Bringing your calf home

Bud and I anxiously awaited our calves, like young kids waiting to open stockings on Christmas morning. We had spent over a week getting the stall and fencing ready and now our calves were going to be delivered. It was about a 5 hour drive from Nebraska to our ranch in Colorado. Fortunately, our driver knew we were excited and so he kept us apprised of his location. When the truck and trailer pulled in, we couldn’t have been more elated!

As we opened the trailer door, the calves jumped up and immediately came forward to greet us. The calves were so tiny and the step down from the trailer seemed so big, we picked them up and carried them to their stall. Luckily, they had been handled and were fairly easy to manage. I bet they weighed less than 40 or 50 pounds. Both were particularly furry. BamBam looked like a lamb with the longer white hair and Peebles had the biggest doe eyes.

While we wanted to love on them and pet them, we decided to let them rest. We left them some hay, fresh water and gave them some time to get acclimated. One of the best things you can do is give your calf time to be a calf.