If you have followed my story for any length of time, you’ll know that I am new to ranching. In 2017, when I was 26 years old, I discovered that I had an interest in beef cattle after moving to my mom and step-dad’s farm in Alabama. While I never had any hands-on experience working or managing their cattle, I fell in love with the idea of having my own.
Over the past 5 years, I have grown a lot, and in 2020, I was able to finally get my first few head. I put in a lot of hard work to get us to our first calving season this past December!
I originally wanted to have a cow/calf operation, but after people scared me from dealing with first- time calvers, I decided I would build a feeder operation, then eventually move back to cow/calf. However, God had other plans, and I was offered heifers that I just couldn’t say no to.
In the fall of 2020, I had my vet, from Lander Vet Clinic, come out to do a repro health check and VCPR on the heifers. I wanted to make sure they were reproductively mature and healthy for us to breed. One of our heifers was a little slow to mature, and while some ranchers may have culled her, I had the ability to retain her to see if she would be ready by spring.
She passed her second health check, and I immediately started planning our breeding. I used my semen rep from Select Sires and dialed in on a bull that had great calving ease, KT Built Tuff. We did timed AI, heavily utilizing our vet, and our breed- er to help have a successful breeding.
In the summer of 2021, our vet did a preg check and confirmed all heifers were bred! Even having a small herd, 100% pregnancy rates are rare, but I was so thankful that I was patient and diligent in getting me to this point. I know time is money, but I am thankful to be building from the ground up and able to take more time on things in order to be more successful.
I waited, very impatiently and nervously, for December to come around. The week of Christmas ended up being magical.
Leading up to the month before the heifers were due, I made sure I had a calving kit ready, a plan in case I needed vet assistance, and did my re- search on normal stages of labor and warning signs. I had a shared note on my phone with my fiance to make sure he and I both knew what to do in case of an emergency. I started checking two times a day to make sure I noticed any changes in behavior or body.
One day before their estimated due date, we drove out to do our evening check on the girls. We were going to dinner in town so we just stopped by. I noticed one of my heifers, who had been swelling and bagging up a lot, had her mucous plug hanging from her! This was exciting and nerve- wracking all at once. Of course, I knew this could mean anywhere from 12-24 hours she would start calving, so I figured I would go to dinner and then come back to watch for the night.
As I pulled into the pasture that evening, I noticed her laying on her side at the back of the third section. I screamed with excitement and terror as I realized she was calving! Her calf was already presenting. I knew not to disturb her but wanted to make sure the calf was presented in the correct position, so I quietly and quickly ran over to confirm the calf was front feet first. Sure enough, it was. I stood back and watched.
Within 10 minutes, her calf dropped. I ran over to make sure the airways were clean since she was still laying down.
She finally got up and started sniffing her calf and immediately started cleaning it.
But, I wasn’t prepared for what happened next.
The new cow I bought in September came over and tried to steal the calf! She is a great mother and has raised a few calves, and decided she was going to take over. The mom wasn’t aggressive and bellowed and started cleaning the calf herself.
I was all alone at this point since my fiance was busy, and I couldn’t lift the calf on my own very well. I pulled up the truck so the door was right over the calf, and blocked the cow from getting near. However, I knew it was imperative that the actual mom start cleaning and bonding with the calf so I had to act fast.
I was able to get help from my fiance’s family who owns the property and was home at the time. We were able to get the calf loaded into the truck bed (mental note to have a calf sled next year) and moved the pair to the stalls. While this was stressful on both me and the cow/calf pair, I was glad we did it so they could bond in peace. I checked to see if it was a bull or heifer and was a little bummed to find we had a bull but thankful he was healthy and finally suckling!
I was with them for another hour and a half to make sure everything was good and they were both comfortable. My fiance was able to meet me out there and sit with me too. Once we felt good about leaving them, we decided to head home. The others weren’t showing any major signs so we figure we still had a day or two. I was thankful for this because I was SO exhausted and needed some rest.
God laughed at this.
As we went to check the other heifers, we shined our lights on the back end of the pasture and noticed another one calving!
Immediately, I went to block the calf-stealing cow from being able to get close to this pair and then checked everything the same way I did with the first pair. The calf was presenting normally- two for two thank goodness- and within 10 minutes this calf was out! We immediately went to move this calf, also a bull to my dismay, into the barn so they could peacefully bond. It was also stressful since the mom didn’t follow us as well as the first heifer. But, we finally got them settled. It was about 2:45 in the morning before we left the pairs for the night, after checking for placenta retainment and ensuring the calves suck- led and stood up. I was a zombie.
I hardly slept, as I was nervous about how the pairs did overnight. We had some coyote activity in the hayfield across the canal and while I knew the animals would be safe, I still stressed over any possibility of danger from other animals or the cold.
I woke up at 6 am and got dressed and went back out to the cows. All was well, the babies were either suckling or sleeping, and the cows were doing great!
I spent the day checking on each animal every so often to make sure they were all doing well still and looking for our next heifer to show signs. She wasn’t showing much of anything, but it was the due date so I knew she would drop her calf at any time.
Two days after their due dates, I tried to let both pairs out of their stalls and back into the pasture. While one pair was fine, the first cow to calve had issues with the calf-stealing cow again. We decided to pen that pair back up and let them bond more before putting them in the pasture with the other cattle. I didn’t want to cause more stress or confusion to the calf than necessary.
I took this opportunity to use the other, now empty, stall to pen up the impending calver, just to keep an eye on her and to make sure she didn’t calve near the others.
I had to go to town to run errands and knew she would probably calve during the night like the other two. Plus, she wasn’t showing more bag or much swelling. She could have been days off still.
When I got back from town, I went straight out to check my heifer. I noticed she was in the barn, which she didn’t usually do, so I ran to look over the stall door and sure enough, a beautiful heifer calf was laying there! She had calved without any issues, and was already a great momma! How lucky that I had no calving issues, all great mothers, and healthy calves for my first ever calving season? I knew the odds, but I still beat them.
I am largely a believer that animals know what’s best for themselves and will do what they need to raise their young, but I also want to make sure that I am proactive and preventative. So, I kept the pair in the barn for the night and allowed them private space to bond and stay warm in the cold.
The next day, I dipped the calves’ navels in iodine, and sent them on their way. We let the final pair out into the pasture without any issues, and seeing the newborns run around together was the most heartwarming thing I ever watched. The sole heifer calf was spunky, and very independent. She isn’t the coloring I would like her to be for our herd, but I am excited to use her to continue to improve and grow our herd.
Our bull calves are the most adorable things, and I am already emotional thinking about selling and butchering them. I know time will fly, so I am trying to enjoy every moment with them. We plan to steer them, vaccinate, tag, and brand at the end of February so I can’t wait to have my first branding season!
Follow along with my ranching journey on Girls Eat Beef Too on Instagram and Facebook, and be sure to stay tuned for my first branding experience in a future edition of MJDOA Mag!
