Friday, March 12, 2021

A new baby for Bow Tie...

 

She has a white bow tie shape on her forehead

so we call her Bow Tie.

She is one of the best cows in the herd...


She had a calf a week ago and 

unfortunately it died.

She has a lot of milk and does a great job 

raising a calf every year...




A few days ago one of our cows had twins.

Yesterday we gave one of the twins to Bow Tie...


The twin calf is wearing the hide of 

Bow Tie's calf...

It is important that the twin calf smells 

like her own calf.

This is referred to as grafting.

It is a tried and true method of getting a mama 

cow to accept a new calf.





The new calf will wear the hide for a few days

to be sure the mama is convince it is her own calf.

Then the hide will be removed.






The twin calf is black





The calf has nursed several times and...

Bow Tie loves her new baby !

This was a very satisfying end to our day.


No, the twin mother does not miss this calf.

Just as long as she has one calf at her side 

she is happy.


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May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn Kessi



6 comments:

  1. Sorry to learn of Bow Tie's baby dying, but how sweet you are able to match her up with a twin. I hope the grafting works and they build a loving relationship. So far, it looks very promising.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, it is heart breaking when a new calf doesn't make it. Unfortunately, that is part of our life this time of the year. A cow just wants a calf at her side...grafting usually works. We will know for sure in a couple more days.

      Many Thanks for your comment,
      LuAnn

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  2. So glad Bow Tie gets a calf!! Do you ever know why a calf dies? I'm that weird person who would want to do an autopsy on the calf to find out what, if anything, was wrong with the calf. I've heard of sheep accepting a baby that wasn't theirs but was wearing the skin of their lamb...shouldn't be any different for cattle!! Looking forward to seeing Bow Tie and her baby in the future! The first picture of Bow Tie it looks like she is weeping milk!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are different reasons a calf dies. Bow Ties calf had septicemia at birth. Sometimes we are able to cure a septicemia calf with lots of colostrum and antibiotics, but we weren't able to save it this time. We have had autopsies done on cattle and we rarely find out why they died.

      Bow Tie and her new baby are doing really well today. We are hoping to take the hide off in a couple of days.

      Thanks for your comment,
      LuAnn

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  3. Mother Nature & you/cowboy know what to do...so glad Bow Tie is accepting this new calf! thank goodness for you!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bow Tie is an older, experienced cow that is very easy going. All she wants to do each year is raise a baby. She wanted a baby so badly that she probably would have taken the new calf without a hide tied on it.

      All The Best,
      LuAnn

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