Big Red is testing my patience. We've had many animals before that have held onto their baby, but this is ridiculous.
All yesterday the weather was hot, humid and windy and it was supposed switch up and get a cold wind from the south. Perfect storm weather and seemingly perfect weather for an animal to have a baby. After supper last night, we decided to take a trip down to Big D's dad's farm to check out our ducklings he'd hatched out for us in his hatchery. By the time we got home the wind had switched. It was getting black to the west, still windy, getting really cool and there was some lightening ripping through the sky.
D and I knew we had to work quick. We got all the kids inside and worked together as a team giving very quick baths and throwing everybody to bed, the big kids helped out too. Not throwing...okay throwing...we were in a hurry.
Quick as a wink we were down to the feedlot with our sweatshirts and mud boots on. With the wind swirling around us, we found Big Red, laying peacefully in the corner of the east pen. It worked out great, we shooed the rest of the cows out of the corner and closed the gates around her.
"You've got to put new bedding in there for her!" I yelled over the hum of the wind.
"She's got a dry spot right up here, she's fine." D yelled back.
More lightening, wind and pist. (mist/pee combination. I'm going to call Webster's Dictionary and see if that could be a new word.)
"Well maybe...you unchain the gates and I'll get a couple of our own square bales for her." Big D hollered as he got in the big wheeler. I looked at peaceful, spoiled Big Red, laying there like a huge princess as I got her some water and got some feed out of the bunk for her. "You're totally not going to have a calf tonight are you?" I asked her.
She didn't answer back. She just looked at me like she wanted a nap but she would have to wait until she got her nice bed of straw. I closed the gate and waited for D. The wind was whipping and the sky behind the grove was pink with lightening. Yeah pink. There was tornado warnings out in our county for a few hours yet.
I thought about it, here was this cow...of course she wasn't going to calve. All this pampering was for nothing. I know she's going to have it out in the lot when were not prepared. And I was out here in (almost) twister weather. If I was hmmm about 75-80 pounds lighter and had a hot co-star, I'd be like Helen Hunt in the "Twister" movie. Although in my movie there was a lot more manure. On the ground and my body. My hair was whipping too, and sticking to the pist on my face. Okay, so it was just me, D & Red. But I think we'd at least make one hell of a reality show.
AND by the way, as of now...still no calf!!
Happy Trails!
Suzanne
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