It was a beautiful day yesterday. 3 new calves in the morning. I checked again about 3:30. Another new one and one on the way. I called Bert and told him the herd was growing by the minute. He said he would be over in a bit to tag the calves. It was after 4:30 by the time he got there. We tagged the 4 on the ground and went to check the other. Water bag out the same as there had been over an hour earlier. He had a calf at home he had to deal with told me to check her and call him in 45 minutes. No progress. He had his hired man with when he came. Tried for a good long time to get her out the gate to come down the lane to the corral. She wouldn't do it. So it is out in the field. By this time she is getting pretty hot. She assisted Bert in doing a lap around his jeep. After a couple trips into the river and a lap around the field she finally gets roped. Bert is muttering that he should have brought a horse. So he drives the Jeep up on the rope stopping her. A back foot is roped and tied off to a tree. Will sits on her head and holds a front leg up. Bert reaches in and gets the chains on the calf. He never did say if the legs were back or something or what was holding up the calf. Hard pull but gets a live calf out. And then she prolapses. The entire thing out on the ground. Bert tries to push everything back in. Finally sends me to the house for a tractor. I get a big flash light while there because it is 8:30 a pitch black outside. Chain her back legs and lift here up about 4 feet. Every thing goes in and stays in. Set her down and sew her up. Take off the ropes and the chain. They push her up on to her chest so her head is up. Bert loads up the calf to take home to tube a bottle of colostrum and put into the hot box. Bert and Will are pretty much covered with mud, blood, and manure. It is 9:00 and pitch dark. And so ends another beautiful day on the cattle ranch.
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