by Jan Fielden
It seems that we are always raising little calves for one reason or another! The latest one is named “Thunder”. He was born on November 3 and his Momma had mastitis. We milked the Momma and added some powder milk to it so that he would get some of the “first milk” and the immunity it provides.
He has something wrong with his front legs that a lot of calves are born with but grow out of. His knees look all puffed up but our vet said that should go away within 6 weeks or so.
Little Thunder is a beautifully marked Simmental from Stoneshire, one of our Herd Bulls. He already knows his name! When we call it, he looks up and if he is lying down he usually stands up!
He nurses some but likes taking a bottle too. We have decided to continue giving him a bottle until he is nursing more often before we turn him and his Momma out to pasture. Hopefully by that time his knees will be better.
Some of his “cousins” have started coming by to visit with him. They will lie around the outside of the corral pen where Thunder is and look in at him, eventually lying down and taking a nap when he does. Thunder has learned, just today, to come to the corral gate to take the bottle.
This is a big help because we don’t have to go in and convince his Momma that she really wants to go into another pen while her baby is being fed. She still does not fully trust us around him.
So, we at the Red Oak Ranch are adding Thunder to our list of adopted baby calves. He will be in line with Valentino, Leroy, Lucinda, Angel, and several others that were never named.
