An Update on Clarabelle's Little Bull

Last night I was mentioning that Clarabelle had a little bull on Saturday afternoon.  The little fart was real weak.  He didn't try to stand on his own for hours after being born.  He just laid there, limp as a wet noodle.  In that condition, of course he didn't try to nurse.  I ended up milking out Clarabelle's colostrum into a bottle and we fed it to him.  He gained some strength and we were actually able to get him to stand.  We worked and worked with him to try to get him to nurse off of Clarabelle, but to no avail.  He didn't seem hungry anymore and when we would try to get him near Clarabelle's udder, she would kick him away.

We left them both in the barn last night.  Tricia mentioned to me that she was not looking forward to morning chores as she didn't want to be concerned about him not drinking milk.  I mentioned that I'd milk out Clarabelle and bottle feed the little fart when I got back from work in the evening.  This morning I received a text from Tricia stating that she had worked with the little bull and was successful in getting him to nurse.  She told me he drank a lot and she put them both in the pasture and that he was going to be okay.

This afternoon I walked out to the pasture to see the stunning metamorphosis that had taken place.  The little bull was way out in the pasture, playing and running around on his spindly legs.

When he saw me he scampered off to be near his mom.  He looked at me warily.

Then his curiosity got the best of him and he started walking my way. 

He stopped and just stared me down for a while.

They've all got very muddy feet as we've gotten lots of rain over the past several days.  I like this picture as it is a good shot of the calf with Clarabelle in the background.  I like the way the red barn contrasts against the green grass in the late afternoon sun.  You can also see Oreo, the goat, in the background.  She should be kidding in the next few weeks.

It is hard to imagine that this little fellow is doing well.  Just two short days ago, we were worried about him because he was weak, wouldn't even try to stand up and couldn't drink milk on his own.  Now he is full of life and energy!

My wife is the calf whisperer!