Bums

Yesterday when we got back from meeting, Bob had informed us that there were 2 bum calves! I was excited. I shouldn't have been, but whatever. One calf was a twin and it's mom had nothing to do with it. Bob found the calf still wet and not even licked or touched at all. The other calf, her mom has been sick for quite a while. They had to pull the calf and now nurse them both back to normal. The calf isn't doing too good yet and i'm not sure how the mom is doing. They're both extremely weak.  He thinks that the mom has hardware's (pieces of metal stuck inside her stomach). We gave her some meds and some mineral oil yesterday, but I haven't heard how she is doing yet.
As for her calf, she is good sized, but little to no energy. She hasn't even stood up yet, and can't suck from a bottle really. We've tube fed her twice, and hope she perks up a little. Chances are she wasn't getting any food for the last while.
Now that other bum calf who is nice and healthy, will be getting a real cow mom. And not me. Bittersweet.  A cow calved last night and when we checked her, the calf was dead. Not sure what happened but we will skin the calf, tie it to the bum calf, so the mom accepts it. We had named the bum calves Peg and Meg. Meg, the healthy bum was already following you around..quite the little trouble maker too! I secretly hope she stays as a pet though.

 Attempting to master the art of bottle feeding a frsi

             

PS: this is my FAVOURITE shirt ever. It's a flannel shirt, but a pull over your head type, WITH pockets! And it was a $2 thrift store find. Win win win. Oh. That's my shirt i'm talking about. Jed's flannel shirt is one he found at a garage sale when he was like 14. It's a work shirt, thankfully, so I don't see much of it. Phew! 

                                                   Jed showing me how it's done

Working on some furniture making!

Sick little Peg

Meg was smelling her ancestors on the bbq

Meg and I bonding.

Interesting tidbit: Bob cuts hay along the highway near where we live. Once the hay has been baled, and now rolled out, there's Tons of garbage which he picks up so the cows don't eat. However, tires have fine little wires in them which get in the hay, and then a cow can eat it. What you casually throw out the window of your car, ends up in a cow's hay, or worse, their stomach! I'm blown away at how much litter we find out in the pastures, solely from the hay that has been picked up from the side of the highway.  Don't litter!