Twins!

So this week is the week of early births. We had a cow due on Wednesday, she calved on Monday. Then one of my favs was due to calve on Saturday and she calved at midnight last night.
So Tinsel, thats the cow. We got her in December at the Season Finale. So she had to have a christmas name. Anyway, she showed signs of labor all day. So Mark palpated her and she was doing her thing to get the babe her. So we locked her in a pen in the barn. Finished what needed to be finished and came in. At 12 Marks alarm went off. After hitting snooze a couple of times I got up. And headed to the barn. After walking into a cattle panel and trying to kill myself I made it to the barn. FYI: carry a flashlight when its dark and the middle of the night. I peeked in the barn and all the cows were looking to the cow/calf side so I knew something was happening. So I looked at the pen where we had put her earlier, and there was a black/white babe. Then Tinsel moved and there was a red/white babe!
So being the great momma and milker she is, she has taken them both. I'm sooo relieved. And shes a sight. Shes black/white and two babes running around her. One looks like her and the other like a redheaded step child. I will get pictures soon. She's somewhat of a grouch when she calves so we keep our distance. And now shes very nervous and protective with two.
Happy Wednesday!

This is what we love

This is the little man that had me staying home all weekend and then changing my schedule yesterday. His poor momma worked and worked and couldnt get him out. So with some help from my brother in law, we helped get him here. He's sooo adorable. And the best part is momma and baby are great! I love when theres a happy ending.

Manic Monday

Today I had big plans.. And as usual I should have known I would only get maybe 1 of the 10 things done I really wanted. I let the babes sleep in and go to school 30 minutes late. I'm a pushover when it comes to our two little babes. G and daddy went to Kentucky Beef Expo for the weekend and showed Lily. And sis stayed home with me to play nurse to the cows. We had a second calf heifer that acted like she wanted to have her bundle early. Anyway, back to what I was saying. After I got back I stood in the kitchen and watched the cows. Sure enough the cow in question had started labor. So I ate my breakfast, started some laundry and made beds. Then I waddled down to the barn. I really do waddle, I wear and extra 30lbs of clothes just to go the barn for a couple of hours. I fed the show calves, fed Elmer, fed the replacement heifers and chickens. Then checked on the cow. Nothing. So I watered everyone and the ferrier showed up to do Elmers feet. He forgot some stuff so he agreed to come back later.
Well, at this point I rechecked the cow and she was doin what cows do when they are in active labor. So being the stalker that I am when they calve, I got my binoculars and sat down in the yard to watch. After about 25 minutes I started to get nervous so I called Mark. He told me what he wanted me to do. So I waited. Then I called JD my brother-in-law and he headed over. At this point my stomach started to hurt. So JD got here and we waited and watched. We made the decision we were gonna pull. So we got supplies and moved momma to the tub area. We haltered her and proceeded to pull. Well the booger got all the way to his ribs then got stuck. Finally we pulled and she pushed and we got him out. Momma and baby are resting nicely in the barn for the next couple of days. And all was right in my world again.
Maybe I can run those errands tomorrow. Tonight we have a beautiful black/white bull calf that has a very good momma. And he has a perfect heart on his curly little head. The calf is a crossbred and not a holstein if anyone is wondering. The ferrier did come back and Elmers feet feel better. And now my stomach wont hurt sooo much till Tinsel starts labor in the next couple of days. Happy Monday everyone!

Some make it & Some dont

It's calving time.. And sometimes you just dont have time to think to grab bibs/wash pants. This was the case a couple of days ago. Mark got home and wasn't home minutes when his phone rang. It was his sister-in-law. One of the cows was calving, sac was broke and she saw BIG feet. Luckily, the kids had just walk in the door. They changed shoes, dropped school bags and we loaded up..

Jeff, Marks brother travels a lot for his job. So the sister-in-law either calls here or the vet. It's a good 15 minute drive to their place. So when we got there Mark checked it out. The feet were presented correct, but were very big and the sac was broke. So mark put a halter on the cow, which wasn't easy because she has never had a halter on. Tied her to a post, then put a sleeve on and checked her. He decided that the calf should be pulled.

So he and dawn put chains on the calves legs and proceeded to pull the calf out. The calf had a swollen tongue and his forehead was stuck.. So after a few good pushes from the cow and some good pulls the calf slid out. Unfortuneatly, for marks clothes a lot of fluids gushed when the calf came out. Needless to say the calf survived. Momma is healing. And mark rode home on a towel and i should throw these clothes away!

Happy Calving and have a great weekend!

Duct Tape!

Duck has tons of new duct tape out. There is many different colors and patterns. And they have endless possibilities. So sis fell in love with the zebra! She has a belt and boots with the pattern on it.. And G loves camo. So an idea came to me and tada!

I wanted the babes to have something unique when they are showing. And they really liked the way that they turned out. So now im gonna mark their combs and whatever else our little hearts desire. And noone can say its theirs.

Growin up too fast

Duff! He was an unexpected addition to our family last summer. When we got him he was a small ball of fluff that slept a LOT! He will be a whopping 1 yr old in May.

He is a great dog 50% of the time and a pain in our butts the other 50% of the time. He has grown into a beautiful example of an australian shepherd. And he's smarter than he should be at times. Some of the stuff he does keeps us on our toes. And other times he just lays at your feet and is calm. A great farmdog is worth his/her weight in gold. And I think he may be one of those dogs.

Gettin a little warmer

Yesterday the babes got their homework done, changed clothes and out they went. We phrase it "gettin the bugs off" They had tons of fun. Running, ridging bikes, chasing the dog. You name it. And the best part was they slept really well. Unbelievably, today is March 1st.

We have lots going on around here. Birthday, anniversay, calving and cattle shows. The year is going by so quickly. I wish it would slow down just a bit, so we could enjoy it. But I sure do enjoy the warmer weather.