Baby Saki

"Usually", farmers calve in the spring.  Sometimes a cow won't or can't care for a calf the way it needs to be cared for, so the calf becomes a bottle baby.  (If the cow dies during labor, gets a fever, has a too small or too big of an bag/utter, has twins or the calf gets sick or is born deformed/injured are some examples of why a cow wouldn't be able to care for her calf.) 

"Usually".  Whenever you see that word, it means a condition is coming...

**WARNING:  the next paragraph talks about cow baby-making.   So if you're sensitive to that topic or have a wee one who hasn't been introduced to the birds and the bees yet reading over your shoulder, quick!... skip to the next paragraph...**  (I doubt that will be any of you.)

WE "usually" calve in the spring, too.  But last year, the extreme hot weather threw our calving for a loop.  Cows won't come into heat when the weather is too extreme in either direction.  Since most cattlemen time it so that they put their bull in with the herd in the early summer so that the cows are bred to calve in the spring, they never have to worry about winter weather conditions throwing off the cows' cycles.  But since the bulls ARE running with the herd and hopefully performing during the summer, long periods of extreme heat stopping the cows' cycles is a concern.  Last year, the day after day after day after day after.... you get the point... of 90, even 100, degree temperatures stopped some of the cows from coming into heat during the mid summer months like they were supposed to.  And cows not coming into heat means the bulls weren't interested in them and therefore didn't do their bully deed.  Instead, their (the cows') cycles were thrown anywhere from a month to two months off.  Which means instead of having a sudden boom of calves in April and May like we were supposed to, our calving was strung out all summer. 

**Okay... you squeamish, bashful and young folk can start reading again.  We're done discussing the birds and the bees and the cows and the bulls.**

Which brings us back to the "usually".  Usually, we wouldn't have to worry about calving in August.  But because of everything just explained, this year we do.  One day last week, Josh was out on the four wheeler checking fence when he almost ran over a newborn calf.  It was obviously healthy and had eaten at least a little bit, so he left it alone for his mama to come back and get it.  The next day, he, along with Caleb, decided to go back and check, just to make sure mama cow had went back to the calf to care for it.  It's a good thing he went to check, because sure enough, there it lay, weak and alone with no herd in sight.  Josh had no choice but to bring it home.  So he wired it to the back of the four wheeler (it's not as bad as it sounds) and took the little guy for a ride.  Just so happens, when he got back, the herd was in the pasture by the yard.  So he took the calf out to the herd and called to see if a mama cow would come to acknowledge the baby.  Well, one very confused cow did come up, sniff the calf and then ran back to another calf in the herd.  Back and forth she went, from calf to calf, confused as could be until she finally just claimed the one in the herd.  Apparently, the pair of calves she was confused over were twins and she only wanted the one.  SO....

The little guy that Josh and Caleb brought home from way back in the far pasture on the back end of a  Kawasaki four wheeler has become the highlight of the kids' days ever since he's joined the family... temporary as it may be.  About the name: we've had three bottle calves in the last few years.  The first was brought home in the fencing box of our Honda four wheeler, thus I named him Baby Honda.  The second was brought home in the bed of the Ford pickup, thus I named him Baby Ford.  This third calf was, as already told, brought home on the back end of the Kawasaki four wheeler and since Kawasaki seems like such a long name for such a little guy, I named him simply Saki.  I like it!

Sarah and I had been in town on our weekly grocery and errand run when the expedition to the back pasture took place.  We were literally less than five minutes from being home when we got a call from  Josh wondering where we were, followed by instructions to turn around and go get some milk.  When we're in a bind like this (after business hours), we can supplement the calf with whole milk (or better yet, add some cream) until we can get milk replacer.  So we did a U-ie and headed for BP to grab a gallon of milk.  This picture is what we were greeted with when we got home.

P.S.  The calf is perfectly peaceful.  Though it looks uncomfortable to us, the back of the four wheeler was the perfect size for him.  Like a calf stretcher.

 

Teaching him to suck the bottle for the first time.  Since he had already nursed the cow at least enough to survive the first day, this could have been quite the challenge.  Once a habit is learned, it's hard to break.  Thankfully, he was hungry enough to eventually take it.

The next morning, the kids were up bright and early to help with Saki chores.  The kids are thrilled.... the calf, not so much!  At this point, he was still pretty hesitant about people.

We (and by "we" I mean Josh and the kids... I was inside by the window taking pictures, enjoying the last half cup of my morning coffee) finally got him to running with them in the yard.  The kids think this is just about the best!

 

 

So proud of their baby! 

Saki is on a long rope tied to a halter.  We move him from tree to tree each day.  After his feedings, he gets exercised: his choice of walks, runs or just standing there and looking.   I will warn you: between the cats, the chickens and now Saki, be very careful of where you walk in our yard!  (We'll have the greenest grass around... even in a drought!) 

We had Baby Ford two years ago and Caleb says he does remember him, but this is the first calf that they will have a real hand in helping with.  The kids are pretty excited and I think having Saki around brings back great 4-H memories for Josh.

I love our farm life!