Tompkins Corner Chronicles

 Lost a calf this morning.  I had shut a first calf heifer and her calf in a pen together partly because of the storm.  The cow ended up anxiously pacing back and forth in the pen trying to find a way to get out and I think ended up stepping on the calf several times.  Calf wasn't completely gone yet when I finally saw it.  Boy that was frustrating to see.  I tried to feed to calf colostrum, and sat with it awhile.  Ended up dying while I was sitting with it.  That cow doesn't get to try to be a mom again, getting sold to be slaughtered real quick.   I told Denise I am getting hungrier and eat more now for meals.  She said, "Good".  She always gave me a hard time that I eat like a bird when I worked in an office everyday.  I tried to tell her I was just sitting all at the computer all day so I didn't feel hungry!  My parents are now complaining how much the grocery bill went up for them.   Here's a short vid...

 Snowstorm today.  With the storm we added a couple extra checks of the first calf heifers in the night.  The day started with 40 degree rain, which after a short break in the morning from precipitation, turned into snow and wind.  We got around 6-7 new calves by early morning. We fed all the cattle extra and in sheltered areas as much as possible.  Dad saw a couple first calf heifers that looked like they were close and got them shut up in the south facing calving pens.   By the afternoon they had both calves.  But late afternoon did another check of the main herd, by my count we ended up getting 15 or 16 new calves on that cold, wet, windy day.  Our highest prior to that was 9 in one day.  I texted a friend of mine who is also in the middle of calving and he said its a pressure thing, cold wet weather induces labor apparently!     

Another 12 hour day!  Pretty different from the 8-12,1-5 at the office.  Though I was comparing work between the two occupations between the clinic and the ranch.  Both I have had a father figure who is the owner of the business I am managing.  He works with me daily, gives direction, advice and consultation but both wanted me to see the tasks ahead and figure what should be priority.  Both jobs also have a wide array of tasks that can often result in things only getting halfway done when something more important comes up.   Had to pull a calf today, which was an emergency that pulled me from completing fixing a fence. Unfortunately lost the calf.  I took one of the twins from the other day and laid by the dead calf to try to get some of its smell.  Then I realized the cow was acting very odd and possessive of her afterbirth.  I decided to try to place the twin over the cows afterbirth and tried to get it to stay there while the cow was ...

 I have felt compelled to journal these beginnings days after moving from an office job back to ranching.  I want to use this to help me observe to details, difficulties, and joys in the time of life, but mainly to see God's providence in things.   Upon arriving on February 27th I did the 11pm check of the first calf heifers. First one I went to was #315, upon her standing up at my driving up to her on the 4-wheeler I see 2 feet sticking out.  I decided to check on the others then come back to her.  After a quick lap around the lot I came back to her, she had laid down again, but though I tried to keep my distance at my slow approach she got up again, retracted the calf's feet back in, walked 20 feet away or so, laid back down and resumed pushing.  I debated trying to work her up to the pen, but decided I could give her a few moments.  She pushed and got the legs out again, pushed another time and I could see the nose.  Another push and the h...