Of course!!

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torogmc81

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Penned up our experienced momma today and OF COURSE she's getting started. Just checked her and she's already starting labor, I assume calf will be out in 90 min or less. I was hoping she'd wait till Friday at least. We've been on time or late this winter other due dates, and she's only been a day early once herself in the past. I have no room in the barn but she is in a dry lean to with a W/NW wall, 40 long, with 12 wide open to the north and south.

Wind chill at 7 currently and only getting worse. Going to get started on a zippered coat right now and keep brainstorming …… fingers crossed
 
79# heifer calf out of Traction. I let her spend some time trying to suck, but that wind is wicked and so strong it's wrapping around any breaks and getting in every corner, and it's just getting started.

So we are in the kitchen now lol. Wifes gonna love this in about 4.5 hours. :pop: :roll: :roll:
 
Coosh-I made a warming box out of a 275 gallon tote. I can put a calf or two in it and the tote can stay where ever the cow(s) are. The cow knows the calf is in the box and she'll stay with it. The tote works well for one or two calves. Two will warm it with their body heat. Otherwise, it's easy to warm it by hanging a light bulb through that top screw-on lid. But mostly it works well enough by just keeping the wind off the calf. I put straw or prairie hay bedding inside it. To move it, I hook a chain around the bottom framework and pull it with my Gator. With the valve on the bottom, wash out is easy. Another bonus is not having to lift the calf to put it in the tote. The door I cut goes almost to the bottom so I can heave the little sucker in without a lot of muscle. And it was free. It's saved calves for me.
 
Took her up to momma around 8am and she had a good meal, then hauled her back down. Wore out little bugger been resting well in the kitchen. 8 degrees currently, winds at 15 and gradually declining. Going to take her up again around 3 for another meal
 
torogmc81 said:
Took her up to momma around 8am and she had a good meal, then hauled her back down. Wore out little bugger been resting well in the kitchen. 8 degrees currently, winds at 15 and gradually declining. Going to take her up again around 3 for another meal

Good for you.
 
330 feeding over, more of a quick snack. She's back in the kitchen. I have to go bartend for 5+ hours, should be home by 1030 or sooner.

Suggestions?? take her out for a feeding and back to the kitchen for the nite or take her up and leave her with momma for good in the lean to??? Wind has died down A LOT.

Also, any concern bringing her back and forth between 10 degrees and 66 degress????
 
torogmc81 said:
330 feeding over, more of a quick snack. She's back in the kitchen. I have to go bartend for 5+ hours, should be home by 1030 or sooner.

Suggestions?? take her out for a feeding and back to the kitchen for the nite or take her up and leave her with momma for good in the lean to??? Wind has died down A LOT.

Also, any concern bringing her back and forth between 10 degrees and 66 degress????

I would be concerned about those big swings in temperature. If you have a shelter, put down some bedding. Allow the Dam and calf to bond and acclimate. That allows the calf to feed based on natural biorhythms.
 
You are much nicer than me. As long as the calf is good and lively, they get dried off on the floorboard and kicked out with mom. Wind chill was -9 here the other morning, had 3 calves that night. One of them might loose the tips of his ears, but they are all doing just fine.
Calving this time of year can be tough, but now is when I have time to mess with it
 
I fought the weather when I was another mans cowboy....calving in Jan and Feb and sleeping in the calving barns under the heat light with the calves, because it was easier than driving the three miles back to bed for a couple of hours...lost calves in snow drifts that I didn't even know were born until the snow melted...battled disease because the fences were snow covered and we had no where to go with the cows....

then I discovered fall calving....I will never go back...I breed on Thanksgiving aiming for a labor day calf....
 
sstterry said:
Torogmc81, any updates on the calf?

Shes looking good, sucking good. Two nights in the lean to with momma, then just this afternoon let them into the 1/4 acre "buffer" lot. They'll spend about a week there and then go back the other breds and pairs.
 

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