Down Heifer

Well, J jinxed us.  He told someone that we were working on a 100% calf crop and had not had to touch a heifer calving.  So what else could happen but a tragedy.  He checked the heifers and found one trying to calve.  Feet and head were there so he grabbed his chains and tried to pull, nothing.  He couldn't budge it.  Next step was getting her to the barn and trying the calf jack.  The calf was definitely dead; we hooked the chains and started to jack.  Finally got it out to its hips, then, hip locked.  After 30 minutes of hooking and rehooking, lubing and twisting, we finally got it out but now the heifer was down and couldn't get up. 

I had left the barn door opened thinking if she could see a way out, she might be more likely to try to get up.  The next morning she had drug herself out of the barn, through a gate and to the bottom of the steep hill in the lot.   J managed to get the tractor down to her and we drug her back up the hill.

We borrowed a set of hip lifters but they were missing the bar to tighten them and we couldn't get them on well enough.  We had a heavy duty strap we tried around her middle.  She could stand in the front but nothing in the rear.  But the position of the strap was too constricting so we couldn't hold her up for long.

She is still eating and drinking, and I have a better set of hip lifters on the way.  If she stops eating though, that might be time to call it quits. 

On a happier note,  I am still at 7 bottle goats.  It looked like we were going to add 2 more from a set of triplets.  But we got the nanny in the barn and she has decided to take them all.  I do need another nipple so everyone can eat at the same time.  As you can see, I am one short. 

Then I noticed this little one, sending a little love your way.

Kid Count - 95