Its that time of year

The calves are coming! The calves are coming!
This is one of my favorite times to live on a farm. The calves started coming March 1st. We have a total of 12 right now. I know there will be 13 by morning because I noticed Bessie (the first cow Rex and I ever bought) showing the "signs". By the end of spring we should have 40-45 little mooers and by the end of summer, 60. So, really, we're just getting warmed up. (That is, IF our bulls, Arnie and Leo, did their jobs last summer.)

We had a set of twins born today. This has been pretty rare for us. The last set of twins that I can remember was about 5 years ago. I found the twins fairly soon after their birth. Their Mama had them in the mud (seems to be a trend this year, one that I am not liking). One calf, the smaller of the two didn't seem to mind. She was up on her feet and pretty dry. The bigger calf (maybe had a tougher delivery) was lying in the mud not looking too lively.
So, in this situation I feel lucky to be well versed in OB nursing. I have learned that farming is much like nursing in many ways. Initial care for a calf is the same as for a newborn. You want a dry baby! (Not a mud caked, wet, slimy one).
This is a very simple step to take for human babies. They are born, handed off to the nurse or laid on mom's tummy and then they get a rub down from head to toe with lots of nice, dry sterile towels. The majority of the time this will be all the stimulation a baby needs to get started in the world.
Unfortunately, the act of drying a calf is not quite as simple. At least not when I have to be involved. On a perfect farm, Mama Cow would walk herself up to the barn, find the warmest, coziest spot available and birth her baby there without help from any one. She'd lick him off and get him all fluffy and dry. Then the little critter would hop up, find Mama's udder and go to town filling his belly up.
Let me tell you, I have wished for that perfect farm world multiple times in the past week as I find calves born in the mud or little newbies that have become stuck in the mud. 60 cows stomping around on soggy ground and adding their excrement to it, can make quite a mess! Its a mess that leaves my short self up to my knees (literally) in muck. People, that is not a pretty sight. And somewhat unpleasant for me too!
But you gotta do what ya gotta do. And today I had to don the big rubber boots and drag a calf out of the slop. Trey had ridden out with me and sat on the four wheeler shouting words of encouragement to me as I tried to make it thru the mud without falling over. (That's always my main goal...don't fall!)
Walking thru mud like this is tricky. You can be hopping along from dry patch to dry patch and before you know it you can't see your boots anymore because they are completely consumed by the mud. It kind of reminds me of the Coyote on Looney Toons.......you know, he's chasing Road Runner, doing great, about to catch him when suddenly he realizes that he ran right off of a cliff. It takes about 10 seconds for that to sink in then he plummets down into the canyon and lands with a splat. Yes, that is really a lot like me trying to get thru the mud......
I did manage to make the calf a nice little bed of straw, dried it off to the best of my ability and then persuaded it to take some milk from a bottle. Her sister came to join her. (and to check my leg for udders) All the while, Mama Cow was circling me, bawling at me a little. She acted as if I was the crazy one. I reminded her that I was not the one who had just given birth in a mud hole. She was just being a normal Mama, she let me do my work but "complained" a lot too. While I was feeding the calf, I heard Trey talking to Mama Cow. He was using his "soothing" voice, telling her, "Everything is going to be alright. Stop your mooing now. Mommy is taking good care of your baby. Its okay".
So far, everything is okay. But I worry about these twins a little. I would've liked to see them up nursing on their own before I went in tonight. The frustrating part of our farm is that a lot of times I do what I can and then have to let nature do the rest and hope for the best. We don't have much hi-tech equipment or even extra hands. Sometimes I'd like to take a calf to the nursery and put it under a warmer, give it some extra oxygen, check some blood work, monitor the intake and output....... (As I picture this in my head now it makes me laugh a little)