Today's Adventure

[Dave]

After I fed I went back to the front field with the bucket on the tractor. When the main ditch got cleaned several big rocks and willow root wads got rolled down into the field ditch. I wanted to clean them out. While driving out there I saw a cow calving. When I got done I notice a cow off by herself on the back side of the stack yard. Yep, a new calf. Drove back down the feed row and spotted one born last night. As I drove out I saw one over by the river. Turned out to be one of B's cows and she was getting ready to calf. I had some fence repair to do at the stack yard. Loaded up fence supply on the quad. On the way out I saw that cow by the river had moved down stream and was looking over the bank. I pulled over there. Dang the calf is in the river. It is being washed down stream. Off the quad and down the bank. Into the river about knee deep. After about 60 feet I finally catch hold of the calf. I get it out of the water but I am still in it. I need to drag the calf up the bank. But at the top of the bank are a growling mother and #41 the cow who wanted to kill us yesterday. Here I am by myself. Standing in the river in very recently melted snow. The water isn't warm. I found an old limb. I swatted 41 across the nose. The stick broke. Patty kept barking at the cows. Shut up dog you are no help in this situation. 41 finally wanders off. I pull the calf up off the bank and out into the field 20 feet or so. I drive up to the house to call B to tell him his calf had been swimming. I get on dry pants, socks, and shoes. Get there just behind B. Guess what that cow has another calf hanging 3/4 of the way out. Lets add twins to this adventure just to make things more fun.

 

[A.J.]

Nice save! That calf was meant to live with the way that timing worked out for you to be there. A few minutes difference, and you would have never known what happened to it. Sounds like a heck of a day for you. Hope he takes you out for supper after your river and cow fighting adventure.

 

[Travlr]

Lets add twins to this adventure just to make things more fun.

I've never heard of so many multiple births. In all my years I've only had one cow, and a heifer from her, twin. And twins were unusual enough to be very rare with all my neighbors. Is there something in the air? Feed? Or what? Has something changed drastically in the last fifteen, twenty years?

 

[wbvs58]

I've never heard of so many multiple births. In all my years I've only had one cow, and a heifer from her, twin. And twins were unusual enough to be very rare with all my neighbors. Is there something in the air? Feed? Or what? Has something changed drastically in the last fifteen, twenty years?

Has to be another genetic defect from Precision Travlr.

Ken

 

[Travlr]

Has to be another genetic defect from Precision Travlr.

Ken

Probably not, and it's a legitimate question if something's changed. Or maybe we should just not be curious.

 

[Dave]

Nice save! That calf was meant to live with the way that timing worked out for you to be there. A few minutes difference, and you would have never known what happened to it. Sounds like a heck of a day for you. Hope he takes you out for supper after your river and cow fighting adventure.

Nice save! That calf was meant to live with the way that timing worked out for you to be there. A few minutes difference, and you would have never known what happened to it. Sounds like a heck of a day for you. Hope he takes you out for supper after your river and cow fighting adventure.

Not much out to supper goes on around here. It is about 30 miles to the nearest restaurant. Nothing that he hasn't done for me. After we had the twins together we tagged 4 new calves. I fixed the fence at the stack yard. Back to the house before noon. He left to take a horse the Idaho Equine over in Nampa (about 2 hour drive) and then planned to stop and see his Mother.
We never tagged the twins. The jury is still out on them. Rolling down the river didn't help the one. The last one hung upside down in the sack too long. B had to work on that one to get it breathing. About 1:30 I was on the other side of the river. Looked like both of them sucked. That was from over 100 yards away looking through the willows. I went over and checked on them just now. They were sleeping . One on each side of her.

 

[Dave]

I've never heard of so many multiple births. In all my years I've only had one cow, and a heifer from her, twin. And twins were unusual enough to be very rare with all my neighbors. Is there something in the air? Feed? Or what? Has something changed drastically in the last fifteen, twenty years?

Depending on which university expert you believe the odds of twins in cattle is from 0.5% to 2%. So one in every 200 births to one in every 50. I have always thought it was around 1 in 100.

 

[MurraysMutts]

What a day Dave!!

 

[Travlr]

Depending on which university expert you believe the odds of twins in cattle is from 0.5% to 2%. So one in every 200 births to one in every 50. I have always thought it was around 1 in 100.

I've thought it was closer to 1 in 200, but then mostly from my own experience and watching places around me. But with all the talk here. this year, it seems like a lot more than that. So still wondering if it's a growing trend.
Glad you caught the calf in the river. And dodged the protective cow. I like them protective but it's sometimes a problem.

 

[Rmc]

I personally think that the increase of twining is due to changes in how many ranch and how cull priorities have changed.
In the past if a cow didn't have and raise ( without much intervention)a calf every year they took a one way ride to town. In my opinion many are more willing to overlook having to intervene or help out ,supplement cows a lot more than in the past. So a lot of the genetics that used to get culled are now actually not only being maintained but are actually increasing.

 

[bird dog]

Twins. I think its happens way more than we know. To many times the cow will abandon the first one after a couple hours when she has the next one.

She has one calf, cleans it feeds it and it goes down for a nap. A hour plus later she goes off and has another and never thinks twice about going back for the first one.

 

[Dave]

I've thought it was closer to 1 in 200, but then mostly from my own experience and watching places around me. But with all the talk here. this year, it seems like a lot more than that. So still wondering if it's a growing trend.
Glad you caught the calf in the river. And dodged the protective cow. I like them protective but it's sometimes a problem.

This set today and one set last year. No more over the last 5 years that I recall. There is between 80 and 120 cows that calf out here every year. B always has some but they calf out 1,600 so you would expect some. They do come in handy if you need a graft calf.

 

[Dave]

To all those who liked or wowed my story. You know what they say. "Everyone wants to be a cowboy, until it is time to do cowboy sh!t." Wilfred Brimley

 

[circlebllc]

Wow, that is a tight calving schedule!

 

[MurraysMutts]

To all those who liked or wowed my story. You know what they say. "Everyone wants to be a cowboy, until it is time to do cowboy sh!t." Wilfred Brimley

The worst part of that whole thing was going for a swim, you polar bear you!

Keep up the good work.
I, and many others, enjoy your tales of the day. I live vicariously thru you

 

[Dave]

The worst part of that whole thing was going for a swim, you polar bear you!

Keep up the good work.
I, and many others, enjoy your tales of the day. I live vicariously thru you

I wasn't swimming I was wading. The calf wasn't swimming either. He was rolling down the river in the fast moving currant. Thinking back it is interesting how something like this made me go from being 72 to being 25 again. A week ago I had to wade out in the river. Of course I had time to put on my irrigation boots. I took a walking stick and slowly picked my way through the bowling ball size slimy rocks being careful to get good footing and not fall down. This happened and the time to go was right now. No time to think. Full speed ahead damn the torpedoes. For a moment I was 25 again.

 

[farmerjan]

How are they doing? And did you finally get warmed up?

 

[greybeard]

This happened and the time to go was right now. No time to think. Full speed ahead damn the torpedoes. For a moment I was 25 again.

Relish that feeling. They become fewer and fewer.

 

[Travlr]

I wasn't swimming I was wading. The calf wasn't swimming either. He was rolling down the river in the fast moving currant. Thinking back it is interesting how something like this made me go from being 72 to being 25 again. A week ago I had to wade out in the river. Of course I had time to put on my irrigation boots. I took a walking stick and slowly picked my way through the bowling ball size slimy rocks being careful to get good footing and not fall down. This happened and the time to go was right now. No time to think. Full speed ahead damn the torpedoes. For a moment I was 25 again.

Thank God for muscle memory...

 

[wbvs58]

Adrenalin might be what gives eternal life, just have to work out how to bottle it.

Ken