At what point is just yelling uncle and giving up acceptable????

[inthebarnagain]

We started the week with our Carneyman heifer that was born Friday with a raging case of pneumonia.  She is still alive and acts like she'd like to nurse but doesn't have the strength so she is getting tube fed. 

Then our 3 year old that calved Monday night decided that taking care of her calf just wasn't on her agenda, so after putting the two of them in the barn and seeing if she will let him nurse we had to have a "come to Jesus meeting" as my grandpa always called them.  She is much better with the idea of letting him nurse while she is eating, especially if I am standing there holding a club. 

Then Tuesday our 11 year old daughters favorite cat, the one that sleeps with her every night had to go to the vet because she suddenly just stopped eating for no known reason despite many tests.

Last night, Caitlins (our daughter) FAVORITE cow calved in the brutal wind that was blowing.  We found the calf within 30 minutes and took him and her to the barn and gave him fluids to warm him and put up a heating lamp.  Dead calf this morning.

Then while I'm cleaning up all that mess the vet with the cat called.  She had to put her to sleep because upon exploratory surgery discovered that she had pus filling her abdomen and had probably ingested something that perforated her intestines. 

I get to pick Caitlin up from school in about a half hour and am really dreading telling her about the days developments.  The calf I think she expected, the cat will not be good. 

Plus, doing most of this myself because my husbands work has suddenly decided overtime right now is a dandy idea.  How bad am I to think city living without any animals at all is a wonderful idea right now????

And the thought that keeps going through my mind, 8 out of 10 calves that have been born are alive, THERE ARE STILL 16 COWS TO CALVE 

 

[RSC]

Hang in there.  Not fun telling the kids about the loss of a treasured pet though!  I love calving season but I'm with you when it goes wrong it can be the worst time.  Spring will be here soon and life will get better.  Keep fighting.

Tony

 

[coachmac]

I agree!  Explaining the pet will be tough.  It is funny how kids sort of understand the ultimate result of livestock.  We butchered my daughters bucket calf (1.5 years after the show) and she was fine with it.  She had a guinea pig that got sick and ....... she thought the sky was falling.  Needless to say, sick GP's are like sheep!  Not much of a will to survive.  She got over them but it still stung!  Kids are tough lil boogers!  Sorry about the calves though.  Losing money ..... now that makes me cry! 

 

[braunvieh]

Hang in there!! This winter has been brutal and I think many are feeling the frustrations you are. When it rains, it pours, or should I say when it snows it blows!! We are hanging in there with our calving but seem to have many we have to mess with and bring in because of the long extended cold. Why did we not go for May calving???? It will all get better soon, just keep plugging away. In a couple months it will all be a blur and you will be admiring all them nice calves out in the pasture.

 

[kanshow]

I agree.. it's been a bad one and like others have said, all the bad stuff seems to snowball on you.      Loosing a pet is hard on the kids but they are tough and they get thru it. 

I'm with Braunvieh in wondering why on earth we are calving now instead of May.    I just keep reminding myself that this winter is an unusual one .... and it's going to be over soon. 

 

[herefordfootball]

Like everyone else said: Hang in there!!! Spring is on its way and warm weather with it! The more I keep reading on this board the more I'm glad we are calving in April. I was cursing myself for not getting them bred for Febuarys in this summer, but now I guess I'm glad.

 

[inthebarnagain]

We've pretty much decided that we are aiming for
mid march calves next year. It wouldn't even be that bad if we had a big enough barn to put them in for a bit. We only have room for 2. Very frustrating!!

Thanks for letting me vent guys!!  It's why I love steerplanet.

 

[forbes family farms]

Last year we had a Angus heifer that had a premature calf the worst result is she had the calf near a creek and the calf fell in my dad went out and got the cow and the calf in the barn we warmed the calf up in a heat box, took it to the vet the vet said he should get better well he got worse and i knew he was going to die, so i didn't hit me.

My dad was cleaning out the barn on valtines day ran over my favorite cat with the skid loader, this cat was just not a normal cat it has a hunting a machine she killed rabbits birds mice anything you can think of and was a lovable family cat when she past away i thought the world was going to end.

Three years ago i bought a quarter horse that was abused and neglected at a sale barn i loved him to death he was not a" normal horse" you could do anything to him he didn't mind, i was getting ready for school one day looked outside and Seen him laying down like he was dead i ran outside pulled as hard as i could on his halter thinking he would wake up well we didn't i still miss him to this day i thought the world was going to end when that happend.

I'm sorry that about the calf and the cat dieing i would be exactly like your daughter crying my eyes out tell her that at least there not suffering and living in no pain anymore. Hang in there.

 

[CAB]

 I think that I'm going to aim for mid April. I'm afraid of the cold rains that we can get in March. The mud may be deep this spring.
 Remember ITB, as long as you can keep troubles out of the house, it will get better. The pet will be tough, but when your family is healthy, you can fight another battle tomorrow.  To The Fight!!

 

[GoWyo]

This won't help much, but seems like good and bad things come in threes.  Looks like you have had three bads, so there has to be some good coming.  I like one cat -- my black tom cat, but learned as a kid that cats are pretty much disposable farm animals.  We never had any cats that died of old age - mostly trauma or just disappeared.

 

[Hofstatter Farms]

the best things in life never come easy, that is what makes them worth fighting for. Keep your head up, tomorrow or maybe the next day will be better. <beer>

 

[lowann]

I guess we aren't the only ones.
We have lost 1 pregnant cow (our very first show heifer), and 6 calves already. Triplets, born too soon, one a month early, one backwards, and the legs were twisted up underneath it.
Who Made Who, in the pregnant cow, Hannibal triplets, Monopoly too early, Heat Seeker, backwards.
My husband is about ready to throw in the towel. At least I have help, my heart goes out to you trying to do this by yourself.
Losing a beloved pet on top of everything. Like the old saying goes "there is always someone who's got it worse than you do"
Well, tonight I heard of someone who's got it worse off than me. Hang in there.

 

[Woody]

Just think of all the good times ahead you will miss if you give up now. In the wise words of my grandpa; Keep your head held high and paddle faster!

 

[Show Heifer]

To answer your question:  NEVER.

 

[OH Breeder]

I thinking yelling is very cleansing. Every now and then I encourage it. Especially when you have one of those "days". It sounds like you all have had a rough start. The up side to this is you didn't have to cut any out or they didn't come in pieces as well as you have this board to commiserate your pain. As some have said, look up and eventually it will get better. The one thing I have learned in life is when you think its bad, it can always get worse. But little venting is always good for the soul.

Condolences on the family pet. Many times I find that animals are much more interesting to talk to then some humans. I don't know what I would do without my dog. He is a better listener then alot of people. Sorry to hear about the cat. One morning while having a cup of coffee my dog climbed up beside me and the picture below says it all. He looked how I felt.

 

[Teacher]

The bad times just makes us appreciate the good times so much more!!!!  Keep your head up

 

[irh]

Gee I hope everyones luck gets better.  We are waiting on our first calf to be born, she is two days late now.  One due today and another one looking like she could be a few days early.  To darn cold in Ohio today anyway..  Sorry to hear about you cat, we are lovers of cats here also.  Last summer my husband started mowing hay behind the barn, I jumped on the four wheeler to go around the field and there laid our beautiful calico cat called, Miss Puss.  He ran her through the hay bind.  He stopped and we buried her, we both cried like babies.  It's hard to lose any animal on the farm.  And then we have peta and husa that think we don't love and care for our animals.  They are very much wrong about alot of things.  Dad always said, as long as it stays in the barn and not in the house.  But, it still is very stressful sometimes.

 

[kfacres]

your weeks' been like mine... I've been doing chores for a neighborn while he's been in Mexico..

First lamb born was dumb. mother didn't have much milk was a 1/2 bag.. he finally died...  Next ewe had a dead lamb, and super stupid as we call him...  tube feeding 3x day for 5 days finally paid off and he started sucking...  was after i gave up on him, and left him to die.. he decided that wasn't good enough...

truck broke down the other day, just driving along and motor locked up...  now buy a new one.

walked home the next day..  5 miles on road, 4 through woods.. so i took short route- ended up walking 5 miles in snow knee deep, and then fell in the river while trying to cross it...  had some random guy bring me home so I didn't kick off... 

was looking for straw in barn yesterday came across what could have been a very unhappy new family of skunks...  notice I said could have been... got out of there alive, and not stinking... 

whats next, thankfully he came home, and I don't have to do anything but sit in my comfy chair, and play on the computor.. and find a new ride

 

[TJ]

We used to calve in early Feb & I finally had enough, put my foot down & told my dad no more... we moved our calving to mid/late March & I liked that a lot better!!  Tornadoes, storms, fire, etc., have taken care of several of our barns, so there is no good place to calve a group indoors.  We have to calve totally outside in the elements.  Last year, we were really tight for space when Doc Holliday came back, so I had to stick him out with the cows upon his return, which was well before I wanted.  Anyway, I've had 7 calves so far this year & fortunately, by the grace of God, all has been OK so far.  However, I haven't liked having babies out in several inches the snow or in single digit temps in the middle of the night.  If it were me, I would calve later in the spring.  I've got friends that don't start calving until May or June & I know people who calve in Feb... the ones calving in Feb are the ones with the most horror stories.    I've done it both ways... I'd calve later if it were me.   

Sorry to hear about the pet cat & all the other troubles!!  That's got to be hard to deal with.  Hang in there!!     

 

[inthebarnagain]

Update to the soap opera on my farm!!  The 3 year old has decided that after all the calf would be a good thing to take care of and they are now out with the rest of the herd and she is keeping him close to her like any good cow, she is still getting her head cut off this fall when he is weaned though!

Caitlin took the cat dying pretty hard Thursday but has now realized there was nothing that could be done and its better that she is not suffering.  She is one tough kid!  She is now trying to persuade some of the littermates to that cat to sleep with her at night!

And believe it or not the little Carneyman heifer is still alive.  I don't know how.  She still does not have the strength to nurse the cow so we've been milking the cow and tubing the calf but for some unknown reason she is still living.  I keep going in the barn expecting to find her dead but she isn't.  I've gave her B complex, Baytril, Nuflor which she is still getting and am running out of ideas.  Any suggestions?