One third of my calf crop was born yesterday. In the relatively dry and clean cattle shelter for a change rather than out in the mud or snow. If I'd been smart I would have penned them in the shelter with the corral panels because by the next morning they were gone. The cow seemed to think her calf would be better off laying in the wet snow under the trees. It was way too far to carry back to the shelter by hand and I knew the old 2 wheel drive pickup would be seriously challenged by the new wet snow on top of the old hard snow so I headed out in the four wheel drive Blazer. 4 winter tires pulled through the snow just fine and I was able to drag the calf into the back without protest or incident. The cow eventually figured out where her calf had gone and turned up back at the shelter. With a little persuading she joined the calf in the penned area and was soon eating hay in relative contentment. With 15 cm (6 inches) of wet snow in the forecast for tomorrow they are far better off where they are.
