The farming life for me

Or not? I am not really a farm girl, and yet I find myself living on a small farm just outside Ballarat. (For 3 months, with some friends, while the owner is visiting her homeland, Scotland.)

Last night, my quiet night in front of the telly did not quite eventuate... I got home and went out to take the dogs for a jog (yep, a jog! albeit a very slow one) and to check on the cows. It was an absolutely gorgeous spring evening, and little Bella (who comes up to about my ankle!) was so cute jumping over tufts of grass! I felt all happy and peaceful until...

I saw the little brown cow, with something weird coming out her rear end... no, it wasn't poo! This was her first time being pregnant, and the owner had warned us that she would be the one that might have troubles. Freaking out a little, I RAN back to the house (even tho I was stuffed from my jog) to alert the neighbour.

Graham and Trevor rounded up the cows into a small paddock near the house, then proceeded to try cornering the little brown one in a tiny fenced in area. It just about broke my heart watching. They were chasing her around, waving bits of plastic piping, trying to scare her into the little area. The poor thing, full-term, with little hooves hanging out her rear, was so scared and determined not to be cornered that she jumped over one fence and through another!

They finally cornered her, but even with their ropes, they couldn't get the little calf out. They said the calf wasn't going to make it, but with the vet's help, the cow itself would be fine. We were expecting the vet to have to do surgery to get the calf out, but instead she used, get this, a JACK!! Not a normal car jack of course, but a special cow birthing one. Very funky!

So I watched my first cow birth. A little dead calf being hauled out the back of a poor scared little cow. But the cow seems alright today, and the experience was worth having. Don't think I'm really suited to be a farmer though... I get too sad around animals!

And, sorry, I didn't take pics - seemed rude and inconsiderate to the poor cow.

Only 2 more calves to be born - hopefully they'll both come easily, and in hours when I'm actually up and at home so I can see a normal birth! Maybe I could take pics of that!