Donald

Here I am Saturday morning on my way to the farm.

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Two bottles for one calf you ask?  Well….no.  Two bottles for two calves.

First there was Daisy:

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And now we have Donald too:

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Friday evening when we were doing chores, Harland noticed a cow having a calf. We kept an eye on her as we went about our business and when she was done we watched to see if everything was ok, if the calf nursed, if she accepted it, etc. As we watched, we saw not one calf, but two.

Twins.

Again.

Sigh… Knowing she wouldn’t be able to take care of both of them we watched for a while to see which of them was the stronger of the two. One of them seemed more aggressive and was up and nursing, while the other lay there, not moving much. Harland picked up the weak one and brought it into the pen with Daisy. She was thrilled! A roomie!  She hopped about and sniffed with much excitement.  I got some colostrum into him (first milk that has antibodies) and we tucked them in for the night.

The next morning, he seemed sluggish, but drank most of his bottle. The next day, yesterday, he was much the same…sluggish, not standing much at all except to eat, and not interested at all in the world around him.

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When he does stand, he’s wobbly and kinda dopey looking.

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We expected him to be a slow starter – being born as a twin can be prolonged and rough – but by now he should be hopping around, playing with Daisy, and eagerly drinking his bottle.

But he’s still alive, not getting any worse, and so we’ll see what happens. Everyone deserves a chance.

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You suggested we name him Donald, and so we did.

Here he is with his roomie, Daisy.

Poor Daisy.  She tries so hard to get Donald to play with her….

With all the problem calves we’ve been having lately, you must think ours is a farm of defective animals. Just kidding…I’m sure you don’t think that. The vast majority of the time, calves are born strong and healthy, are up and about within minutes and moved to the pasture with the other cows and calves. When I look out into the pasture and see the ever growing number of Moms and Babies out there, I’m so grateful that most of the time there are happy endings.

And speaking of happy endings, Muffy was was very ill yesterday afternoon, sick from both ends.  Afterwards, he lay at my feet in front of the stove while I made supper,

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and then spent the evening curled up in front of the dishwasher feeling very sorry for himself. He didn’t want us to hold him at all. We were worried about him, and I wished there was something I could do for him, but Kitty had the same illness last week and was over it within about 24 hours.

Sure enough, this morning, he was very hungry and back to his purring lovable self.

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Hoping everyone has a great day!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Suzanne

Cattle, corn, wheat, beans, mud, snow, ice, and drought. Plenty of fresh air and quiet. Our life is sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes joyous, but never boring.

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7 Responses

  1. Evelyn says:

    I’ve been tagging along awhile now for calving season and I don’t remember y’all having one set of twins let alone two. Interesting! Sending good thoughts for the rest of the season!

  2. Sure hope both calves and the kitties all stay well for you.
    Adorable those calves!

  3. I enjoy your posts so much! Happy new calving season! Kathleen ~ Lane Hill House

  4. Becca says:

    I like Harland’s “scarf”. Daisy is a cutie. Hope Donald perks up soon.
    Florida hugs,
    Becca

  5. Dianna says:

    Aw, that little Donald…bless his heart. Now all of your readers will be “pulling” for him, and hoping that a future post from you will bring good news about him.
    And glad to hear that little Muffy is all better!

  6. Linda says:

    Isn’t it hard when the animals don’t feel well? Dixie’s been a very healthy kitty, but there are times when she refuses food or treats, and doesn’t want anything but to be left alone. I always wish she could tell me what’s wrong, with a little more specificity! Ah, well.

    Best wishes to Donald, and it sure is good to see that Muffy’s hanging around as usual again.

  7. Jeanne L says:

    Awww, poor little Donald! He really doesn’t look too well. I hope that changes for the better. Looks like Daisy is doing great!

    I’m sorry Muffy was not well, but he sure looks cute wrapped around Harland’s neck!

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