We have some sweet neighbors down the road...they are in their 80s. both in poor health with heart problems. the guy can hardly walk. the woman still gets out on her 4 wheeler.
Their son lives there on the farm, too. he and his wife went out of town for a few days and we were appointed as 'guardians' if they needed anything. this has happened before and we have never been needed.
Until today
We got the call about 6pm. i need some help....i need to get a calf back to the house in a corral and i need to do it before dark. we figure we have about 30 minutes before full dark.
OK...no problem...we'll be right there. i told Jim...i hope this is a SMALL calf. i have been head butted by a teenage calf...it was not fun.
So, we all go out in the pickup....through some pasture....through a gate....through some more pasture.....around the pond. there are about a dozen or more pregnant cows out there. we see 2 babies....but they are close to their mommas...that is not the one we want. the neighbor says there were 3 babies out there just a few minutes ago and one was bawling his head off .... wanting his momma and some milk.
We want the calf that was bawling his head off just a few minutes ago...looking for his momma. we think momma had twins this time and when she moved the momma....only one baby got moved with her. so we were there to find the calf and take it back to his momma.
We drove all over that pasture. trying to look for a black calf in daylight that was quickly fading. finally got out of the truck and walked the fence line. i don't much like to turn my back on momma cows....they get all protective.
Finally, we find the baby....all the way by the fence....laying in some brush....just as quiet as can be. we just happened to see him when she shined the flashlight and it caught his eyes. so the 3 of us surround him and drag him out of the brush. then we have the problem of getting him up into the back of the pickup. jim finally just picks him up and gets him up there. our neighbor crawls in with him and holds down 2 feet and sort of lays on his head. the calf is kicking and squirming like the devil is after him. this woman is 80 years old.....i figure i better get up there and help her.
So, i get the back end and 2 legs and she had the head and 2 legs. jim is driving the pickup to take us back to the house. the pasture is full of ruts and rocks and who knows what. although we are going slow....every little bump seems to put a bruise on me. you don't know how tough you are until you try to hold down a 60 pound calf in the back of a bouncing pickup truck. i only have 2 arms and he had 4 legs. every good bounce and he was trying to jump up. i was trying not to get kicked in the head. here we are....2 women laying on this calf and he is bucking us off. LOL i don't know what we would have done if he had been any larger.
Finally we get him back to the house and get him out of the pickup and into the corral. then he starts bawling his head off. by now it is full dark and i am really glad we found him. my neighbor went to get him a bottle and said she would feed him tonight and tomorrow will try and find his momma. she thinks she knows which one it is.
I'm glad i'm not in the cattle business. LOL
We told her....if you need anything else....just give us a call.
I was traumatized....i came home and made chocolate chip cookies....and ate 6 of them. LOL
I have to go rest....and count my bruises....i'll check in with you
Later
Their son lives there on the farm, too. he and his wife went out of town for a few days and we were appointed as 'guardians' if they needed anything. this has happened before and we have never been needed.
Until today
We got the call about 6pm. i need some help....i need to get a calf back to the house in a corral and i need to do it before dark. we figure we have about 30 minutes before full dark.
OK...no problem...we'll be right there. i told Jim...i hope this is a SMALL calf. i have been head butted by a teenage calf...it was not fun.
So, we all go out in the pickup....through some pasture....through a gate....through some more pasture.....around the pond. there are about a dozen or more pregnant cows out there. we see 2 babies....but they are close to their mommas...that is not the one we want. the neighbor says there were 3 babies out there just a few minutes ago and one was bawling his head off .... wanting his momma and some milk.
We want the calf that was bawling his head off just a few minutes ago...looking for his momma. we think momma had twins this time and when she moved the momma....only one baby got moved with her. so we were there to find the calf and take it back to his momma.
We drove all over that pasture. trying to look for a black calf in daylight that was quickly fading. finally got out of the truck and walked the fence line. i don't much like to turn my back on momma cows....they get all protective.
Finally, we find the baby....all the way by the fence....laying in some brush....just as quiet as can be. we just happened to see him when she shined the flashlight and it caught his eyes. so the 3 of us surround him and drag him out of the brush. then we have the problem of getting him up into the back of the pickup. jim finally just picks him up and gets him up there. our neighbor crawls in with him and holds down 2 feet and sort of lays on his head. the calf is kicking and squirming like the devil is after him. this woman is 80 years old.....i figure i better get up there and help her.
So, i get the back end and 2 legs and she had the head and 2 legs. jim is driving the pickup to take us back to the house. the pasture is full of ruts and rocks and who knows what. although we are going slow....every little bump seems to put a bruise on me. you don't know how tough you are until you try to hold down a 60 pound calf in the back of a bouncing pickup truck. i only have 2 arms and he had 4 legs. every good bounce and he was trying to jump up. i was trying not to get kicked in the head. here we are....2 women laying on this calf and he is bucking us off. LOL i don't know what we would have done if he had been any larger.
Finally we get him back to the house and get him out of the pickup and into the corral. then he starts bawling his head off. by now it is full dark and i am really glad we found him. my neighbor went to get him a bottle and said she would feed him tonight and tomorrow will try and find his momma. she thinks she knows which one it is.
I'm glad i'm not in the cattle business. LOL
We told her....if you need anything else....just give us a call.
I was traumatized....i came home and made chocolate chip cookies....and ate 6 of them. LOL
I have to go rest....and count my bruises....i'll check in with you
Later
1 comment:
I wish I would have had the camera with me and got a picture of the old lady and my wife wrestling that calf in the bed of the truck. A picture would have been worth a 1000 words.
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