Preparing for Calving Season

 Calving season is coming up and we will need all hands on deck at the ranch. This is especially true since we recently bought 35 head of bread first-year heifers to add to our 15 heifers that we already had. First-time calving heifers are a lot of work because they require constant supervision. They might have trouble calving and could very well possibly require one of us to pull a calf. It only takes a short time from the time the water breaks until the calf should be born. If the heifer is having trouble, the calf must be pulled or it will die and the heifer could go barren as well. In order for the calf to be pulled, the heifer has to be brought around to the barn and put in a chute so the puller can safely go behind the heifer and avoid being kicked or trampled. They can get a little heated because of the new experience, especially if they are having trouble. If the calf isn't pulled just right, it could kill the calf or cause the heifer to prolapse, which means her insides will come out her backside. You never, ever want this to happen! The heifers are expected to start calving on April 1st and could possibly calve up until May. That's a lot of around-the-clock observation. I'll be pulling the night shift, 8:00 p.m. through 4:00 a.m., so wish me luck! We also have 50 head of older cows who should be calving around March 1st, but according to the vet one or two could be as early as February 1st. These cows will need some mild observation, but should not need any help in calving since they are more experienced. Once every calf is born, it must be sexed and recorded for bookkeeping. After the calves are a couple days old they can be ear-tagged to indicate which mother they were born from, in case one goes missing or something.

We've prepared for calving this year by buying panels and building a large addition to our pen specifically for the heifers. We also built new calving pens in the barn for a mama and her new baby to re cooperate if needed. I hope all goes well because cattle prices were sky high this year. We paid about $1650 a head for our heifers, which is ridiculously high. The only way these new heifers will be a good investment is if they successfully produce a crop and remain fertile for the following years. Can ya tell I'm a business major? Well, in the words of Roy Rogers, "Until we meet again."