Preparing for Calving Season

3/6/2017

While many farms are well into calving season this year, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our fist calves. We have three cows ready to calve at any time.

Calving season can quickly turn ordinary life into chaos. You will find yourself out in the barn more than you are in your house...or your bed.

Smart and organized people (I am not at all implying that we fall into this category) will have everything they need on hand and ready to go.

So how can you prepare for the impending chaos of calving?

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Get your sleep now...before you have to run out to the barn every 3 hours to check on cows....or set your alarm at all hours of the night to remind your teenager to get up to check the cows.
Make sure you have all your supplies. Make a trip to the local farm supply store or order your supplies online. Don't assume that the local farm store is going to have what you need the day that you absolutely must have it. You are assuming that no other farmer in your area needs o.b. gloves and didn't just buy the last box this morning.

Have your supplies ready to go. Make sure everything is clean and in an easily accessible place.
Have the veterinarians number programed into your phone...just in case there is a problem.
Make sure you have a stall cleaned out in the barn. It is much easier to flip on a light switch in the barn and walk a few steps over to a stall to check on a cow. Those middle of the night walks to the back corner of the pasture with a flashlight are not my cup of tea. We always try to bring our cows in to the barn right before they calve. This is easier on our midnight checks and it is much easy to get them in the chute if we have to help pull or turn the calf.

Take the camera out to the barn and make sure the battery is charged. There is nothing cuter than a newborn calf...and it is imperative that you share the cuteness on social media.
Update your cattle records...now! If you don't do it now, you will forget...or have sticky notes on the table, desk and everywhere in between, reminding you of what you should add to your records (not that we have ever done this...cough,cough).
Learn to go with the flow. Cows never go into labor when it is convenient...like when it is sunny, 75 degrees, you have finished dinner and chores, and are just watching the sunset. Nope. It is a rainy, windy, cold, middle of the night or right when you need to leave for work or a really important meeting....Not that I have ever had to call my city slicker boss and tell her I am going to be late because we are pulling a calf or anything. Just know that your schedule and possibly your sanity might get thrown out the window. Don't worry...life as you know it will eventually resume.

If your house looks anything like ours durinig calving season, you would be ashamed to have anyone over for dinner.

The contents of our vet box is strewn all across the mudroom floor. There is mud and manure all over the floor because you didn't have time to take your boots off on the 3rd rushed trip in to get something out of the vet box. The laundry room smells horrific from all the manure soaked clothes waiting to be stain treated.

Why is it that you can go out to the barn any other time of year and just get a little manure on you, but during calving season, it is impossible to come in without being completely soaked through with something smelly and gross?

I should be used to it all by now, but calving season laundry still gets to me.

And don't remind me of the stacks of mail and dirty dishes that are waiting for us because we are never in the house!

But...it is all worth it.

Calving season is the most exciting and rewarding time of the year. You have waited nine long months to see the future of your herd.

And babies are just the best!

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