Nora and Her Newborn Calf Noisy

Today Nora had a bull calf over on the other side of the valley. When I found them he was all cleaned up and sleeping, but feeling his stomach I could tell that he hadn't nursed yet. I got him up and he made hunger calls but no attempt to nurse. I got him into position and was able to get his mouth around the teat, but he wouldn't suck, even with a few squirts of colostrum to get him started.

This is not unexpected with a Brown Swiss bull calf, but I was surprised that a Highland Angus cross would have this problem. Since he was otherwise active and healthy, I let them be for a few hours, but I could hear his bleating across the valley so I knew he hadn't been successful.

I walked back over to try again, but Nora became aggressive and I couldn't get near him. She constantly turned her head towards me and made the peculiar sound cows make when they are about to charge, and she did charge a couple of times but broke off with a firm shout from me. The other side of the valley is a clean, quiet place for calving but it's a long way from the head gate.

Fortunately we have these portable corral panels which have proved so useful on many occasions. I put five in the pickup and drove around on the valley road, back through the oak planting and down the other side of the valley. Then while holding them in with a temporary tape fence I erected the corral around them. I hoped that being confined might do the trick and he made a few tries at nursing, but he gave up and laid down again. By now it was getting dark and there was no way I could go in the corral with Nora by myself.

I went back to the house and and made up a bottle of the rehydration solution that we use for sick calves, which was all I had on hand. At least he would have some warm fluids and a little energy. I went back over to the corral and turned the pickup headlights on so I could see as it was thoroughly dark by then. He and Nora were lying down and I opened the corral and got him out before Nora could get up and let me have it. He drank the glucose right off and became super energetic. I put him back in with Nora and he went right to the teat and nursed. There was a lot of sucking, tail wagging, and that special moo cows make just for their calf.

Like a piece of music that contains all you need to know about life - Bach's D Major concerto comes to mind - it was all there in those few hours - ignorance, hunger, fear, violence, death, struggle, knowledge, and - thankfully - relief and life.

These pictures were taken in the afternoon. You can see Nora's don't mess with me stare. Later she came up and knocked the camera out of my hand. Normally she's a friendly cow, but she got anxious for her calf as her udder became increasingly full and he still hadn't nursed. She knew time was running out.