Loss is hard. Specifically, loss on the farm. Monday morning our calf check did not go as hoped. Very rarely do people want to talk about the loss on the farm. It’s hard, uncomfortable, and just downright depressing. It breaks my heart for the baby and momma… for the kids who so anxiously awaiting to see the new baby… for the farmer who is now questioning his decisions so that calf would still be alive.
Loss makes you question your judgment, knowledge, and instinct. Depending on the amount of loss, it makes you question why you chose this lifestyle. We have been extremely lucky during our calving seasons. We have only had one other loss where the cow aborted the calf before her due date. However, it isn’t any less discouraging.
With that being said, the hard things need to be talked about… loss needs to be talked about so we can learn and improve how the farm functions. So we can better care for the animals that depend on us! Loss is, unfortunately, a part of the lifestyle, expected or unexpected, but it’s never easy.
This specific scenario was unexpected. There are no obvious reasons why this calf passed away… no deformities or obvious signs of anything wrong. Our guess is it must have passed away during the birth, and no matter how hard we try we never catch them all. Especially, when they stay in a field down the road from the farm.
This afternoon, we made changes, and we learned from this loss. We brought a few of the cows back to the farm, that we know will go in a few days, let them have their calves here then take them back down the road when the calves are strong.
So today we let the cow mourn her loss. Our hearts are heavy as we go on with our daily responsibilities. We find the silver lining and look forward to the other calves to come. However, we talked about loss today, and that is a step in the right direction to improve the well-being and safety of our animals.
Blessings,
Erica