18 Days

I've written a lot about our cows lately since that seems to be the extent of my days.  And today is not any different.  I was dubbed a hero today since I was able to help save one of our new calves lives. 

For some reason, for the first time since we've started with cows, we are having a lot of difficulty.  Today's drama started with me doing the morning check of the herd to see if there were any of them near to or already in the process of birthing. 

Of course one was, and so I watched it for some time trying to see if she would be able to do it on her own.  After a bit, it became obvious that she was struggling and would need a bit of assistance.  My husband and I went out  to see if we could determine what the problem was, and were dismayed to find that the baby was coming out backward and upside down.  Not Good! 

The problem with this is that the cows water had already broken and so the baby calf was in essence going to drown inside its mothers womb.  We had to get it out and quick.  We definitely did not want to lose another baby.  Fortunately, the mother cow was getting tired enough that she finally laid down and let us approach.  While watching for a contraction, my husband crouched down and formed a tight hold on the legs that were protruding.  When a contraction came, he pulled, and luckily out came the baby. 

Thank goodness, is all I have to say.  This calving season has been more than I've wanted to experience thus far.