Get the Toolbox, Now!
I know exactly what that means. And although that has not happened yet this spring, I do know that TODAY'S THE DAY.
With Shat Acres CinnamonEve due with our first 2026 calf on March 27th (my birthday) it was high time to check and refurbish our CALVING TOOLBOX.
After decades of “Where are the chains?” “I need OB lube now” “Quick, get the BoSe (Vitamin E & Selenium) ready” “Do we have any iodine” I had the epiphany to prepare a toolbox that has everything ready, handy, and easy to transport from house to barn without a moment's delay.
The Calving Toolbox has been a lifesaver, literally, many times over. Each item is labeled and in an individual zip-lock bag. The zip-lock bag is so that if anything leaks it does not soil or contaminate any other critical calving items. Not all calvings require all items in the toolbox, but all calvings require some of the items. And when we need them, they are just a phone call, and a rushed hop-skip and jump from house to barn.
After each calving, the TOOLBOX is inspected, cleaned, and replenished for the next arrival.
We prefer to have all of our calvings take place in a clean, fresh straw-filled pen in our three-sided gated barn. Most Highland calvings require no assistance, but if momma needs help delivering her calf, we don’t want to be traipsing around in the field with a flashlight trying to get a cow out of the field and into the barn-- when the cow is already stressed. And if we need a vet, he/she is not going to try to assist a cow out in the field, which if they were willing to do that, is not safe for the animal or human. If we need to assist a birth, we want to be able to quickly get that cow into our Hi Hog squeeze chute so we can quickly get the calf out alive after donning the long sterile gloves we keep handy in the barn. With Ray raising Highlands for over sixty years, when he says we need a vet, we need a vet. When we call a vet, the vet knows the cow will be waiting in the squeeze chute ready for assistance.
Eve is one of those cows who does not give much warning about when she is about to release her hostage. Unlike most Highlands, her udder does not get huge, her vulva doesn’t swell, and her hip ligaments do not visibly loosen. She surprises us more times than not, invariably birthing the first calf of the year, and is almost always early.
That’s why today CinnamonEve will be taking up residence in the barn, where we can keep an eye on her with our barn cameras.
This is our BEFORE CALVING regime. How about yours?
DURING CALVING? Watch this space for the next chapter!
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