Spring is such a special time of year at Almosta Farm, with all of the new calves running around. We had our first one on March 16th and now there are 9 cute faces that make you smile.
But it hasn’t been without a challenge. One of the senior cows, decided to pick a fight with another cow for whatever reason about a week before she was due and lost. I had a horrible feeling that there would be ramifications to it. Unfortunately, I was right ; the cow had her calf the next day. It was a normal birth for the cow, but that’s where it ended. The only thing going for the calf was that she was breathing. After a valiant try I decided to call the vet, because I knew I was losing her. He said that stress and adrenaline can cause a lot of problems. Her heart and lungs sounded good. So he gave her a steroid shot and antibiotic shot. He said that I would need to get her up every 3 hours around the clock, to get her moving and nursing until she could do it on her own. After 5 days and 2 other vet visits, his last effort was that she had a systemic infection. He gave her an IV of Iodine and antibiotic shot with me following up with daily antibiotic shots for a week. Now, I am thrilled to say that she is running around happy and healthy. She is the first one of the calves to greet me to be rubbed. I live by the idea that it is my job to give a calf every possible chance to live, then if it doesn’t work; then it was meant to be. I will say that I have given the cow a stern talk and warned her to never do it again. I don’t know if she listened.
With my term coming to a close this year as a director with the North Central Highland Cattle Association, I have been honored to be elected to be the Chairperson on the Jr. Committee. There are 5 very enthusiastic gals on the committee and we are having a great time, making plans and goals for the kids.
Show season is starting early, this year with the first one in Mercer, PA in May. We had a “gal friends & cattle” weekend a couple of years ago and had such a great time, we decided to do it again- with 5 gal friends and 9 head of cattle. It doesn’t get much better to spend time with friends and cattle.
