My first pull

Danny and I went to Georgia the first time since Christmas on the weekend of February 23. I was able to spend some great time with Tommy and his two kids, Brennan and Blair, whom I haven't seen since last Memorial Day. Brennan was celebrating his 9th birthday; Danny and I went with them and a friend of Brennan's to the GA National Rodeo. We had a lot of fun and all dressed up in cowboy hats and attire. It was a nice weekend with my parents as well, seeing some of their recent projects. Danny and I particularly enjoyed the sunshine and warmth, after a very dreary month in the mountains.

On the following Monday morning, Danny returned to work and I returned to my chores. I went to feed the livestock around 9:00am and found our cow Daisy in labor! She was our last one to have a calf and I had been watching her signs. I tried not to fret over the weekend as we were away, and thankfully she waited until Monday!

Daisy was not in full-blown labor yet, just switching her tail from side to side, stomping her back feet, and being very aggressive with Jill. She tried to eat, but couldn't, and instead proceeded to walk up a trail to the top of the mountain. I remembered Daddy saying that it typically takes 2-3 hours for the calf to come from the first signs of labor. While we were down that weekend and checking the cows with Daddy, he had a cow showing some of the same early signs. I'm glad I was there to hear his statement! I finished feeding the animals and went back to the house to feed the dogs and myself. I had a few other things to do during my 2-3 hour wait.

At about 11:00, I coaxed the dogs into the house, locked them in, grabbed my camera, and hiked up the trail Daisy had taken. I found Daisy in the same stage as before. Within just ten minutes though, the sack started to come out, and then one foot. I began taking pictures of the process. Daisy stood up and laid down often, only able to get the one foot out. I sensed that this was not right but did not want to intervene too early. I decided to test Daisy's comfort level with me and tugged on the leg of the calf. She did not have a problem with me around her, but Caroline did! Caroline charged me each time I tried to approach Daisy. Not good! I decided this would be the time to go back to the house and make a few calls. Danny had sweetly gotten my cell phone out the truck the night before, but forgot to give it back to me Monday morning. So, the one day I need my phone, I did not have it!

I hiked back down to the house and called Danny to no avail. I needed to get the vet's number out of my phone as well as let Danny know what was going on. Since I had no luck getting Danny, I called my dad to find out exactly how to pull this calf. He told me to get the foot back in and find the other one because both feet needed to be coming out, and get a rope to help pull. Daddy also suggested to call a vet, knowing we have not had the best luck with our livestock. I called a local large animal vet instead of our usual, who is about 90 minutes away. The vet was in surgery but would call me back. So, I had to wait at the house until the vet returned my call. I got the four-wheeler to move up and down the mountain more quickly, and checked on Daisy while waiting on the call-I wanted to be sure about the situation before I described it to the vet. She was foaming at the mouth, her tongue was hanging out, and her eyes were rolled back in her head. I did NOT want to lose our cow. So I returned to the house and Daddy called. He had spoken with his neighbor who owns a dairy and his advice was the same, push the one foot in and get both coming out. Just after that call, the vet returned my call with the same exact advice, which was all he could give because his truck was broken down and could not come to help! Just our luck!

Armed with expert advice and a rope, I proceeded to head back to Daisy when Danny finally called back. I debriefed him on the situation and he said that he would come home to help, but I knew there was no time to wait. Luckily, when I got back to the top, Caroline had taken her calf down the mountain to sunbathe, so I had Daisy all to myself. I pushed my sleeves up and did exactly as I was told. I fully expected the calf to be dead after it's foot hung out for over an hour, but I had to get it out to save the cow. The hard part was not pushing the foot back in, but finding the other one! I found it folded up and had to straigten it out. By the time I got back to the top, Daisy had been too tired to push any more, but any time I moved my hands (and arms!) around inside, it would make her push, which was a big help. I was able to get both feet coming out in a more natural position and could then see the calf's head, whose tongue was hanging out. Dead for sure, I thought. However, once I got the head out the little one started gasping for air! What an adrenaline rush! I then had the extra energy needed to pull calf completely out. The rope was not very handy for me, so I relied on my own hands and power, and the cooperation of my Daisy.

The whole process took about 45 minutes but was one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. Daisy had a healthy, large bull calf. After she came to her senses, she began licking and cleaning him like good mama cows do. The day was warm and the sunshine helped revive the weak calf. As I started to head back to the house and let the cows investigate their new family member, Danny and our friend Jamie were headed up. Danny was so proud of me! We observed the cow/calf pair for a while and after seeing Daisy consistently refuse to let the little one nurse, decided we better intervene again. We are aware that the first milk is critical to the survival of the calf. After a few attempts, we decided to get some panels from the roundpen and pen the two up. We made a nice square pen and with grain, hay, and water, soon had Daisy locked in with her calf. While Daisy was distracted with her hard-earned meal, I was able to cup her utters into the calf's mouth, until he figured out he could do it on his own. After that, nature took its course. I seemed more sore than the cow for the next few days, for she and the calf were healthy and vibrant.

We were so fortunate that this did not happen while we were in Georgia. I would have been so heartbroken to return home to a dead Daisy, especially after all the heartaches on Arnold Acres. It was so rewarding to participate in such a happy ending. I am thankful for the advice and the ability to do such an act. As I said before, perhaps brighter days are ahead for us!