Chicama Run Family Farm

This blog will be a bit graphic - but it's honestly something you never think about in suburbia or anywhere else for that matter. 

Yesterday we had a baby calf born - his mom is a Jersey/Holstein cross and his dad was a Holstein.  Born right on time and everything looked fine.... until I went out in the afternoon.  I noticed he was very uncomfortable, no interest in a bottle, and was trying to poop (told you this might get graphic - but no I have no pictures).

He was born without an anus!  It was closed off!!  Now it looked like it was "right there" and I should be able to make a small incision and open it up and all would be well.  I did a few small cuts and then not seeing any real progress, called the vet, who then showed up around 6:30 last night.

Yes, it can be fixed I was told because it was just closed off.  It would require surgery but then all would be well.  Pretty much, they were going to recreate a "poop-hole" right on the back of a truck tailgate.  Welcome to farming.  It was my choice, if we wanted to go through with it or not.  Why wasn't the choice instant?

Baby calf is a male.  He won't be used for breeding or anything else - only food.  The process is $200 or so - calves at the market at his new age are $25-50 each. 

However, he's MY cow and after so many deaths this year from hard pregnancies to the heat/drought causing worm overload - I'm fixing him.  It would be hard on Joe as well to have to kill him instantly when honestly, the little guy is cute.

So we lifted him up, and the vet started surgery.  It was a little over an hour when he left!  But I have to say, it was actually really cool that he could even do that.  Yes, little guy was drugged through this (thank goodness) and didn't seem to mind much (Valium will do that I guess).

Back to the barn he went after surgery to sleep it off.  This morning - I get up and he is bouncing around ready to eat (YEA!!) He downs 1 bottle (3 quarts) of colostrum and wants more - but I'm making him wait until lunch.  I'm happy to say that he's dong well.

So personally I decided his name should be Uranus ;)  But that's just my twisted sense of humor.  So instead (since I don't think it would be a good idea to have a bunch of kids asking if they could pet Uranus) I've named him Pluto. 

And the day goes on......