Last night I went to a local dairy farm to pick up a 3 bull calves. I take all of the bull calves that this farmer has. He calls I go pick them up..... I would say I usually get 40-50 calves per year from him. Over the past 12 years I have been doing this.
Last night was like every other night I go, put the calves into my horse trailer (3 horse angle haul) I usually bring home the calves home, leave them in the trailer over night. This morning I opened the trailer to bring them into the barn and give them their milk. Calf #1 and #2 reluctantly come out of the trailer, I heard them into the barn same as EVERY time I do this. Then I went back for #3........... Well the SHTF! He did not like that step out of the trailer, so I gave him a good SHOVE out the door. He hits the ground RUNNING! He runs up my shavings pile and right over the top, drops 6 feet and into the neighbors field. This is a 1 week old calf that has been in a box stall for the past week. He should not have any muscle tone to over do it.......... one would think! Well he takes off running around the large pasture. Both me and my hubby are running trying to heard him back into our barn yard. Well unlike every other bull calf I have ever brought home, this thing is WILD! He goes straight through the neighbors fence, across a road and disappears into thick brush! This is not about 7:15am. Well he is gone??? Both me and hubby are searching the bush. This is all over grown bush, full of blackberries and brambles, fallen branches, not easy to get through. This is a black and white calf. He 'should' stand out like a sore thumb? Well nope, no sign of him??? We are walking back and forth, not a sign of him??? The neighbor had just woke up and spotted us and asked what was going on, he laughs and joins the search. We are now going on a HOUR and no sign of this calf. Me and hubby are talking back and forth on our cell phones. We are both talking about a veal dinner at this point....... But there is still no sign of the calf. There is no where he can go but back past us, or through a rushing creek. We were hoping to heard him towards the creek, if he went in I would have to jump in and grab him. Well another hour passes and all of a sudden I hear my hubby "I SEE HIM!!!" Well this little calf still has alot of fight left in him and there is no way he is going down easy. Now we have me, hubby and the neighbor chasing this little thing back and forth, his mouth is hanging open he is panting hard. I can see he has a big cut on his shoulder.... but he is still able to out run us! My hubby is now yelling for me to run home and get a gun! Well we managed to chase him back towards our place, he goes through the fence and is in our barn yard! We have him! We both run in, get him cornered at the gate... Just as my husband is about to grab him, he goes OVER A 4FT GATE! down the driveway and for the road!!!!! Oh my god! Now the neighbors wife is in on the chase! We have 4 adults and no one can catch this calf! This is now 3 hours into the chase!!!!! My husband managed to get a gate open into our lower pasture and we chased him and he went into the pasture! We all stood there just staring at him. We decided to leave him and let him calm down.
I figured that once the adrenalin wears off he is probably going to be dead........ But now it is 4 hours later and he is laying with some weanlings. I have no idea if I am going to be able to catch him. He has not had milk since last night. He was a beautiful fat healthy calf when we picked him up, he is now visibly thin and pooping liquid! I do not have high hopes he is going to survive this ordeal. I am not sure if it is better to wait till he is weak and try to catch him and bring him into the barn? Or try to catch him this evening?
My legs look like mine meat from running through the blackberries chasing him. My body is aching and part of me hopes to look out the window and see him laying there dead! But this guy is to much of a fighter!
I am glad I didn't pay anything for this calf.
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