Pumpkins / Gracie / Blizzard's calf - The Accidental Smallholder

Posted: Monday 11 October, 2021

by Rosemary at 4:16pm in Smallholding Comments closed

Monday 4^th October

Lovely morning; no calf yet. I’ll do a 2am check now until she’s calved.

A few showers in the afternoon. Started giving he hens soaked corn in the afternoon. Audrey and Dusty went to bed on their own for the first time.

Tuesday 5^th October

Still no calf.

Wednesday 6^th October

No calf. Horrible wet night forecast, so brought the cows in. Saves my jammies getting wet on the night-time checks. They can go out during the day though.

Andy was taking some photos of the catle fro our Festival banner

Andy and Blizzard.

Thursday 7^th October

No calf. Bronte and Baby are so bonded – I’ll have to sell them as a pair.

The herd - apart from Blizzard.

So warm and damp – it’s like living in a wet facecloth. Not nice.

Joiner is here to repair the fascia.

Repairs underway.

Friday 8^th October

Blizzard’s due date but no sign of a calf yet.

Our new livery is arriving tomorrow. Smokey had his feet trimmed – he was so grumpy. Midges, I think. They were annoying me too.

Saturday 9^th October

Blizzard wasn’t looking very happy this morning; breathing a bit heavy and rapid and she’s got a snotty nose. Put her out with the others, but she wasn’t right so brought her in at lunchtime and called the vet. After an examination, the vet said there was no sign of her calving (cervix not open at all, but no twist and no smell or gunge) but that she had a bit of pneumonia (probably caused by the incredibly mild, damp weather). The calf may be dead – anyway, it has to come out, so Blizzard has had Metacam (for pain and to drop her temperature), Pen&Strep (for infection, over five days) and Estrumate, to bring her to calving. Preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.

Picked all the pumpkins and put them to store and started to tidy out the potting shed, since Dan was tidying up the greenhouse. It’s been pouring rain on and off and it’s so warm.

Pumpkins (var. Blaze).

Gracie arrived – our new livery. She’s very pretty.

Gracie.

Sunday 10^th October

4am Blizzard looking much perkier, but no calf. Could be as long as tomorrow.

Dan and Andy cut wood, including a pile of pallets, which Dan then split for kindling. Then he was off to finish lifting tatties. Not the best crop ever – too dry, I think.

I brought Rora in to keep her mum company. She was a little star. When I went out, she was lying down; I just walked up and put her halter on, then she lead down two fields, away from Rosie and Annie and the calves. She had one wee bounce, when she saw her mum – I just let her go, and then picked up the halter when she stopped. The vet’s going to jag her tomorrow – I’m pretty sure Ace must have caught her. If it had been an unrelated bull, I’d probably have let her carry the calf as she’s well grown, but not Ace’s.

Rosedean Aurora.

I couldn’t settle to anything, so did some mindless paperwork. It’s going to be a long night.

Monday 11^th October

6am Well, I’ve been up all night. Didn’t bother going to bed, just napped in the chair. And nothing so far. Blizzard seems fine; she’s just had some sugar beet. It looks like things might be moving now though. Don’t think I’ve ever felt so helpless or useless.

8am Vet out; he started to examine Blizzard and said “Wee bugger kicked me”. OMG, live calf. Coming backwards!  

Here he comes!

Thanks to his skill and experience today and Laura’s on Saturday, we have a healthy bull calf and a healthy cow. Very, very happy.

And there he is.

And he's found the milk bar.

And that’s all for today. Going for a sleep.