Heifer crisis

I got a little later start here on the Knolltop and it's starting to snowball into my day!

Getting to the barn on time this morning for milking I was doing my heifer chores like I always do before we actually start to milk the cows. I slid open the door to connect the hose to the hydrant to water the calves. As I was hooking up the hose I heard a cow with a not normal breathing pattern. Stopping to listen I determined it wasn't the kind of breathing that went with a cow calving that sounded like she really didn't know how she got pregnant and really didn't like what was happening during the painful delivery and could you please get this thing out of me RIGHT NOW!

No, this was a cow in distress, but I just didn't know what kind of distress. So like any good farmwife....I went and told Bobby he needed to get his flashlight and see what was wrong. I know, you thought this tough farm woman would've investigated the problem and handled it with confidence, right? NO WAY! I don't like investigating wierd sounding cows in the dark....in the cold dark!

He came running back into the barn calling for my help, well, actually yelling for my help. I quickly made my way to the horse pasture and opened the gate so he could bring the skidsteer into the horse barn, where the distressed heifer was laying on her side, half bloated and not able to get up. I know, horse barn, dairy heifer....they just don't go, but that's a story for another day.

We put a rope halter on her, tied it to the skidsteer and slowly pulled her so she could get her legs under her body and get up. I had little faith in this operation. All I could see was me running to the house for a sharp kitchen knife and both of us standing over her wondering where to make the cut to relieve the pressure. But, as God would have it....she popped up, stood there for a minute to catch her breath and now she is standing at the bunk eating with all the other heifers. Wow....such drama at such an early hour!

And that is why I'm so late! Now tomorrow I hope to share a few photos with you. Yesterday I received an urgent email from Holstein International wanting a picture of me for my new column that will debut in January. This was due a couple of weeks ago, but I actually forgot, well, no, really I just never had a good enough hair day to make a good picture.

So yesterday I threw the camera at Sarah and said, come on...you've got to take some pictures.

Here's a sneak preview!