cassidy at preschool and Eliza in the car with a snack I headed over to the milk shed to the "maternity ward" where a cow was inside a pen who had just had a calf pulled out of her. The calf was alive this time which was a lot nicer to see then before when they had both died. He was also about to let her out to see her calf but then decided to check for a twin and good job he did because even though the first calf was massive he was a twin. I watched as Bruce helped guide the second one to position and working with the cow's pushes pulled the second calf out. With that the cow was cleaned up and let out to the small yard to clean her new babies while Bruce herded the next cow down into the same pen. She was rather reluctant to go and it involved a lot of shoving to get her to move, they completely don't realise you are helping and probably saving their lives by intervening. Bruce began the process and then I asked if I could have a go so I put on the plastic gloves up to my arm pits and with some lubricant put my hand inside the cow above the calf's head. It was amazing and the same time so weird to feel. Using ropes around the calf's legs I pulled every time the cow pushed and together a healthy baby boy calf was born. He was covered in a lot of yucky stuff which apparently shows that he's been ready to come out for a while and the mum started to push but then more than likely she saw another cow's calf and thought it was hers so stopped trying to birth thinking she'd already done so. Sometimes the cows seem so clever but other times they completely prove you wrong. I'm so excited to say I calved a cow and went to visit the baby later that day in the pens and saw him walking around mooing away (he's the brown one in the middle of the photo). There's also another calf that really looks like a dalmatian because he has so many white and black spots. The kittens are getting bigger by every day and I captured the perfect photo of Tikka looking rather jealous sat at the top of the sofa above the gap where they are. She definitely needs to be a mum because she's so trying to care for these babies herself. I didn't take enough photos this week so I've included two Nick sent me a while ago from out in the paddocks. He injured his chest which was causing him a lot of pain but he managed to see a doctor and has pain killers for it and it seems to be easing up. Overall though I think he's still enjoying it just as much as I am.Read more