I might be the happiest person in the United States of America right now.
I have my very own bottle calf! And she is still alive! And I love her and she loves me and even though we are in the middle of a snowstorm, it is like sunshine and blue skies over here for me.
Here are my favorite things about Hazel. In no particular order.
- She is not dead.
- She does not look almost dead.
- She wants me to pet her.
- She no longer needs me to put the bottle in her mouth. She takes it on her own.
- She likes to wipe her milky mouth on my pants and then lick my pants.
- She lets Charlie, our dog, lick up her milk dribbles, as she is a messy eater.
- And, lastly, and I cannot stress this enough, she has not died.
The last three calves I tried to save with a bottle over the past 2 1/2 years have died. Like so bad dead. But not my Hazel.
She lives!
The puppy brothers went out with me this morning to feed her at O Dark Thirty.
I was noticing she had a bunch of dried poo-poo on her backside.
Mama cows lick their baby’s butts clean, in nature and all. Hazel does not have a mama cow. I am now Hazel’s mom. Instead of licking her butt clean, I picked her up and put her in the bath tub.
And I gave it my all.
Stand down, Reader! You wouldn’t want to try and give a calf a sponge bath in the middle of a snowstorm either!
Have I officially lost my mind?
Maybe. Yet, I am so happy.
Please Advise.
Love it!!! Best calf momma!!!
I would advise to keep doing what you are doing! Yay for Taylor!
I’m so happy for you! Love that the dogs come with you for silly o’clock feeds.
Hallelujah! So happy for you to finally have a victory in the abandoned calf department!
OMGOODNESS, TAYLOR !!! I am so jealous !!! Calves are my favorite animals, as I’m sure you know by now… Lol ! We’ve raised calves on the bottle but its been a long time since I partook of said experience.
I’m just loving the pic of that baby in the tub too. This post truly blessed my heart. You go, Hazel !!!! 😉😁
Awwww. I love Hazel. And your blog.
You are the best calf momma ever.
Mainly just make sure she is dry …really dry before you put her back outside. Hopefully that will be the only time you need to do that.
I advise to keep on! I’m so happy for you. She is so cute and I hope David lets you keep her forever.
Awww, she just loves you, I can see it in her eyes. Hurray!