Calving Season on the Farm

Happy spring, everyone! With spring, comes calving season on the Ruba Farm. Dad runs a cow-calf operation of about 80+ cows and 3 bulls. The cows are bred in the summer months and give birth to calves in March, April and May. Calving season usually comes with twins and bottle-feeder calves.

Calving season always requires a close, watchful eye by my dad. He typically can't leave the farm during this time so he can maintain consistent care of his herd. A couple years ago, he installed a camera in the barn to aid in his watch. Sometimes the cows need assistance in birthing their calves. This comes in two forms 1) Dad pulling the calves using a chain and, in more complicated situations, 2) C-sections, performed by the vet. The first-time mama cows, known as heifers, typically need to be watched more since Dad doesn't know what to expect from them.

After the calves have arrived, Dad monitors them to ensure they are feeding. Sometimes cows will not claim their calf, so Dad has to set up bottle-feeding for the calf. Often twins are too much for a cow, too, and one of the calves will become a "bottle calf". Dad sometimes will sell the bottle calves. This season he has three of them already! As children, we'd sometimes help bottle-feed calves. One calf in particular, known as Babe, was ours to feed. She was a rut! She would come running when we'd call for her. The bottle-fed calves become quite tame.

As the calves grow, they are introduced to silage feed. Then, in the fall, Dad separates the calves from the cows in a weaning process. For about two weeks, the farm is filled with the sound of bellowing. Then, shortly after, Dad sells the calves he doesn't plan to keep as heifers. These calves are typically "fattened" for market by whomever purchases them.

Raising cows and calves definitely keeps my dad busy. However, I think he loves it. He treats the cows a bit like family. They don't have names, but he knows their specific traits and family histories. He knows what he is doing when it comes to taking care of cattle. They are treated very well by him!

Here's some photos of him and the newest calves on the farm. The day I took these photos was bright and sunny, but it had rained and rained the day prior ... making the cattle-yard a sloppy mess. It was chilly, too! The calves didn't seem to mind, however. I think they liked getting their photo taken!