Cliff, the cat whisperer. Me, the calf whisperer.

While the cats have recovered physically from their snip-and-clips, Suzie, the calico, became a hermit.  She rarely left the barn, even to do her business.  Cats pooping in the barn is unacceptable, but of course I can't get rid of the cat, because I spent $80 on her.  Every time either Cliff or I went into the barn, there was Suzie, meowing piteously.  
Cliff thought of a way to cure the traumatized feline:  He opened up the doors on either end of that portion of the barn and locked them open.  
"When she doesn't have a dark place to hide, I think she'll come on out with the other two," he said.  
Sounded pretty lame to me.  What does Cliff know about cats, anyway?  He doesn't even LIKE them.  
But you know what?  It worked!  Now she's lazing around under the burning bush with her mother and brother.  All.  Day.  Long.  Do you think these loafers will ever catch another mouse?  

On another note, I am really enjoying my two new calves, although they are so healthy it's almost boring.  Seriously, when I get a baby calf I expect them at least to have a mild case of scours (diarrhea) so I can use my skills to make it well.  

Every morning after I've had a cup or two of coffee, I measure powdered stuff out of this $40 bag and mix it up for two calves, one bottle at a time.  I'm pretty sure I'll be buying at least two more bags of this stuff before the calves can consume enough calf starter to keep them growing.  Looks like one bag won't last over two weeks, for the two of them.    

It takes a pretty good "whisking" to get it mixed smoothly.  
When the calves are done with their bottles and I take them away, they frantically search for something else to suck on.  That's the reason they have separate pens.  If they were together at this "after-bottle" time, they would suck on one another's ears, navals, and other body parts.  It's better not to encourage this sort of behavior, since you want them to get over the nursing urge at as young an age as possible.  Of course they won't get over it until well after they are weaned.  
Today after George and Gracie got over their sucking frenzy, I turned them out together so they could have a good run.  I hope you enjoy watching them play.




About Babe, the cow we've been waiting on to have her calf.  Cliff's brother, from whom we bought Babe, wonders if perhaps she did not settle the first time the bull was with her, which would make her due date three weeks later.  I've had a cow or two go ten days past their due dates, but Babe is now eleven days past and still showing no signs of an impending birth except for her udder filling out a little.  We DO know she is pregnant, so all we can do is wait for nature to take its course.