Banana Oatmeal Muffins

I'm pretty particular about my bread products.  I like something with texture in addition to flavor.  I made some muffins a few weeks back and while my family liked them, but I didn't care for them at all.  I then went in search of a recipe more to my liking, and decided I wanted something made with oats.  I found a recipe for Banana Oatmeal Muffins and while the family thought they were great, and I enjoyed the flavor and texture, they were too dry for me.  So, I adapted the recipe and came up with a delicious, moist, flavorful, textured muffin recipe using two raw milk dairy products (butter and yogurt) and farm, fresh eggs.  If you get a chance to try it, I hope you enjoy the muffins as much as we do. 

Banana Oatmeal Muffins (12 large servings)

2 cups flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups bananas mashed
2 eggs
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup of thick yogurt (Greek or homemade that has been strained)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In medium bowl stir together the dry ingredients.  In another bowl combine the mashed bananas, eggs, vanilla and butter.  Add the banana mixture to the dry flour mixture, stirring just until the dry ingredients are moist.  (Do Not Over Stir!) 

Grease muffin cups (I use coconut oil).  Spoon batter into the cups and bake for 15 to 18 minutes.  (Watch closely after about 12 minutes and remove when toothpick inserted comes out clean.)  Let cool in pan for ten minutes.  Remove from pan after ten minutes and let cool on wire rack.  Once cool, store in an airtight container.  Even better after they have rested overnight. 

Is "Little Man" a Dummy? ~ Tuesday Tutorial (Dummy Calf Syndrome)

Just nine days ago we had an average size (for a Mini Jersey) calf born when Dr. Stoneburner pulled him after his dam had a difficult time during delivery.  (You can read the details of that story here.)  Since his birth, I have had my hands full trying to keep him alive.  We have had a lot of calves born between the dairy and the beef herds, and I can honestly say I have never experienced one that was so difficult to get started.  Mike, who was born and raised on a third generation dairy farm and continued to run the family dairy until about 14 years ago, commented that anytime a calf has to be pulled, they frequently tend to have difficulties getting started (standing, nursing, etc).  This made me start thinking about an article I had read recently about "dummy foals".  The article was fascinating and I encourage you to read it for yourself (and I would love to hear feedback regarding either the animal aspect of the article or the autism research aspect of the article).  You can read the article Newborn Horse Syndrome Suggests Links to Childhood Autism at this link.

The article had piqued my interest as it had surfaced several times on Facebook and then a friend sent it to me again after "Little Man" was born.  I will admit, that I have been so busy between dealing with a downed cow and trying to keep the calf going, that I did little more than skim the article again.  However, after "Little Man" (as I named the calf) seemed to turn a corner yesterday in his health and development, I began to contemplate the situation further and do a little research.  Sure enough, not only does this situation occur in newborn horses (often called dummy foal syndrome) but it also occurs in newborn calves and is often referred to as dummy calf syndrome (also known as weak calf syndrome).  While there are a variety of things that can cause dummy calf/weak calf syndrome, one of the causes is dystocia (difficult birth).  There are a number of interesting articles available detailing this subject. The article I found most helpful since it was directly to the point affecting my calf, was published by Hoard's Dairyman and written by Dr. Jason E. Lombard D.V. M and Dr. Frank Gary D.V. M. entitled Dystocia Takes A Toll On Calves.   The article can be read at this link.   While I realize some of my Facebook readers who have been following along probably thought that I was over complicating things and worrying about a calf that was probably secretly nursing behind my back, I can assure you that having handled enough calves, I was very aware that this calf and this situation was not normal.

First of all, the dam never did progress to the pushing stage of labor.  Being very familiar with my cows, I realized that she had all the signs of being in a progressed, labor stage without the actual pushing.  Because her calving paralysis actually began before giving birth, I am assuming that this calf was pushing on some nerves that made it impossible for her to stand or even to push with her labor pains.  This is all supposition on my part, but regardless, the calf was born after a long labor and a complicated delivery.  It would be very easy to see how such a complicated delivery could lead to hypoxia (insufficient oxygen during the birthing process).

"Calves are born with low levels of oxygen and high levels of carbon dioxide in their blood. Even a normal delivery results in a phenomenon called “birth asphyxia,” which occurs when the blood supply from the umbilicus is cut off but the calf is not yet breathing.

After delivery, the calf must begin breathing by inflating the lungs and initiating gas exchange to raise the level of blood oxygen and lower the level of carbon dioxide. High blood levels of carbon dioxide result in respiratory acidosis and play a critical role in stimulating respiration.

During dystocia, a more pronounced asphyxia occurs and respiratory acidosis is more severe. In addition, the reduced oxygen content of the blood leads to anaerobic metabolism within tissues, resulting in a metabolic or lactic acidosis." ~ Hoard's Article

The next chain reaction in our difficulties with the bull calf was that he would not nurse.  Granted, he was not stimulated by his dam (who was down and couldn't rise to lick him dry).  We had dried him off with towels but I could not get him to suck.  Having had experience with orphaned newborn animals of various species, I knew it was critical to get him warm enough to take the initiative to nurse.  So, I carried him to our milk kitchen and turned the heat up to get him warm.  Even when warmed, I had to work and work with him to take the bottle.  He wouldn't open his mouth for it and he had a hard time sucking.  Eventually, I got the required amount of colostrum in him.  However, it was approximately 6 hours before he ever stood on his feet.  (Normally a calf stands within minutes of birth.)

The major clinical effect of acidosis is central nervous system depression, sometimes referred to as “weak calf syndrome” or “dummy calf syndrome.” This depression also results in reduced physical activity and might delay standing or prevent calves from standing at all. In addition, decreased physical activity and reduced shivering results in more heat loss and hypothermia. In this case, suckling and the consumption of colostrum may not occur. Or, if it does, calves may not efficiently absorb the immunoglobulins necessary to protect against disease. ~ Hoard's Article

Subsequent days with "Little Man" proved difficult.  He took absolutely no initiative to nurse on his own.  This was not a matter of him "sneaking" behind my back and then not being hungry when I would try to get him to nurse.  This was a confused, lethargic calf who seemed to lack the ability "get it together."  When I would try to get him to nurse his dam, he would just turn circles and could never get the sucking reflex to work properly when I did force him to latch on to his mother.  When I would give him a bottle, it was almost as difficult.  Never would he open his mouth to take the nipple, I would have to force the nipple in his mouth and then it would take him a little while to actually get the sucking reflex to work.  I also had to straddle him and put his back against a wall and hold his head up in the proper position to nurse.  Back breaking and frustrating for the farmer who simply wanted him to live.

  An article by the Washington State University Extension and WSU College of Veterinary Medicine states:

 Weak calf syndrome presents as a newborn calf that is weak, unable or slow to rise, stand or nurse. These calves often die within three days of birth. They may be also called “dummy calves” or “fading calves.” 

 A calf involved in a difficult birth undergoes more stress but also can become hypoxic (low oxygen levels) which can result in neonatal acidosis. Acidosis results in a weak calf and if not corrected, can result in death. Calves involved in dystocia may die soon after birth. If they do happen to suckle, they don’t absorb maternal antibodies from colostrum as well, making them more susceptible to scours and pneumonia later in life. 

Another interesting theory regarding a comparative situation in horses known as "Dummy Foal Syndrome" is the one from the article by UC Davis:  Newborn Horses Give Clues to Autism:

In short, somewhere between the time a foal enters the birth canal and the moment it emerges from the womb, a biochemical “on switch” must be flicked that enables the foal to recognize the mare, nurse, and become mobile. Madigan and Aleman suspect that the physical pressure of the birthing process may be that important signal.

“We believe that the pressure of the birth canal during the second stage of labor, which is supposed to last 20 to 40 minutes, is an important signal that tells the foal to quit producing the sedative neurosteroids and ‘wake up,’ ” Madigan said.

The theory, he said, is supported by the fact that the maladjusted foal syndrome appears more frequently in horses that were delivered via cesarean section or experienced unusually rapid births. Perhaps those foals do not experience significant physical pressure to trigger the change in neurosteroids, Madigan said.

It's not too difficult for me to recognize that "Little Man" has a classic case of "Dummy Calf Syndrome" brought on by his difficult birth. Now that I have had the time to research things, I have become aware just how lucky we are that he is still with us.  I know he's not completely "home free" yet as he is only a week old and still struggling to overcome, but I am greatly encouraged that he has begun nursing at will and that he is more energetic, acting more like a normal calf.  The "Dummy Calf" and "Dummy Foal" Syndrome are worth researching further so that the farmer or homesteader can be prepared in the event they are ever faced with a similar situation.  

Between 30 and 50 percent of all calvings require assistance, and approximately 1 out of 10 of these calves die at the time of birth due to dystocia or complications from a difficult calving. Calves that survive dystocia are still at greater risk of experiencing disease and death before weaning. ~ Hoard's Article

I sincerely hope that no one reading this ever has to experience what we have been experiencing for the last nine days with "Little Man" our Mini Jersey bull calf.  However, it's my desire to share our experience with the hope that someone will be better educated should they ever find themselves in a similar position.  

Friday Farm Photos

Downed Cow ~ Part Three

When Princess had difficulties that coincided with the labor and delivery of her calf (detailed  here in part one) that left her depressed, dehydrated, and unable to stand (detailed here in part two), we knew that in order to give her every chance possible at recovery, we were going to have to find a way to lift her.  She had been down almost 24 hours by the time we received the supportive therapy from Dr. Cromer (detailed in part two) and during that time we had rolled her from one side to the other to keep the circulation from being cut off in her feet and legs.  (This is extremely important in the event of a downed cow that can't be lifted for whatever reason.)  Having dealt with a few downed cows in the past, I have always strongly advised others to get their cow lifted as soon as possible.  I really believe that the faster you can get them up, the greater their chance of recovery.  However, this particular situation proved difficult.  First, Princess was inside a stable that did not have a door big enough for us to get the forks on the tractor inside of it.  Second, the set up in this particular area involves three buildings  sitting in a "U" shape in close proximity to one another making it a tight squeeze to maneuver the tractor into position.  (Imagine a long building at one end with the other two buildings across from one another.  Making things even more difficult, the small space is fenced and gated.  The tractor had to go between the fence and bottom side of the two buildings that sit across from one another and make a tight right to get between those two buildings. Then the tractor had to make an immediate left to turn toward the door of the stable where Princess was laying.)  In addition to these difficulties, the winter weather we have been dealing with for the past few weeks had left us with a literal sheet of ice in this area.  When Mike first attempted to bring the tractor in on Monday morning, it slipped and slid on the ice  It didn't take long for us to realize that even if we got Princess out of the building to lift her (as there was no way for us to get the forks on the tractor into the building to lift her inside it), she would not be able to stand on the ice.  (I should back up even further and state just to get through the gate to get into this particular area, Mike had to shovel a huge pile of snow that I had stacked there during our last big snow storm.)  After our failed attempt to get in to lift Princess Monday morning (before the vet had treated her when she probably was in no condition to try to lift her anyway), Mike spent most of the morning manually chipping away the ice so that Princess would have an area to stand once we got her out.  Fortunately, nature decided to help us out. The temps rose, and the sun shone on the area where Mike chipped the ice, and it began to melt.  Mike then got buckets of saw dust from the saw mill and spread it on the ground in an effort to dry the area further and provide traction.  By late afternoon, we had a much better situation for attempting to lift Princess.

Meanwhile, Princess was eagerly munching on hay for the first time in over twenty four hours and was much brighter in disposition.  I still could not get her to drink from the bucket, but wasn't too concerned at that point considering the amount of fluids we had been able to provide through IV's and drenching earlier.

When we were finally ready to lift Princess, we first needed to get her out of the building.  We were able to get her as close to the door as possible and then we hooked to a halter we had put on her.  Pulling her out of that door with a rope attached to the tractor was difficult for me to watch, but I knew there was no other way to save her other than to get her out of that building.  Once we got her out of the building, we were able to attach the hip lift.  (We had been loaned two different types of lifts by two different local dairies who had heard of our plight and offered to help.  We are so blessed to have such good friends and neighbors.)  We opted to use the hip lift but one can also use a sling.  The down side to using the hip lift is if it has to be used multiple times over a period of days,  it does begin to rub the skin off and create sores on the cow's hips.  When we lifted Princess up using the hip lift, it was obvious at first that she didn't have her footing or balance and that she wasn't able to put her weight down completely.  Mike kept the lift taunt and we just let her rest in this position allowing the blood to circulate through her legs.

 Then, Mike eased the tension on the hip lift.  In the past when we have done this with other cows and the cows have their footing, they can get pretty wild thrashing and carrying on while hanging from the chain with hip lift attached.  When Princess realize she was up and had her footing and balance, she tried to go forward and I immediately stepped in front of her and began to talk gently to her and rub her head.  There is no way this would have worked with our beef cattle or even with some of the dairy cows we've owned in the past, but for whatever reason, Princess remained perfectly calm and allowed me to keep her company there.  I even took the opportunity to whisper in her ear and tell her that she was going to be all right and that I love her.  (I don't know how much animal's understand, but I do believe they sense when we care for them and perhaps they understand more than we think they do.)

Princess and I stood there for a few minutes and then we took the hip lift off of her and she walked away.  Of course, I was thrilled and didn't even try to contain my excitement.

 We gave her a bucket of water and she drank well.  We gave her some hay and grain and she began to eat.  We brought her calf out to her and she greeted and licked him.

Then she caught her foot going back into the shelter when she didn't lift it high enough and fell to the ground.  My heart sank, but I knew we would just have to lift her again. This time, I shut off the shelters so she couldn't go inside.

She stood around for several hours that evening before she decided to lay down on the ground.  I checked on her later in the evening and tried to get her up and once again she seemed unable to stand.  I didn't despair.  I knew that it sometimes takes lifting cows days or even weeks before they regain the needed strength to manage on their own.  We just made plans to lift her again in the morning.  In the middle of the night, I went down to check on Princess and she was laying pretty much where I had last seen her.  I offered her water which she declined and hay which she ate.  The next morning when I turned the corner in the barnyard, there was Princess standing on her own!

This story could have ended differently and we are so very thankful that Princess recovered so quickly and thoroughly.  She seems none the worse for her ordeal.  The only thing that we can determine as far as a diagnosis is concerned is that she must have had calving paralysis (although it's odd that it began before the calf was born).

Calving paralysis is a commonly-used term to describe the paralysis of the hind legs which is seen in cows just after calving. It is caused by damage to the obturator nerve as the calf passes through the pelvic canal. This condition is most often seen after difficult calvings, the birth of large calves, or prolonged calvings. The cows are down, but alert and bright, usually eating. Most of these cows will recover with time and medical therapy. (Information derived from this link)

Princess situation was then complicated by her inability (or unwillingness) to eat or drink.  Once we supported her with plenty of fluids and got her re-hydrated, controlled her pain with banamine,  and got her lifted to her feet, she was able to bounce back quickly.  We were very fortunate that our ordeal ended on such a positive note.

Downed Cow ~ Part Two

In part one, I set the stage for this post, giving the background information on how it is we came to have a cow unable to get rise upon giving birth.  Among dairy farmers, this is often referred to as a "downed cow".  I left the last entry with Princess (momma cow) and Little Man (her newborn calf) being reunited but Princess still unable to stand.  At this point she had been down about 16 hours.

By the time Sunday evening rolled around, Princess was becoming droopy.  She had been refusing food and water for well over 24 hours at this point.  She also appeared to have "given up" on herself and her situation.  I am not sure what it is about nature that causes some to "fight" for life and others to simply give up.  Just as it's true with humans, so it's true with animals that some will not give up until the last breath has been taken while others give up long before they should.  This cow has always been dramatic (as I pointed out in the previous post) and at this point she seemed to be more than ever like the quintessential, pampered "Princess" who throws herself down and refuses to move until things are more to her liking.  I know she didn't feel good and was discouraged, but I have seen other cows in her condition working hard to better themselves.  Again, the general consensus among those who have had experience with Jerseys is that they often have the least amount of will to live when things are not going their way.  They have a reputation be being "delicate" and "temperamental", something one should seriously consider before falling in love with their big brown eyes and graceful conformation.

Princess on Sunday Evening unwilling or unable to even hold her head up.

At this point, it became necessary to use some square bales to prop Princess up so that she did not go flat out on her side and bloat. I propped her up and went into the house to catch a few hours of sleep.  When I returned to check on her several hours later, she had managed to throw herself around and move the square bales.  She was not in a "flat on her side" position but she wasn't holding her head up at all by this point.  I put the square bales in place once again, spent about an hour with her and the calf, and then went back in the house to catch a few more hours of sleep.  This scenario replayed itself several times through the night.  Early on Monday morning, Mike left me sleeping in bed to go and check on Princess for me.  When I heard the farm truck start up immediately thereafter, I knew something wasn't right.  My first thought was that she was dead and he was going to try to get her moved before I came out of the house.  I jumped up, dressed and ran to the barn.  By this time, Mike had returned with the tractor and what I found when I got to Princess was a cow that was laid out completely on her side and absolutely unable to sit up or hold her head.  Mike and I worked together to get her into an upright position but at this point, even propping her up with square bales wasn't working.  We put a rope halter on her and actually tied her head back towards her feet to keep her in the right position and then packed the square bales around her again.  We knew we had to get her up if she was going to have a chance at living, but we now faced the dilemma of how to get her lifted.  I will explain in more detail the obstacles we faced in part three of this downed cow saga, but briefly in this portion, let me just point out that the physical location and dimensions of the building where Princess was located were making it extremely difficult to even get to her with the tractor.  In addition, the deep snow that we had for several weeks had melted and re-frozen enough in that area that even the tractor was slipping on the ice as we tried to maneuver it to make the lift.  It didn't take us long to realize that we were going to have to prep the area before we could even have a place where we could try to lift her.

In the mean time, I had another call out to the vet clinic.  Dr. Mike Cromer, who is familiar with my animals having been my "go to" vet for almost a decade, arrived shortly before 9 am.  I briefed him on the situation and he immediately went to work.  Once again Princess temperature and vitals were taken and everything appeared normal.  Dr. Cromer also agreed that she did not have a full blown case of milk fever (a calcium deficiency) although without actual blood tests, we wouldn't know if she was border line deficient.  We talked it over and decided that the best course of action would be to give Princess some IV's and get her re-hydrated with a hypertonic saline solution to treat the dehydration. We also decided to treat her with Calcium (in the event she did have slightly lower calcium levels ) and Dextrose (used to treat ketosis and/or provide carbohydrates).  Since we wanted to cover all our basis as far as supportive therapy, we decided to give her an oral fresh cow drench as well.  (On a side note, Dr. Cromer said many dairy farmers automatically give this drench to every fresh cow.)  As supportive therapy to address the lameness issue, we opted to give Princess another dose of banamine for pain (first dose given the previous day) and Dexamethasone, a steroid.

(Personal Side Note:  We do not use drugs with our cattle unless absolutely necessary.  I even treat the occasional flare up of mastitis with natural remedies unless I can't get the cow to respond to those natural treatments.  While I know there are people out there whose ideals keep them from using anything but natural remedies with their family cows, when my animals are in a life and death situation, I am thankful for the drugs and medical intervention available and will not hesitate to use them to save the life of the animals in my care.  The information provided here is meant to help other family cow owners in the event they should ever find themselves in a similar situation.  By sharing our experiences, lives can be saved. I make absolutely no apologies for doing what it takes to save the lives of my dairy cows who are also my pets.)

When the fluids, pain meds, and steroids had been administered, the response from Princess was almost immediate.  She was alert, more interested in her calf, and even made a few attempts to get up.  However, she still wasn't able to do so.  Dr. Cromer suggested that we wait several hours before trying to lift her to give the pain meds time to completely take affect.  At this point, I knew that we had a cow that would now work with us to save her life.  The next step was to get things prepped so that we could get her lifted.

Princess after treatment.  Note the difference from the first posted photo.

Note:  Part Three of this series will detail the process of lifting Princess.  

Downed Cow ~ Tuesday Tutorial ~ Part One

Boy has it been an exciting time around here these past few days.  We have been so busy that I have hardly had a chance to catch my breath.  Some of you have been friends of the farm long enough to know our cow, Princess well.  After two years and six bull calves, Princess was the very first Jersey heifer born to T Cupp Miniatures.  As her name indicates, she has been treated royally from birth and is one who will retire here on the farm as she is definitely a favorite (perhaps even THE favorite).

Princess as a newborn calf

Princess

Princess has had a history of being very dramatic starting with her first pregnancy in which she acted so miserable that I was convinced at 8 months gestation there was something terribly wrong with her and had Dr. Hunter from Westwood out on an emergency call to check on her.  He convinced me that she was just spoiled and "being a Jersey" and it turns out, he was right.  A month later she had a healthy calf with no complications.  (Jerseys are known for their drama and if you are interested in cattle who are all business, don't get a Jersey.  They are sure to complicate your life.)  After she had the calf, she was convinced that the calf SHOULD NOT nurse her and I spent a few weeks tying her up tight and forcing the calf on her until she finally accepted him.  After she figured out the whole nursing thing, she has ended up being a really good momma.

Considering Princess' history of being overly dramatic, I have learned over the years not to take her antics too seriously.  However, when one has spent as much time with a cow as I have with Princess, you do learn to know them pretty well.  On Friday and Saturday, Princess seemed very uncomfortable.  With her due date being Saturday, I thought it best to pen her up so that I could watch her closely.  It had been extremely cold here and we still had a good bit of snow on the ground.  I wanted her inside where we could keep the calf warm and dry when it was born.  Saturday night she didn't really look imminent but her demeanor gave us cause to get up every two hours and check on her.  Every time I would check on her, she would be standing in almost the same position.  She refused to eat or drink and remained very uncomfortable.

Sunday morning I was torn between continuing with our plans of going to church or staying home to watch out for Princess.  Finally, we decided that my daughter and I would go to Bible Study and then return home.  When I went outside, I found that there was ice on the windshield of our car and our driveway was very slick.  We were only a few miles from home when we got the message that the early service had been cancelled, and we turned around and came home.  I ran down to check on Princess and it became evident to me that she was not getting up and down like cows usually do when they are in labor (until they get to the pushing stage and then some will remain down).  She wasn't pushing with her contractions and she was pulling herself around the stable floor by her front feet but seemed unable to rise on her back feet.  (At that point she wasn't really trying to do anything.)  It had only been about an hour since I had last checked her but it was so evident that something was terribly wrong.  She was giving up and not even trying and I knew something had to be done quickly.  I called the emergency number for our vet clinic and had the on call vet on her way immediately.  Thankfully, she wasn't already out on a call and was able to arrive within 40 minutes time.

While waiting on the vet, I looked Princess over and tried to determine if she had milk fever (a calcium deficiency common especially in dairy cattle with some age on them).  Milk fever can slow down labor and cause problems for cows BEFORE delivery as well as afterwards.  Princess did not show the classic symptoms of milk fever.  Her ears were not droopy, nor were they cold to the touch (a good indicator of milk fever at first glance).  Just to be safe, I went ahead and administered a tube of CMPK gel.  When Dr. Stoneburner arrived, she took Princess temperature and it was within a normal range.  (A high fever would indicate possible infection.  A lower than normal temperature could indicate calcium deficiency/milk fever.)  Princess' temperature and other vital signs were absolutely normal.

Dr. Stoneburner then palpated and determined that Princess was dilated and while the calf was positioned front fee forward, it's head was turned back.  She immediately went to work to pull the calf.  Everytime the doctor would position the calf's head correctly and we would begin to pull, the calf's head would turn back and we were unable to get him out.  After a few minutes (that seemed much longer), the doctor retrieved a head snare from her truck and was able to keep the calf's head in the correct position using this tool so that we could pull the calf out.  The calf was a normal size and weight for a Mini Jersey, weighing about 25 pounds.

Dr. Stoneburner pulling the calf. 

It was extremely cold and we immediately went to work drying the calf off partially and then placing it in front of Princess in hopes that she would get up and lick it dry.  She did lick it a bit from where she lay but she just wouldn't get up.  We went ahead and continued drying the calf off because of the cold temperatures.  Once we knew he was safe, we turned our attention back to Princess.

Trying to get warm on a cold day!

Dr. Stoneburner then administered a pain killer (banamine) and injected Vitamin B Complex in hopes that it would be the boost Princess needed to get up on her own.  When the vet left, I turned my attention back to the little bull calf.  I tried giving him a bottle of colostrum in the barn but he was just too cold.  I then took him to the milk kitchen and began to warm him up.

Warming up by the heater in the kitchen

Once he was warm, I took colostrum that I had milked out from his momma and was able to finally get him to latch on and take it.  (It was a struggle.  I find Jersey bull calves to be especially dumb when it comes to getting started nursing.)  Once I got a little colostrum down him, I knew that he would be all right.

Tummy full and nice and warm

After getting the calf settled into his temporary home in the kitchen, I turned my attention back to Princess.  She was making absolutely no effort to try to get up.  We tried everything short of using a shocker (which I absolutely WILL NOT use and don't even own) to get her up.  She just wouldn't even try.  I then offered her water and food which she refused.  At this point, I began to realize that she hadn't eaten or drank anything in about 24 hours.  In other instances where we have had downed cows, they have always continued to eat and drink.  I became concerned as I knew without the will to eat and hydrate, we would lose Princess.

I continued to monitor Princess and offer her water and hay throughout the evening and into the night but she refused to help herself.  In the mean time, I milked a pint of colostrum at a time out of her and offered it to the calf every two hours.  By evening, the calf was trying to get up and walk around the kitchen but the floor was too slick for him.  I decided that taking him back down to his mother might be incentive enough for her to try to get up, or at least to eat and drink.  So, I picked him up and loaded  him in our little brown wagon and took him back down to his mother.

Little Man road in the wagon like a pro!

Little Man (as I started calling the calf) did provoke interest from his mother but she seemed to be declining quickly and made no effort to do anything other than call to him.  I left him in the stable with Princess checking on them throughout the night.

(To Be Continued)

Meet the Farmers: The Teen Years ~ Tammy

We are continuing our "Meet the Farmer" series with a glimpse into my years as a teenager.  If you missed the first three installments in the series, you can catch up by reading about the first seven years that were spent on a little homestead, then the next five years on the farm, and my brother's memories from those years on the farm as well.

The teen years were my least favorite years of childhood.  In fact, I would love it if I could just skip those years, but they also served to mold and make me into the person that I am today.  We moved away from the farm as I reached my teen years, and no longer did I have the fields and forests to roam, the farm animals to influence my life, or even the individual freedoms I was use to having.    Forbidden to express myself in ways that had always been normal for me, my parents (dad and step-mom) tried to turn me into more of a "lady".

However, there were some really good things that came out of those years.  While other kids my age were getting involved in school and church activities on a regular basis, my involvement in those activities was limited. My dad and step mom had a baby boy when I was 14 years old, and then a baby girl when I was 16 years old.   Being a teenager with such young siblings gave me the opportunity to learn first hand how to care for babies and small children.  In addition, it wasn't long before meal preparation and clean up became mostly the responsibility of my brother Jimmy (3.5 years younger than me) and myself. I learned to plan and cook meals at a young age. Cooking from scratch with homegrown ingredients soon became second nature.  The upkeep of the house and a lot of the laundry chores also became my responsibility. I learned to sew and make my own clothes.   In the summers, I helped in the garden and with food preservation.  The last couple of years at home, I was given the responsibility of budgeting the groceries and shopping for them unassisted.  While none of these things were especially exciting for a teenage girl ( and while I did my share of grumbling about my lot in life), these responsibilities did teach me how to manage a household, how to manage money, and what was involved in taking care of babies and small children.  In addition, the training that I received in gardening and food preservation has served me well.  While I would have much rather been roaming the woods, walking the fields, helping with the animals, or even  hanging out with my friends, the lessons I learned during those teen years have served me well, especially as a farmer's wife.