Sunday, September 21, 2014

Felicity!


Penny gave birth on September 17th around dinner time. Unbeknownst to us, the heifer calf must have had a hard birth resulting in the lack of suckling instinct. A day later, we fed a weak, fading calf her first milk. She had missed her initial colostrum, so she got an infection. We took her to the vet's for IV fluids, a tube feeding of mom's milk, antibiotics, banamine (calf Motrin,) and vitamin shots. Since then we've been providing supportive care- tube feeding every meal and continuing meds, to keep her alive till that elusive suckling reflex came back.
This evening, between feedings, I was giving her a cranio-sacral massage and manipulating her spine with my fingers if it felt out of whack. She went into a deep sleep on my lap and I prayed earnestly that God would intervene in this situation.
Becky came to the pen, we got "the calf" as she was still known, up to see, once again, if she would nurse.
Becky asked me to push her rump as she pulled her head toward the udder. I sad, "Let's just see what she does, first." And lo and behold, she walked right up to Penny's udder and started to nurse! Then she gave a few butts for good measure.
She had gone from being a "dummy calf" to being cured in that moment.

Her name is Felicity: noun, 1. the state of being happy, especially in a high degree; bliss.


Wednesday, September 17, 2014

When the Cat is Away, the Mouse Will Blog Farm News for Him

Here are some in progress shots of the electric and water lines going to the barn and water pump out front. I will describe each shot underneath, so maybe you'll know what you're looking at.

Water and electric lines to a pump by the hog corner.

I'm at the little red gate looking at the back of house. This is where the automatic waterer is going.

The Great Driveway Trench!

Filling it all in.

I'm at the fema shelter looking up at the little red gate. More details on this pen tomorrow...