Round Four

And so it begins again! Yesterday, Isaac brought home a calf. I felt a little unsure about trying this a fourth time but one day in I'm already invested. I told Isaac and that I wasn't going to name the calf for two weeks (by then we would know if the calf would survive). But today while I was bottle feeding the calf, the name "Harold" came to mind. So, meet Harold, or Harry for short. Isaac sprayed Harold down yesterday because he had been pretty messy from all the mud that the rain has brought us. He looks so cute! Today he mooed while I was feeding him. So cute! I appreciate Harry because he doesn't smell as bad as the other calves we have tried to raise. Harry also has more promise because we know he was with his mom at least three days at the feed lot. When we brought him home his poo was the color that indicates that he had been nursing which means he got the liquid gold, aka colostrum. So far he seems strong. He sucks way better than the other calves. I don't have to wrestle him to get him to take a bottle. And, unlike some of the other calves, Harry still has his tail and he can see. I feel that out of all the calves, Harold has the most promise but we shall see. My hopes are already up! Here are a few photos of Harold.

Harold walking among the weeds. The weeds provide him some shade, so he is into that.

This is what Harold looks like from behind, just in case you wanted proof that he has a tail.

You will have to look closely here but our dog Snax is licking Harold. Aw, they are kissing! Snax tries to lick Harold and the bottle when I bottle feed Harold. I think Snax is just trying to get the access milk that drops. It's kind of gross.

Anyway, now that it is summer and warmer, hopefully Harold will make it!

Bye Bye Betty

 Here is a picture of me feeding Betty. Often you have to straddle the calf and hold the bottle 

above it's head. This helps you get the closest angle to as if it were nursing from its mother.

Well, another one bites the dust yet again. We were sad when we lost Buttercup. Only a couple weeks later, Isaac brought home Betty. Betty seemed so promising. She sucked on her bottle a lot better and was much more active. However, Betty had no tail. By the time Isaac had found her at the feed yard, some coyote had already gotten her tail. Isaac doctored her up but I now wonder if she got an infection or lost too much blood.

Lubbock has CRAZY weather. The past couple weeks we have seen record highs and record lows. One day it will be 90 degrees and the next night it will be below freezing. Betty was our first ever animal sleepover. And let me tell you, she was a party animal, literally. She stayed in our "laundry room." It is really just a laundry area by the back door. I put down some newspaper to keep the area relatively clean. We also put up a board so that she couldn't escape.

Betty would get up and wobble around a lot in the night. She also peed everywhere. You may think, "that is gross!" but we all know that even people, well drunk people, behave this way so give Miss Betty a break! She actually has a legitimate excuse. Well as the days went on, Betty appeared to be gaining strength but we noticed that her eyes were turning cloudy and blue. Betty was blind. So sad! Well, one afternoon when I went out to feed her, she wouldn't eat and I noticed that she was lethargic. The next time we went to feed her she wouldn't even get up. I even lifted her up (usually the cow will straighten its legs and stand if you do this) but she just collapsed. A few hours later she was dead. I was so disappointed. I took consolation in that maybe it was for the best. I had read on the internet that blind cows need to be in a herd for protection or they would become prey to predators such as coyotes. Since we don't have a herd of cattle, she may have died a more tragic death in the future. Betty was so cute! She would use her hearing to follow us around. And bless her heart, she would wag that little stump of a tail trying to get rid of the flies that congregated around her bum. I'm gonna miss that heifer!

Another update: Isaac brought home another calf yesterday. From the beginning she didn't drink very well. I named her "Lucky" in hopes that the third time really is a charm. She also spent the night inside with us because this week we also had a freeze. Today she passed away. I felt sad and told Isaac that I might need a break from trying to keep these cows alive. When I asked him why we keep losing the calves he told me that most likely these calves aren't getting colostrum from their moms and sometimes they aren't immediately found by the cowboys. Well, someday we will get a cow that will make it. I just know it!

Here is a funny picture of Betty. Betty hung out a little bit with our dog Snax. I guess the grill is a hot hang out spot. When I saw her smelling the grill I chuckled and thought, "How ironic!" Oh Betty!

 

Tribute to Buttercup

Well, I had originally intended to write a post laden with lines of humor to portray the events surrounding the recent addition to the Lucero household. But alas, my post now has different tone because our beloved Buttercup died today.

Isaac works at a feed yard and they have no use for calves there, so if a mama cow is pregnant and gives birth while in the feedlot, they have to get rid of the calf. For this reason, Isaac was able to bring Buttercup home. Isaac had actually pulled the calf from his mother. Unfortunately, Buttercup was never able to nurse because his mother didn't get anywhere near him after the birth. So, when Isaac brought him home we gave him some colostrum replacer. At first Buttercup had some trouble sucking on the bottle but he seemed to get the hang of it once he got hungry enough. On his second day, Buttercup didn't walk as wobbly and I gave him the bottle myself. I had to throw my leg over him to make sure he didn't get away while I tried to feed him. He would sometimes bite down on the nipple and try to yank the bottle away. We wrestled a bit, but eventually he would start to suck and drank up the bottle pretty good. It was kind of cute how he would rub his head against me. It was also disgusting because cow saliva is pretty thick. He also had a purple tongue which I thought looked kind of gross. But he would kind of follow me, and that was pretty cute.

Well, today we went out to feed Buttercup but he was pretty weak. Isaac was able to get him up on all fours but he wouldn't eat and fell over. I went out to try to feed him again just a couple hours later only to find that he was in the same spot and hadn't moved. His breathing was labored and he looked weak. I tried to get him to stand up by pulling his tail and basically his whole bottom came up. I tried to lift his torso up but to no avail. I knew we were losing Buttercup. When we got home from church, Isaac went once more to check on him. Buttercup was dead.

My brother asked me if I cried but I didn't. We were raising Buttercup to eventually sell or butcher him, so I knew I had to be careful with becoming emotionally attached. However, this experience has helped me gain a greater respect for animal life. I was raised by a mother who did not like animals, so the only pets we had were rabbits that had to stay in outdoor cages. Now, I have two horses and a dog, and I did have a cow. I see why Isaac likes working with animals so much. It is definitely not for the faint of heart. It requires a lot of time, energy, patience, and sacrifice. Sometimes when Isaac leaves early to work he asks if I will feed the horses. I know you might think, "feeding horses can't be that big of deal" but when it is cold or windy, sometimes I think, "I wish I didn't have to feed those animals." And horses are big animals and there was a time when I felt that the horses were no longer respecting me so I had to carry a broom out with me to make sure they didn't get too close. The horses would start to rub up on me thinking I had food for them. But every time I walk outside and feel the air, I always feel better. And each time I would go to feed buttercup, I would have to change my clothes cause he would probably rub his snot all over me. And when I came back in the house I would have to be careful to change and disinfect before handling my baby. And when eating, Buttercup didn't just devour  his bottle. I once spent over an hour trying to get him to take his bottle. It felt like a had another baby. Well, the point of me sharing that isn't for pity but to show that caring for animals is a huge responsibility, and even if the intent is to eventually eat the animal, the time, energy, and care given isn't that different from the time, energy, and care you give to a pet. I have more respect for animals now but that doesn't make me want to become a vegetarian. I have nothing against vegetarians or vegans who abstain for humane reasons but I'm not sure they can judge caretakers of animals who later sell or eat those animals. It makes me reflect on what I have heard about Native Americans and their relationships with animals. I have gratitude in my heart for these creatures and greater sense of responsibility and respect toward all life.

I will miss my little Buttercup, but I hope we get another chance soon to try to raise a little calf.

Country Living

In May, Isaac and I moved right outside the city limits of Lubbock. I don't know that it is really all that "country" but we did have to get special internet and we have well water, so close enough. Isaac found this great little place that sits on five acres and came equipped with horse stalls and a round pin. I never thought I'd live in a trailer house but life is full of surprises. It is really nice to be out of an apartment and I'm excited that our little one will have room to run around. It's also nice to have the horses with us and to see Isaac doing what he loves.

This is Isaac's horse Golden Boy. He is a beautiful horse and very good natured. Isaac has used him to do some cowboy work. He seems like the father of the bunch and has taken a liking to our filly "Boots."

Here Isaac is with Golden Boy and Blue.

Here is a picture of Isaac and Blue. It is more rare to find a white horse. Blue has blue eyes, hence the name. For a while they would not register Cremello horses. I think it was because they thought they were albino. Isaac has had Blue since he was a teenager. He bred Blue and she gave birth to Boots one year ago.

Isaac had bred Blue with the intent to give the foal to his father. Isaac's dad named the filly "Boots" because the bottom of her legs are a different color and it looks like she is wearing boots. Boots has two little hearts on the bottom of one of her hind leg. So cute!

Here is a gray colt that Isaac is breaking for a friend. This horse likes to neigh a lot. He is pretty spunky!

Here is our beloved Boots. She was in her pin so I will have to post a picture of her full body later. She is a real pretty horse and is growing so fast. She likes to stick her head through any fence that she can. She can be pretty silly but she is a good horse and hopefully our kids will be able to ride her someday.

The baby whisperer...

For Christmas break, Isaac and I made our way to St. Louis to visit my parents. My cousin,  her husband and their baby also joined us for the holidays. While we were there, Isaac made a new best friend; meet Jack. Now, I can testify that Isaac did not bribe the child with sweets or toys but Jack did in fact like Isaac on his own accord. We knew Isaac had magic powers when Jack began to refuse to go to his parents and wanted the comfort of Isaac's arms (I can relate!). While shopping the after Christmas sales, Jack fell    asleep in Isaac's arms, so precious! I'm hoping that Isaac's baby whispering powers will work on our own children so we can get sleep when the little one comes! We shall see if he really is the baby whisperer.