Calf #301

 On January 6th we sold our calves from the year.  Here's a timelapse of them loading out.  

Within a cow/calf operation selling calves is basically the one day of income for the year.  Technically there is selling old or open cows as well, but the vast majority of the income is 1 day of the year.  It is a day wrought with lots of emotions. Nervousness with how market dependent it is.  Relief having these squirrely, fence crawling, needy calves gone, and also sadness to see some animals that you've seen nearly every day go.  Here's a brief story of one such calf:  

In late March we were mostly all done with our first calf heifers calving.  Just a few remaining.  On March 18th we knew a snowstorm was blowing in, so we went out and rounded in all of the heifers and calves up close into shelter behind the windbreak.  I was pretty sure I got them all, but next day we went out and seemed to be missing one calf.  The wind and the snow were pretty bad that night and the next day wasn't great.  We drove around and couldn't find a missing calf that next day and gave it up for lost. The mother didn't seem too distressed, but with first calf heifers you never know what you'll get. The second day after the storm on March 20th I let the cows back out to the pasture.  Maybe the mother, #301 would help me locate the dead calf as possibly she'll have remembered where she last had it. Well I followed them out, and after going partway across the pasture out of nowhere up pops this tiny creature who starts nursing right away.  I swear I passed by that spot several times and there was no calf there.  Amazing how they can hide.  I whipped out my phone quick, and as you can see she was no higher than the cows belly.  

The months went on and every so often I would check up on this calf.  She was a fighter for sure, always healthy.  She wasn't one who ever got foot rot in July. Part of me wanted to keep her as a cow someday, though I knew her size could be an issue.  In October a few weeks after weaning I found her and took this video.

She was definitely smaller than her peers, though her gain was impressive with how small she started. In December we got all the heifers together to select replacement heifers and yep, she was still just a hair smaller than those at the top end.  Definitely bigger than a few runts, but not where a replacement heifer needs to be. She was just enough smaller than the others we were keeping that she got put out with the sell heifers instead of with the replacements.  

Wisdom has to be used in these decisions, and picking favorites has to be checked.  Denise poised the question would I rather keep Twinkle who is also undersized or this #301. Welp I would get in big trouble with my kids if I parted with Twinkle.  So in the last group to go on the truck I took a look at #301 and pushed her up with the others to be loaded in the truck to go to the Atkinson sale barn.  It was a little hard for me. No idea where she went, maybe she'll be a good heifer for someone and have a nice small birthweight calf herself that has reasonable gains.  More likely a feedlot.  It's the way it goes and the right decision I think.  

God made us stewards of what he's given us.  Life is at it's fullest when we give Him glory it what we do.  Part of that is caring.  Feeling. Part of it is not making unwise decisions.  May the Lord give you wisdom and love in your work as well.  God bless.