firesweepranch
Well-known member
OK, this weather has been NUTS! last night a -27 temp with wind chill (-9 with out!), breaking records all over... and currently only 2 degrees (hey, we are in SW MO here, not CANADA!!!)! So, we have three recips due NEXT week - one the 14th, one the 16th, and one the 17th. Bad storm came in Saturday night, and the first recip due went into labor right before dark. We set up a pen in the barn (no heat, but at least out of the wind), and she gives us a very cute Steel Force x REN Extra Nice embryo heifer calf (first calf pictured). OK, so we keep the cow and calf in the stall in the barn, knowing the temps are not expected to rise any time soon AND the wind chill factor coming the next two nights. We also locked in the next recip due (she looked close - better to be safe than sorry) along with a cow and calf that was born Christmas day so just a week old. We went out this morning to do chores and heat check, let the recip and older cow/calf pair out and that recip has her tail cocked and walking like she is in labor...
So, we quickly clean the pen they were in, put in a water (where are those tank heaters when you need them???), and drop some straw and hay. An hour later, we bring her back in, to have her calve in this FREEZING cold weather, 10 days early!!! Poor little thing was frozen before it hit the ground! We dried the little thing off, paying attention to the ears and tail... and made sure he stood and sucked. Yes, another bull calf, but this one is a Broker x TC Sweet Dreams (Tommy Cline's donor). His pic is the second one with all the white! Wished for a heifer, but a live WARM calf is always welcome!!! The third recip does not look too close, but I will be watching her closely!
So, we quickly clean the pen they were in, put in a water (where are those tank heaters when you need them???), and drop some straw and hay. An hour later, we bring her back in, to have her calve in this FREEZING cold weather, 10 days early!!! Poor little thing was frozen before it hit the ground! We dried the little thing off, paying attention to the ears and tail... and made sure he stood and sucked. Yes, another bull calf, but this one is a Broker x TC Sweet Dreams (Tommy Cline's donor). His pic is the second one with all the white! Wished for a heifer, but a live WARM calf is always welcome!!! The third recip does not look too close, but I will be watching her closely!
