6.21.26
A week ago today, my new milk cow Jazzy gave birth to a wee little calf in the early hours of the morning. Now as a rule, heifer calves tend to be born on time, as in within a day or two of the cow’s due date, while bull calves have a tendency to hang about in mum’s belly for a while longer. Jazzy was expected to calve on June 16th so when I went down early last Sunday morning and saw she had calved, I was pretty sure I would have the heifer I was hoping for. Jazzy had been bred with sexed semen which gives one an average of 90% probability the calf will be a heifer but as luck would have it, Jazzy gave me a bull and a tiny little thing at that!
As I went in the pen, she had done a wonderful job of cleaning the little lad up but the way he was laying, being early and his small size, gave me immediate cause for concern. He looked just like a couple of premature calves our cows have had over the years, none of which survived. He was having trouble breathing, had definitely not got up and nursed and had all the signs of a calf in distress. He was so weak that he could not stand on his own, his legs refused to hold him, and his hind end would not function at all. Hoisting him in my arms was no problem as he was light as a feather.
With Jazzy talking to him in that low maternal way cows have, she let me hold him up under her belly as I guided a teat into his mouth. There was no suckling reflex. Holding his mouth on the teat I was able to squirt some colostrum past his lips, but he would not or could not swallow. For what seemed like ages I crouched on the ground, holding the calf up while milk dripped from Jazzy’s teats. Slowly, slowly my patience paid off, he gave a swallow then very weakly and gradually began to suckle. With Jazzy standing still as can be, I finally managed to get about a pint of the lifesaving colostrum in him. I thought I may have to tube him but really wanted to try to get that suckling reflex of his kickstarted first. Settling him in a bed of straw I went on with my other chores knowing that the remainder of the day was going to be focused on this calf.
Coming back to the pen a bit later on to check on mum and baby, I was disheartened to see the calf was still terribly weak, on his side, head thrown way back and totally unable to even try standing on its own. Once again, I hoisted him up, supporting his little body on my knee as I guided a dripping teat into his mouth. What a relief it was to see him latch on and start suckling, albeit slowly, while I supported his little head to keep the teat in his mouth. It took a long time, but he got a decent bellyful of precious colostrum. Maybe this would perk him up.
In the meanwhile, I had looked around the pen and could not find much afterbirth. Jazzy was passing some strings of clear mucous and then all of a sudden, I wondered if she could be carrying twins. That would certainly explain the tiny size of her calf and the fact he had been born early. I needed to check inside her to see as if there was a second calf, it may be dead. Question was, should I try running her up to the cow corrals to put her in the cattle chute as I was going to have to reach inside her to check. I dislike palpating cows in the milking barn as I always want them to think of that place as being a “good” place. Having a human put their arm inside them might make them think twice about it being a “good” place in future!
Then I decided since Jazzy has become such a trusting, friendly, mellow girl, that I would try to palpate her out in the open. A thing one rarely does on an unrestrained cow! If she totally took exception to it, I would have no choice but to put her in the milk house stanchion. Dashing to the house for a bucket of warm water and soap, I came back and after soaping my arm up really well, all the while talking away to Jazzy, I gently lifted her tail and inserted my arm. She moved about slightly at first, looking back at me in surprise, then as I spoke gently to her, stood stock still while I felt inside her for any sign of another calf. Her calf bed was empty… thank goodness… as I have removed a dead calf from a cow before and it is not fun at all! Now I knew all I had to deal with was a premature calf that most likely was going to die.
Since I prefer to just milk once a day, I like to leave a calf at the side of the cow to help handle the milking chore, meaning I really needed a calf on Jazzy. Not holding much hope this wee lad was going to survive, I made the decision that if the calf was no better by morning, I would make a dash trip back to the dairy to buy one of their day-old calves to graft onto Jazzy girl. Taking a huge gulp as I knew how much it would cost me as far gone are the days when one could pick up a dairy calf for a mere $25 or $30.
The following morning there was no change in the calf, well other than he was still alive. Once again, I held him up while he suckled then settling him back in his bed I jumped in the truck and made the 7 hour round trip to pick up another calf at the dairy. My Jazmin cow is quite the girl! No sooner did I get home and get the calf out the truck and up to the gate of Jazzy’s pen, than she came running over talking away to the new baby and promptly claimed it as her own. For the next few hours Jazzy was kept busy trotting after the new calf – who had no idea a luscious milk bar hung heavy under this animal that would not leave her alone – and back to her own moribund calf. What a good mum!
Each morning, I expected to find a dead calf in the pen and each morning he was still alive although looking on death’s door. Since he was still hanging on, I administered a shot of antibiotics knowing he was on the verge of pneumonia, common in premature babies. The only improvement in the calf was that as long as I hoisted him to his feet and supported him a bit, he could finally stand. However, his muscles were so weak that if he took a few tottering steps he would fall down and was totally unable to get back up on his own. Several times a day would see me hoisting the calf to his feet then crouching at the side of Jazzy, guiding the calf to a teat, ready to support him if he fell over. Between licking her calf and licking me, having the calf go to the bathroom all over me yet being afraid to move for fear he would take a step and topple over, I just hoped my ambulance pager would not go off as I would be a right sight for sore eyes!
Every morning I would have the same conversation with my dearest Darrell before I climbed out of bed. “Should I put the wee thing out of its misery?” I asked, then seemed to hear Darrell saying, “Wait and see how he is this morning.” There is nothing harder than shooting a calf or any young animal. Going down to the pen I would steel myself for the decision I might have to make but always would find him hanging on. Then, a couple of days ago, just when I had more or less decided the deed had to be done, I hoisted the calf to his feet, and he searched and found a teat on his own! When Jazzy moved, he followed, albeit a tad wobbly. When he fell over, he actually tried, unsuccessfully I might add, to get to his feet, but he tried! I grabbed his little tail and hoisted his hind end in the air, and then he managed to get his front legs situated enough to stand. What progress! I could not give up on him now!
Early yesterday morning as I went to check on Jazzy and her calves, the wee lad was laying by himself in a far corner of the pen. Going up to him he looked at me and seeming to know I helped him get to the breakfast bar each morning, reached out his neck towards me. Then, my heart swelled with emotion as he struggled to his feet and came up to my side, slowly following me towards Jazzy where he dipped his head under her flank, found a teat and began filling his belly with her warm milk.
As I left him to his breakfast with his new sister also suckling away, I leaned on the fence for a few minutes just watching the wonderful scene before me. How many times this past week have I come close to putting that wee laddie down? Plenty! How many times have I shared my worries and concerns with my dearest each morning and heard him say, “Wait and see, Rose, wait and see.” Plenty. How glad I am to have listened.
