Delivery - revisited

Yesterday's prompt was "delivery" from the One Minute Writer. If I had only waited until today to blog about a delivery....this would have been perfect:

Ruby, the Jersey milk cow, had her baby this morning!

We have been waiting for a week thinking she should go at any time. In fact last week John said more than once "Ruby should calve in the next 48 hours." :) He was right....she should have....but her baby wanted to wait until today! I am so glad I was able to be here.

It was a frosty morning. Not super cold but the trees

and grass

were all frosted. The wind was still and it was just beautiful out. John moved Ruby up to the barn last night....he didn't say he thought she should calve in the next 48 hours but he was thinking it. In addition, a cold front was coming in and that seems to be a catalyst for calving sometimes.


John made her a nice little bed of straw last night.

Don't let the little hooked horn scare you. She is a real sweetheart. She gave a low moo when we walked up to her.

John checked the action end to see how things were progressing. I was there to capture it on film. If you don't like that type of stuff....stop now....cuz I pretty much got it all documented.

Ruby's water bag was out and the calf's two front feet (can you imagine giving birth to something with HOOVES!). John gave a little tug to encourage her to push.

PUSH RUBY! PULL JOHN!

John got the nose out and said "I think this calf is dead. It isn't pulling against me at all. Ruby started to push a little better and John said "Yep. It's dead. I'm pretty sure." Then things started to get tenser as Ruby got him out 1/2 way and stopped. Calves can get "hip locked" so once they start out....they need to go on and get out already.

John said "I don't think he is dead. ANN! Get me the chains and the handles off the barn wall." I scaled the corral panel faster than a three-legged turtle and grabbed the pulling chains and handed them over. I missed getting all the action at this point because I was handing things to John and trying to help him out. He got the chains wrapped around the front legs.....and he PUUULLLLLED.

and PUUULLLLED.

Out came the calf. He was lethargic but not dead. YEAH! Good save Rancher John!

John tried to stimulate the calf by tickling him inside his nose with a piece of straw. Baby calf didn't like that.

Ruby came right around to check out her baby. She is a good Mama. Four hooves....

It's a boy! She loved him instantly, even though he doesn't look a thing like her. She started licking him dry and lowly mooing to him.

What Ruby doesn't know is that she is in no way related to her baby. It doesn't matter to her but she is just the surrogate mother. "Recip" is what it is commonly referred to in rancher talk. When John and the vet "flushed" eggs out of the 6157 cow they got several good embryos and one that was "low quality" meaning that it wouldn't withstand freezing very well. Ruby happened to be hanging around and ripe for getting in the family way so they just made an executive decision to "stick" the embryo into Ruby. They didn't have any big expectation that it would "take" but it sure did. This little calf is the son of the 6157 cow and the Felix bull...this little bull calf is a highly valued Purebred Angus calf.....but Ruby knows in her heart that he is all hers. :)

Just try to convince her differently!