Been colder than we’re used to down here the last 10 days or so, not below 0 but in the single digits anyway. Takes about a half hour to feed our cake babies, pull up to the troughs and they come running every time. Cake them and while they’re busy with that fire up the tractor and go roll out a couple of bales for them. Haven’t had to chop ice, wind has been blowing and putting up enough chop to keep the tank from completely freezing over.
Of course sure as chit as soon as the north wind hit last week the old gals started dropping calves like crazy. Miraculously not a single frozen ear or tail so far but what a world to be brought into. Go from nice and warm and curled up to plopped out in the biting wind on top of the frosty ground while you’re sopping wet. Thank goodness in my whole life we’ve had to pull exactly one calf and he came during the spring in good weather.
Strangely, last week had one steer about #300 or so come down and get caked with the rest of them and then just suddenly die, like right then and there. He was slick and healthy looking, no running nose or puss in his eyes or anything. Came down to the trough and then headed to the hay with the rest of the herd and just fell over and croaked. Grandad theorizes that he got kicked in the chest by an old cow and stopped his heart or collapsed a lung but who knows. Win some and lose some I guess.
