Dixie's Dumbo

We could use extra thoughts of encouragement sent our way...

We've had a fairly rough week here on the farm with Dixie's calf. Originally, we had decided to call him Harry because he has a bit of his father's "escape artist" gene. But it's clear to us that Dumbo would be a much more appropriate name for him. So, Dixie's Dumbo it is.

The little guy isn't very "bright", is quite confused about where to find a meal on his mama, and he just wasn't getting any milk... which is quite ironic, as it would seem that Dixie is capable of producing more milk than all of our other cows combined! He has the right idea about nursing, but has no idea where to find a meal on Dixie. Seems his preference is the frontend, when he really needs to be at the backend!

It was Sunday when Alan and I got Dixie and Dumbo moved out of the big pasture and into the barnyard. Dixie isn't the friendliest cow. She was full grown when we got her, and she didn't get a lot of human interaction with her previous owners. She also has long horns, so we're very cautious around her -- especially when she's hormonal and protecting her baby! All of this combined with a baby who needs extra human interaction and guidance finding a meal makes for several challenges.

Because we really want him to be fed by his mother, getting him to nurse on Dixie is our primary goal. But we can't just sidle on up to Dixie, grab hold, and show him where to nurse. Instead, we need to get her into a safe place (for us, and her) -- that place is ALWAYS the cattle chute. The chute has a head-gate to keep the cow facing forward, and held in place, safely and securely. And the chute allows us to work around the cow safely. The side panels on the chute are able to be squeezed against the body of the cow, to help keep her still. Thankfully, the chute also has panels along the bottom that can be removed to allow easy access to the legs and udder.

Getting Dixie into the chute isn't the easiest thing to do. First, we lock up the goats so they're out of the way. Then, when Dixie is a good distance away from her baby, I pick him up and carry him through the gated goat yard towards the chute. Dixie follows me & her baby, and Alan follows her, shutting gates behind her as we make our way to the smaller fenced areas near the chute. As luck would have it, during this time the little bugger always decides to relieve himself ... down the front of my shirt and pants ... lovely. It takes a bit more encouragement to get Dixie into the chute, but once we do, it's meal time!

The first couple of times we presented her to him, he wasn't too sure about nursing and it took a LOT of encouragement to get him started (and thanks to Dixie's impeccable timing on peeing and pooping -- as you can see by the poo on the chute-- the time spent encouraging him to nurse was not very pleasant for ME!). We filled a baby bottle with her milk and fed him, giving him a good taste of milk, and then put milk on her teats to encourage him to nurse directly from her. Eventually he caught on and ate and ate and ATE!

Unfortunately, he still hasn't realized that he can nurse off of Dixie when she's not in the chute. When he gets hungry, he goes to the chute looking for food instead of to Dixie. But we're hoping that the more times he eats, and the stronger he gets, he'll figure things out. Until then, we'll be putting Dixie in the chute and assisting with meals... and apparently, we'll be changing clothes often, and showering multiple times a day.

He's a good eater when he finally latches on... now, if we could only get him to figure out where his snack bar is 24/7! Wish us LUCK!

Sort of off topic .... this is a photo of the sticker on the side panel of the chute. See how the sticker and the panel around it are scraped up? Well..... I wondered why Betty had what looked like white and green paint on her horns. Alan said that just about every morning when he lets the goats into the barnyard, Betty trots over and headbutts the sticker on the chute. I'd like to know just what she's thinking... has the chute done her wrong? That crazy, BAAAAAD Boxcar Betty!

Comments

[Troy Louise]

Oh my! What a week indeed. Poor dumbo & poor Anna & Alan. Good luck & I hope he gets it all figured out so you can quit being so "pooped" out. XOX

[DK Wight]

Think "chest waders" Hodgeman makes several models that are very "cost effective" and fool proof. Wicked cute too! Have a lovely Day............ Love, Dad

[Evelynn Saddler]

Anna he sure is a cute little fellow, hope he gets a brain real soon.LOL less work for you and Alan.
Ks.stamper
Evelynn

[Shellie Daniel]

Awww, what a sad story for the poor little dumb calf! He's very lucky to have such loving owners, willing to help him get his meals until he hopefully figures it out himself. That's scary when calves don't take off and start nursing right away, huh? Wasn't Dixie the one that looked like she was about to explode?

That Betty is one of a kind! Of all things--butting a cow chute every morning!

[Kellijo]

Awwww, he's not a Dumbo, he's, well... MALE!!!! LOL Typically they are boob kinda guys but he's pretty young still ;) I LOL over the timing of needing to pee and poop from BOTH Junior and Dixie!!!! LOL I'm SO sorry but OH MY!!! You two are SUCH excellent animal owners, the love I see constantly in your pics makes me smile....

GOOD LUCK... just remind Junior (NOT calling him Dumbo) that he's a BOOB GUY!!!! ;)

[kathynruss]

I like Dubya for a name better than Dumbo. Dubya was as dumb as any shrub could be! Hope your baby gets the right idea soon. The idea of you doing your nursing assistant job in hip waders is pretty good!

[Sharli]

Oh My Goodness - you're right! DUMBO! LOL
I was in stitches over the description of him wetting on you, then how messy Dixie was in addition . . . I'll say a little prayer that he figures it out REALLY FAST!

Hugs!

[Kathy]

I think this story sounds like a wonderful start to a children's book. Maybe you could rename the cattle chute to the "poop chute".

Dumbo is a little cutie. Let's hope he gets it all figured out soon.

[Debby Watkins]

Awwww, poor little Dumbo ... I really hope that he catches on soon ...

[Deborah]

Wow... this incredible. Good for you to do this for your animals. Hopefully Dumbo will get a little smarter!!

[Old Nebraska Dave]

Farm animals never cease to amaze me. It can certainly be challenging raising cows. Sometimes I have to wonder how they ever survived without human intervention. I suppose back then it was only the strong and relatively smart survived. We have caused dependency in our domestic animals. I hope that Dumbo gets a little wiser before too long.

Have a great Dixie/Dumbo day.

[Renee]

Oh wow...I had to laugh, but am sorry that's been happening! I hope that Dixie soon realizes that the chute = relief from the milk--that udder looks painful--and maybe she'll at least just start walking in there. (I know--yeah right!) Too funny abt Betty :) Best wishes to y'all!

[Candy]

Being a farm girl at heart I certainly enjoy reading your stories -- even the ones that tell about difficulties because you keep such a good attitude. Thanks for warming my heart this morning.

[Rebecca Ednie]

OMW! when I saw the name, I was thinking is ears must have exploded in size overnight!! LOL! Boy, he sure isn't clever is he? What a pair of stinkers to mess everything up like that too. I sure hope he figures this all out soon. Such a lot of work! Does this happen often? I never dawned on me that cows might sometimes have trouble breastfeeding too! He must figure it out soon...

[Liz]

OH MY! What a pain. At least you have the chute though which is a blessing. Hope all your hard work pays off.
Liz

[Tricia]

The way you and Alan care for all of your animals is heartwarming!

[Kathy Martin]

Life on the farm! Love your story! Your work and patience look to have paid off! Hope Dumbo learns to feed normally real fast!

[Jessie]

Sending Dumbo good thoughts for learning how to eat!!

[Mary Anne K.]

Oh Anna, what a battle! Hope you win quickly, as the laundry will be mounding up quickly. Yipes. Dumbo sounds perfect to me. You're dad cracks me up!

[Dawn Burnworth]

My dad raised calves for 50 years. They all have their own little quirks. Hormonal moms can get really mean but they are just protecting. I am glad that he is at least eating something now. I have seen other moms adopt little ones when their mom has no milk production. Motherly instincts I guess.. This brings back sweet memories as the EPA shut my dad down last year at age 73. His farm is too close to a creek. He misses it terribly.. Thanks for the photos. Go Dumbo Go

[Toni K]

Wow, I guess Dumbo isn't the smartest in the barnyard. Good luck getting him to feed on his own. I hope it happens soon for your sake.

[Carol Dee]

Silly Dumbo! Good luck getting the little fella to THINK on his own. (Your dad cracks me up!) Have a better day (less Poop!) hugs...

[Beverly Blair]

Enjoy reading your articles . . . Dumbo sure is cute! Hope he figures out real soon where the drivethru is. : ) We live right next to hubby's brother(over 300 acre farm) w/the cows & pigs!
Have a great day!

[bonnie weiss]

You are going to have to get yourself a pair of those fishing pants (hip-waders, I think they are called) to wear, while educating Dumbo on the feeding process.

I'm sure Betty has "her reasons" but unfortunately, they will stay a secret in her own little mind!

[Dee in N.H.]

Silly boy! Your washing machine will be doing extra duty until the little bugger gets it all figured out!

[Sabrina]

Ha, I was thinking Dumbo must have big ears, but I guess it's because he's not the brightest calf on the block. Sure hope he learns soon that he has a mobile snack-bar.

[DK Wight]

I apologize about that comment about the little bulls name.... I ment to say Vermont..Love, Dad

[DK Wight]

The eyes of a newborn are probably a bit "out of focus" and when the target of his desire is the size of the Goodyear Blimp his brain may be in shock. When thinking of his name it seems to me that "W" would be a good name for him being a born Texan and unable to find a tit on an udder the size of Idaho...Oops..Oh my! slap my face! It's easy to "outthink" a goat, but I figure Betty has a better chance in a fight with a cattle chute than with Houdini!

[Janet Sisk]

Darn, I liked the name "Harry", but I see why you chose the name "Dumbo" instead. :D You gotta cut the little guy some slack; he is a male after all. LOL