She can admit now that things seemed a little dicey with the twin calves that were born on Saturday. The cow who gave birth to them is not a really big cow, and barely looked pregnant, let alone as if she was carrying twins! Both calves are pretty tiny (the Cowboy says they are the smallest calves ever born on this ranch!) -- and the two of them together don't weigh as much as the calf we pushed to the barn!
Saffron is the stronger of the two and progressed the fastest, but Dawn had a little trouble. Her legs were a little crooked and she had trouble keeping up with her mother, so the Bag Lady was worried she wasn't getting enough milk. The Bag Lady was much relieved yesterday to see this:
We also had another calf yesterday. She came into the world with quite a lot of fanfare! The Cowboy was getting his fencing supplies ready to go to our cattle lease (summer pasture on land rented from the government) when he heard a terrible bellowing and bawling and carrying on. He grabbed his rifle (there are bears or wolves or coyotes who would love a tasty little calf), and we ran out to see what was bothering the herd. It was this:
MEET SAGAN:
Her mother was surrounded by the other cows and wasn't too happy about it! When we finally got the rest of the herd to move off, she settled down and mothered up.
The Cowboy went off to do his fence-mending, only to call the Bag Lady a couple hours later and ask her to bring him the spare set of wire-stretchers. So the Bag Lady went over and helped with the fencing for awhile.
NEWSFLASH: BAG LADY ATTACKED!! WE INTERRUPT THIS BLOG POST TO BRING YOU LATE-BREAKING VIDEO:
(Warning: this video contains footage that may be disturbing to some viewers...blah blah blah)
The Bag Lady is talking about those days when you have to intervene because a calf isn't doing well. Like yesterday. One of the calves was having a little trouble figuring out where he was supposed to get his milk supply. He was a big calf, and sometimes they are fairly well-nourished when they are born, so are a little lazy about finding a drink of milk. His mother wouldn't stand still out in the pasture in order for us to give him a little help, so we had to take them to the barn. In a more contained space, she doesn't have much choice except to stand still, and that makes it much easier for a little human assistance. Most of the time, all that is needed is a little guidance - once the calf gets the teat in his mouth, he knows what to do!
Unfortunately, the cow in this instance was quite a distance from the barn and the Bag Lady had to resort to what is called (around here, anyway) calf-pushing. This is accomplished by straddling the calf from the rear and pushing him along. It is strenuous and back-breaking (actually, quite a work-out, if you want to look at it that way...) and can be dangerous, if the mother is aggressive. If you take the calf, the mother will usually follow, most of the time close on your heels, bawling in your ear to leave her baby alone, damn you!
We have a fairly long alleyway built along the side of one pasture that leads to our barn. At this time of year, because it is quite shaded, it is the last place on the ranch to dry up. Planning? What planning?!
Once the cow and calf are in the alleyway, not quite as much calf-pushing is involved because the calf will follow the cow. It may need some help in the really muddy places, but for the most part it will go under it's own steam. Which is a good thing, because by then, the Bag Lady is usually so worn out that she can barely get all the way there! Fortunately, the Cowboy was also there, and at one point, actually had to pick up the (over-100 lbs) calf and carry him across a particularly muddy section. (With the Cowboy sinking practically to his knees!)
All's well that ends well, though. The cow and calf are in the barn, the Cowboy helped the calf get some milk, and the only casualty in the whole event were these:
And these:
Dawn, who blogs over at The Flightless Writer, and has written the terrific book, Ripples on the Lake, had requested a calf named after herself, and a calf named after the main character in her book, Saffron Delaney. The Bag Lady knew that this cow was the last chance for a light-coloured calf, so had already determined that this calf would be Saffron.
Imagine the Bag Lady's surprise when she went down this morning and discovered that the cow had given birth to another calf overnight! So it is almost as though it were ordained that these were the calves to be named for Dawn and Saffron (they are both heifers, too!)
Here are DAWN and SAFFRON:
(Saffron is in front, Dawn is on the other side of her mother - click on the photo to enlarge)
RESULTS IN FALLING BACKWARDS:
Named in honour of Hilary, who has the incredible blog, The Smitten Image, here is SMITTY!
The weekend promises to be better, though. Hopefully a few more cows will decide to have calves if the weather is decent.
The rain has helped bring the frost out of the ground, so things are muddy around here again. But there is a hint of green in the grass and the trees, and promises of things to come in her flowerbeds.
The Bag Lady has been working on a couple of projects that she hopes to share with you soon, but nothing is finished yet. Sigh. The Bag Lady isn't happy unless she has several things on the go at once, which means she has a short attention span and never completes anything! she's really, really busy!
In the meantime, here's a really good recipe for home-made bread:
Twin Loaves
Add 1 pkg dry yeast to 2 1/4 cups warm water in mixing bowl and mix well. Add 3 1/2 cups flour, 3 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp salt, 2 Tbsp soft shortening. Beat until smooth, add more flour, a little at a time.
Let rise and punch down. Let rise again. Form into 2 loaves and let rise. Bake about 45 minutes at 350.
When the Bag Lady makes this, she uses a mixture of whole wheat and white flour - mostly whole wheat. She has made it using vegetable shortening, but has wondered about using olive oil. (Hasn't tried it yet). She uses olive oil in the bread she makes in her bread machine, and it works very well.
And here's a picture of a few of the calves enjoying the sun when it finally made an appearance late yesterday afternoon.
This cow was the designated baby sitter. Of course, the rest of the cows weren't very far away.
Have a great weekend!
