More Problems With Calves and Calving

   Our animal Husbandry lessons were not about to stop any time soon.  Most of the big old Hereford cows calved with no problems whatsoever, but there always seemed to be one or two that got in trouble.  It was the practice to bring in any calf that looked sickly or one that had gotten too cold.  Often, a quick warm up in the bathtub would restore the little one and once dry he could go back to his Mom.  One morning we discovered a calf that seemed sickly to me but was still on his feet.  His mother was a big old cow with prolapsed  teats that were so huge I could not see how he could suck at all.  We called her turnip tits and named the calf Shamus.  Irma was not impressed when we came to the house with him because he was still standing and moving around.  Well we girls were not about to quit on him now and we took him to the cabin and locked him in the annex that only had a shower stall in it.  I foolishly thought newpapers on the floor

might help but that only works for animals built closer to the ground.  Well the result was Shamus crapped all over the walls when he went as well as the floor!  Even between the wall and the shower stall!  At this time I had given over the farmhand job to Judy and was working as a waitress in the Kaslo Hotel.  I came home from a late shift to Shamus bawling for milk and crap all over the annex. Another one of those times when you say to yourself  "You haven't lived until you........."
    Although Judy was now the official "farmhand" I still helped whenever I could and for a time still stayed in the cabin. One night when we did a last check of the cows we found one cow with the hind feet of her calf hanging out of her.  Well, you were supposed to help them and pull it right?  That did not work as the legs came off!  This poor cow was wandering around with a rotten calf inside her and if something did not happen soon she could die of toxic poisoning.

Nothing to do but to go in there with your hand and try and clear things out.  It seemed to no avail and although we got some stuff out the smell was atrocious and I thought a vet would be necessary.  We headed for home with Judy driving.  I have had false teeth for some time and as Judy started to heave I gave her hell and said there was no way she was puking as I could not puke along side of her because I couldn't spit my false teeth into my hands that were covered in rotted calf gore!  As it was, my arms were out the widow in order for us not to be upchucking together. Both our men were at the farm when we arrived and neither thought what we had been through was a very big deal.  The cows were of course now Eddies responsibility as well and he went back with us and by this time the cow had expelled what she had to.  The next day there were bolluses (kind of a huge pill) to be put into the cow and I figured Eddie should have that glory.  Of course now things were prepared better and no bare arm for him but a nice plastic sleeve so he didn't get anything on him.  Still nothing would change the smell and I laughed my head off when an expulsion of air from the cow gave him a good dose of the aroma Jude and I had dealt with tenfold!  Eddie curled his top lip with its mustache-making him look like a walrus and did a large "PEEWUU!"  With all the boluses inserted the cow continued on her way and we did not lose her.   Shamus too survived and a few days after went back to his Turnip Tits Mom and did well.

   I believe that fall they shipped all the cattle out and went out of that business at least.