We’ve had a wild 24 hours at Crossley Farms.
While I grew up on family farms in rural Kansas – I still have a lot to learn about being a farmer. Especially, when cattle are involved.
Yesterday, Aaron went to visit a friend and help to get his garden up and running. That left me flying solo to keep the livestock alive. For only 24 hours.
Lo and behold, Isai’s little calf – the OG Chuck – wouldn’t finish his dinner. He half-heartedly pulled at his bottle until it was about half empty. Then, he just quit and wandered to the other end of the pen.
My dad lives down the road and was quick to come help our cow baby. With a few meds on hand, he treated him for pneumonia, helped him finish the bottle and adjusted the heat lamp inside the pole barn.
This morning, though, Chuck was laying in the center of the pen – flat on the ground. He had sprawled his legs out from under himself and it looked like the worst case scenario. Luckily, my dad had stopped in at the exact right moment while I was mixing bottles for breakfast. I was so glad I didn’t have to find Chuck alone.
Dad climbed in the pen and started to move him. At that point, Chuck perked up his lazy head. Our guy was alive.
Dad, once again, started working to get him to take his bottle. He rolled the baby onto his belly and sat him upright. He moved the heat lamp so he could continue to absorb some warmth. Then, he loaded him up and took him to the vet.
In the back seat of his truck cab.
Farmers, man.
Most cattle farmers and ranchers around here have so many cows that they don’t always bother with the trip to the vet. The birth and death of cattle is part of the cycle. It’s accepted as a fact of life.
But when you have three bottle calves on your first farm and the very first of the three is sick – you try. You try to help them the same way you’d help the dogs. So – into the back of the truck Chuck went.
He’s at the vet now. They confirmed pneumonia and started treating him for dehydration. My dad said it’s a fact of the season – hot temps mixing with freezing cold nights makes for a perfect storm for cow sickness. Thankfully, we have a wonderful dry place to keep them. We’re just lacking some sunshine.
Chuck will be under vet watch with IVs for a couple of days. We’ll be anxiously awaiting the next update.