Joys and Sorrows of Calving

During calving season this year, we have been blessed to have a couple of sets of twins. Unfortunately, we are still behind in the count. We have lost several calves to sicknesses that struck them well after they were born. We tried to doctor them the best that we could, but it was too late and we lost them.

When we have twins, it is rare that the mother will claim both of them. It is just a little too much for her to do to feed two hungry calves. More times than not, we end up bottle feeding one of the twins until another cow loses a calf. Then we "graft" the twin onto that cow. That includes putting the cow and calf into a smaller area so she has to become familiar with that calf. Usually it results in a successful pairing and she finally claims the calf as her own.

This little guy was a twin that was in the process of being grafted. His new mom hadn't completely taken to him yet and he had been bottle fed previously. So, when I walked in to look at him, he was more than eager to hunt for a bottle in my hands!