Sleeping in... what's that??

Saturday mornings for most people are exciting because we get to sleep in just a tad bit... or if your like my mom a few hours is a tad bit! I know your reading this mom... you deserve to sleep in, love you :)

But not for me... I wake up every morning, whether it be below zero, snowing, raining or what ever mother nature decides to bring that morning, at 5am. Luckily for our farm 5am isn't all that early to start milking but about six months ago I was that person who slept in until about 9am every morning if I didn't have to wake up for anything and I am still adjusting to 5am! When I was in college I did however have a part time job milking cow and I was the lucky one milking on Tuesday or Friday mornings at 2:30am let's just say I pulled many all nighters when I had to milk!

Usually, I will take a cat nap for about 30 minutes sometimes an hour, after breakfast but not this morning and I was so looking forward to a nap too because my lack of patience and excitement of my new blog got the best of me last night and I didn't go to bed until about midnight! oh well you can sleep when your dead, right? 

One of our Dry Cows was missing during feeding time this morning and come to find out that she was hiding under the barn because she just calved, even though she wasn't due for another couple weeks! Oh before I keep rambling on a Dry Cow is a cow who usually stops milking 2 months prior to calving so she can conserve energy, relax and build up a nutrient and antibody packed Colostrum. That's a strange word isn't it? I had no idea what that meant until I went to college and sat in Animal Science 101, BEST CLASS EVER!!! Colostrum is the absolute first milk the mother (of any mammal) produces and is filled with essential antibodies and nutrients to get newborns started off on the right track. 

So like I said, my cat nap didn't happen this morning because a cow had just calved. I always get way overly excited when calves arrive... I want to know the gender, their markings so I can come up with a name, how spunky they are, and determine just how recent they were brought to the farm and most importantly I want to make sure that this new baby gets the best jump start possible. If that doesn't scream I care then I don't know what does :)

At the breakfast table I can look to my left and see right out into our Dry Cow pasture, which is perfect so I can see what is going on. 

And this morning I said to my grandfather... "I'm not sure if that's a rock or a new addition." 

Grandpa, "Then go get the binoculars and check it out."

I go get the binoculars and look through them but I always have the worst luck getting them to work, I always see double.. not sure if its because I have four eyes (glasses) or if the binoculars are just smarter than me!

Me, "I see two calves! Oh my twins again!! Just kidding I can't get these things to focus, you try."

Grandpa, "Yup that's a calf alright! hhhmmm I knew someone was looking a little bagged up but I didn't think she was that close. I guess we will have to go out later and bring them in."

So, when I usually go up to my room after breakfast, I shut my curtains so it's dark, set my alarm so I don't sleep until supper time, and turn on that heated blanket... Man that sounds so nice right about now! but today Right after breakfast I put back on my three sweatshirts, bibs, and winter hat and got my neonatal protocol items such as a new calf blanket, a shot of vitamin B, and a First Defense bolus. 

The white thing with the blue pill is the First Defense Bolus. (The white thing is called a pill gun and you gently put that into the calf's mouth and push in the little handle and the pill gets pushed out and lays on the back of the calf's tongue causing him to swallow the medicine) he calf jacket is maroon and the shot is his Vitamin B :)

Tried not to break an ankle as I walked through the frozen pasture. If you have never been in a cow pasture in the winter time it is challenging to walk through to say the least. The cows seemed not to mind it but if I'm not looking at the ground when I step I would most likely be face first in no time. That actually happens quite often in the summer time near the swampy parts of the field where the swamp tries eating my boots!! Grandpa always gets a laugh!

Back to this calf that was just born... I gave him a shot of Vitamin B which helps with appetite, the First Defense Bolus which is a calf pill that will help fight off bad bugs and help prevent certain sicknesses, just makes the calf's immune systems stronger faster. Just like when we are babies and need some boosters to help us, calves need more because their mothers placenta is so thick that it is almost impossible for the mother to transfer antibodies and white blood cells to the calf via the umbilical cord so that's why colostrum and calf protocols are essential for any neonatal calf!!

Since I was already outside this am I decided to put the calf blankets on all my calves that are on milk. I have about 15 calves on milk for our size dairy that's an awful lot but you won't hear me complain... I LOVE IT!! Yesterday, I bought calf jackets and I am super excited about them! It may not seem too exciting to some because I know if you asked me 10 years ago even 6 years ago I would not care nor would I know why they needed them, it's an animal.

 I care about my calves so much and I know how important their health and comfort is to our farm in the present and future that I keep their hutches packed with straw for a warm bedding and this am I gave them a late Christmas present which was a calf jacket! I think they look rather spiffy and I believe they like them already because they were running in and out of their hutches and kicking their legs to the side right after I put the jackets on. Too Cute!! Shoulda took a video but I was lost in the moment :)

New Calf Jackets on all my girls!!

Here he is... looking all handsome in his new maroon jacket :) Them ears though!!!!
 He needs a name, any suggestions?

My early bull calf definitely received lots of loving this morning... he's lucky I care more about him and his future than my beauty sleep!!

~The Barn Window