Rescuing Remi

Calving season can be a fun but challenging time. Trying to guess which cow is getting close to calving is definitely not an exact science. Cows are funny creatures and there is really no way to predict when they are ready to calve. I researched the signs of calving which include rapidly growing udder, springing in the back end, mucous and discharge and restless or weird behavior. Starting in February when we knew it was about time for the cows to start calving I would go through the herd and look intently at their udders, or back end and make some predictions as to who was next. Unfortunately, I don’t think I was able to predict even one cow correctly. It was fun to make guesses nonetheless.

This brings us to the night of the great Remi rescue. Peni, a 3 year old cow and was unusually large, but cows tend to carry their calves very differently so we really didn’t make much of it. She really wasn’t showing any significant signs of being ready to calve the weekend before, so she was left in the lot with the rest of the cows, rather than the maternity ward. The maternity ward is where we put cows that we predict are ready to calve next.

Tim had been giving a training Seattle and had just arrived home. Then we got a call from his mom who seemed a little frantic. It was about 5:30 pm and starting to get dark and Peni had delivered one of the two heifers that she was carrying. It was March 5, and still pretty cold. Thus the frantic call. You see when a cow has twins it is not an ideal situation. The cow can’t get up and starting clearing the first one, because she is busy delivering the 2nd. So poor 89 year old Aggie was out their all by herself trying to help get this poor little heifer warmed up.

After receiving the call, Tim and I hit the road and most likely made the fastest trip to Omak we have ever made. We arrived around 7 and started working on getting both babies to a warmer place. We divided and conquered by taking Remi to the basement and Jeni and Peni to the barn. Poor little Remi was very cold and stiff and so I went to work drying her off and getting her near the heat to help get her blood moving. After awhile we tried the old egg trick which entails adding a raw egg to some milk to help boost their energy. Although she wasn’t entirely ready to take the bottle, we managed to get some of it down. Meanwhile, Jeni was able to get up and start sucking Peni.

Its all quite a miracle to watch. Baby calves should ideally be up within 30 minutes after birth to start drinking that all important colostrum. If they are too cold, they can easily die because the cow can only do so much to get them up and eating. After some time warming up in the basement we were able to get Remi straightened out and looking like she was ready to get up. Then at about 2:00 a.m., under Tim’s supervision, she got up and was ready to be reunited with mom. So Tim loaded her back in the wheel barrow and returned her to her sister and mom. Thankfully., she was smart enough and Peni was patient enough to take her back because it doesn’t always work that way.

This experience taught me some valuable lessons. First and foremost, time is of the essence in the calving process. You don’t want to wait to long to try and help out, or it may be too late. Secondly, raising livestock is not easy. There are no guarantees and if you lose a calf, you have just lost $1000 of profit when you get ready to sell in the fall. Lastly, I am so thankful for God's protection when it comes to the ranch, including all the cows and calves. I know He cares even about the simple things like baby calf on a cold winter night.

I still love watching the twins as they are inseparable. They play together, sleep together and eat together. I look at them and think "score one for Tim and Jill" as we were able to navigate this successfully. I don’t think I better be around when we go to sell the calves this fall as I won’t want to see the girls go. I realize this all part of ranching, but I am a softy at heart and will hate to see them go.