Have I been floating along on a dream stream instead of knowing that real life is just not that easy? I guess so! This morning I saw all the scours and snotty noses a feller could take, and they are on that nice bunch of fall calves -- not every calf, but six of them and ears hanging down and mattery eyes. I know I didn't see anything to warn me when I checked the herd yesterday morning. Maybe I missed it, maybe it came during the night, but I sure didn't see anything wrong yesterday.
We got the cows in pretty quick -- shake a sack and they stampede to the troughs. I am here to tell you that the sight of sick calves makes a grown man want to be sick too. I sure was and am surprised and blaming myself for the oversight. I must have missed the clue. I had to have missed something.
We keep medicine on hand for pneumonia and scours, and we were very careful to clean the chute and the area as we doctored the sick ones. I suspect they will all recover, but I do not know how to figure what the illness cost each one in growth and in future susceptibility to other organisms.
Yes, on this operation, even as little as we are, a boss man can make mistakes. The offspring were right there to help with the work and they did not utter one word about the missed clues of coming illness in the calves. My close relative showed up to help, and she pursed her lips and said nothing. I am grateful for the silence but think to discuss it might have felt better.
The mammies of the sick babies got to stay in the lot with the calves as we turned the rest back to their pasture. I took a fecal sample to town to find out what, for sure, we had, and the Doc said we had used the proper medication. This was a fast and basic little bad cold, and to stop the scouring was what was important, along with the loss of electrolytes. Maybe I won't lose any of the herd and that would sure be a comfort.
We ate lunch with my close relative and then hit the afternoon schedule. I was very careful as I scouted each bunch of cattle, watched for all sorts of signs and did a lot of second-guessing as I looked. What does a feller do when he messes up, throw up his hands and run? I am too old to run!
It is my opinion, and everyone has one, no matter how many days or years you run cattle, you will not find all the sick ones immediately. You think that one is full and resting when it could actually be suffering a bad bellyache and lying there in pain. I've been doing this since I was a kid, watching and carefully evaluating each flopping ear, dry nose, fence walker and all the other million signs of ill health. Just gotta trust that we are human and things happen!
Winter is on the move, so find your long johns now!
Bill is the pen name used by the Gravette area author of this weekly column. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 10/18/2017