keep some lose some

When we brought Peaches, the milk cow, home from South Carolina - we also brought with her two bull-calves from the dairy.  One of them was three days old, and the other 3 weeks old.

Only one of them survived.  The younger of the two died today.  Although I'm trying not to take it personal, it always is.  It's heart wrenching.  They're young, innocent and incredibly dependent on the "new mom".  I can't help but think that sometimes being taken away from the mother so soon bears physical as well as emotional damage.

Probably he was sick before we brought him home.  Possibly I could not have done anything beyond what we were able to do to save him.

I had a good cry today.  Seemingly enough for all of the animals lost here on the farm in the last three years.  It doesn't get any easier.  I just doesn't.

So, in life, we keep some, and we lose some.  It's the knowledge that I can still make a difference one calf at a time that keeps the ability to try again on the horizon.  It's HOPE.

My mom once had a t-shirt that said:  If you don't go IN, you can't find OUT.

Hope keeps me going in.  And the other little guy just keeps me going.

Chance and Hope

Meet Chance. His name, pun intended, was indicative of his status when I first laid eyes on him.

I didn't think he would make it through the night. So, on a wing (hoof?) and more than one prayer, we took him home (on the floor board at my feet, inside the truck) and took a chance on him.

So far, so good.

We brought him home the 16th of December, and the first three days he was here was extremely cold, and although he was in the most interior stall in the barn, with a foot plus of pine shavings, I lay awake most of the night, anxious to get to the barn, to see if Chance had indeed "made it" through the night.

Having bottle calves is a trying and rewarding rollercoaster ride. See this post. Interestingly enough, this calf whom I thought was at death's door upon first look, has been the most healthy, trouble-free calf we've raised yet. He gives to me another notch in the Hope Factor of Hope Farms. For, when you think you have nothing left, or nothing to look forward to, you always have Hope.

Chance, apparently, had Hope.

And I have the same. Even if I have to reinforce it one calf at a time. I have the urge to explore an atrocity here, about dairy farms, about the injustice that we Americans, and humans in general, have done to animals. I have done injustices to animals, and may continue to make mistakes, but I'm becoming more and more aware and conscious of the intricate relationship we should cherish - vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike - with our fellow earth-bound friends. As I learn and grow a wee bit older and possibly wiser, I appreciate the long eyelashes of cows and the hungry grunts of pigs and the cautious clucks of the chickens just a little more than I used to.

But, I won't explore that here and now. I'll wait until all of those jumbled and half-written thoughts coagulate and make some small amount of sense before I put the fingers to the keys again.

Until then, Hope as much as you can. And then Hope some more.

Hope Farms ~ where hope grows wild~

a month of sundays and two calves later

*phew!*

ahem.  uh, where were we?  ah yes.  calves.

here, have a go at this;

The first pictures (horizontally) are of BraveHeart.  The two pictures following are of Flicker.  When they arrived, they were full of energy, curious, and hungry.  We had a couple steep hills to climb, with the stress of transport and some other not-so-glamorous stuff that shall remain un-named, but all-in-all they're both doing great.  Growing, eating grass, knocking me down for their one bottle of milk a day and generally being calves (read:  LAZY!).

I can honestly say that flip flops are not really the desired footwear when one has two calves.  The poop just doesn't come off very well.  

Here's a video of the "Barnyard"  

and, we've added a couple kids to our farm as well.  

Life is good.  Now if I could just carve out some time to get the garden started.....

a brief visit from two angels

I am exhausted, and grieving, but life on a farm goes on.  Last Thursday we were visited by two angels.

  CJ, the dog, wouldn't leave the barn.  Apparently, since he is indeed part "cattle dog" he found his calling.  He wouldn't let the chickens near the calves.

He was diligent.  It was endearing.

I have seen week old calves, but have never spent much time with them.  They are so, so, so cute - it's nearly indescribable how very precious they are.  

Two Jersey bull calves were delivered Thursday evening.  They were less than a week old.  We started them on Milk Replacer and I taught the littlest one (with the bottle above) to drink out of a bowl.  After they ate, the bigger one (in the picture with CJ) lay down.  We put them in their comfy stall and bid them goodnight.

The bigger calf (#1) died just after noon.  

the culprit:  e. Coli. infection

read more about bottle calves here

The littler calf (#2) died Sunday night.  

If you ask me, I think there is a major problem with the way that bull-calves are handled.  This article parallels my thoughts, somewhat.

Dairy Calf Management…

Early care determines what you get for your bull calves

Part 2 in 5 part series

This 5 part series is provided by the Veal Quality Assurance Program.  The series suggests ways of managing calves to increase the value of bull calves, but the techniques discussed will benefit heifer calves as well.

Calf care is a major area of lost economic opportunity in dairy production.  Many producers do not realize that what is good for the heifer is good for the bull, and what is good for the bull calf is good for dairy herd profitability.  Improved management of ALL calves on the farm will benefit the overall herd program, the milk market, the calf market and the producer’s farm income.  How calves are managed in the first hours and days of life determines their potential as dairy replacement or veal grow-out.

Today, 80% of the nation’s veal supply comes from dairy calves going to special fed veal growers where they are raised to about 20 weeks of age at a weight of 400 to 500 pounds.  Only 14% of Holstein bull calves leave the dairy farm in the proper health and condition.

Industry and university studies indicate that calves which acquire a higher level of passive immunity in the first hours after birth are worth $20 to $25 more in their first four weeks of life, based on this single management factor.  Not only are they healthier, less likely to die or incur treatment costs, and more likely to reach their potential - they also demonstrate faster growth and better gain, using less feed than their counterparts with low serum antibodies.

The quantity, quality and timing of colostrum feeding accomplishes far more than any vaccine or injection in protecting calf health and promoting long-term production and profitability.  Four to six quarts of colostrum should be fed daily for at least the first three days of life.  However, time is of the essence.  The calf’s ability to absorb these antibodies from the lining of the small intestine directly into the bloodstream diminishes every hour as cell structures mature during the first 24 to 36 hours of life.

At the same time, calves are most vulnerable to ingested bacteria or viruses because these molecules are also absorbed easily into the bloodstream before gut closure.  Whatever gets there first - antibodies or bacteria - are immediately absorbed by the calf to determine its future health and profit potential.

First colostrum is the only antibody source for disease protection in newborn calves.  It also contains vitamin E necessary for the four to six week process of immune system development.  Colostrum is a source of important growth factors and hormones.  The quality of the colostrum is determined by herd health, nutrition and immune status and the dry cow management program.

That's all for now.