Calving is one of those busy seasons in the year that I do my best to prepare for. Everything is power washed, cleaned within an inch of its life, and disinfected. New teats are put into all the feeders. I stock up on essentials such as stomach tubes, calf bottles, long gloves, calf tags, disinfectant, new buckets if required, things like breadsoda in case of bloat, and coffee in case cows require it (digestive upsets not because they're caffeine deprived) and every other essential for the calves not to mention the basics for the humans such as bars and bars of chocolate. In trying to prevent ransacking the house (as happened in previous years), here's a list of things I'll also be stocking up on.
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Whisk
Yes, the 'farm whisk' fell apart so my old and battered favourite whisk from the kitchen had to replace it a few years ago and has since fallen apart. The plan is to use whole milk during the busy calving period when there's plenty of transition milk, and to preserve surplus milk using Stor Milk (which preserves it for up to 28 days). But we might end up using milk replacer in April for the oldest calves before they're weaned. We'll see. .
2. Buckets
Yes, I always need lots of buckets, preferably in different colours. I'm very particular about getting colostrum into newborns and transition milk into young calves so milk from the fresh calvers doesn't go into the dump line but into churns, and then into buckets. It's much easier to have Brian tell me that the milk for calf xxx is in the red / blue / yellow bucket than try to remember which blue bucket has the freshest transition milk. I have been known to nab the 'washing the floor' buckets from the house on occasion, obviously disinfecting them before using them for milk.
3. Plastic Measuring Jugs
I lose at least one a year to the farmyard. Plastic of course and the larger the better.
4. Bread Soda
If a calf is bloated, dose it with a heaped spoon (or two) of breadsoda mixed with warm water. Kate has two tubs for breadsoda - one is labelled with "Breadsoda - Farm" and the other with "Breadsoda - Kitchen". Thankfully bloat is very rare with whole milk-fed calves.
5. Vegetable Oil
In the absence of liquid paraffin, vegetable oil (sometimes mixed with warm water) can also be good for bovines with bloat.
6. Coffee
We're a tea drinking household so I only had one bag of (expensive) coffee when the vet requested some to treat a cow who had developed a displaced abomasum after calving.
7. Scissors and Sharp Knives
When penknives are lost, the first port of call seems to be the kitchen where scissors and sharp knives are borrowed and then left around in the damp conditions outside so they rust! I'm as guilty of this as Brian.
8. Honey
I found honey to be handy if a calf is stubbornly refusing to drink milk. They seem to like the sweetness of the honey in the warm milk and I also drizzle it over the teat. Apparently marmalade works just as well. If you're really desperate, bring out a bar of chocolate. A square of chocolate in the calf's mouth can work wonders and hey, you can eat the rest of the bar.
9. Coal Shovel
I used to use a large plastic scoop with a short handle to take lime from the tonne bag and put scoopfuls into the buckets or liming the cubicles. When the handle broke, I've taken coal shovels (I find a long-handled shovel to be too awkward). And no, the coal shovel was never returned even though I bought new scoops!
10. Washing Up Liquid & Bottles
Washing up liquid can disappear at any time of the year but as it's often used as a lubricant when checking on the progress of a calving cow and when assisting her so this is the time of year to stock up on supplies. It doesn't help that the bottles can occasionally get lost in the straw too! I don't use iodine on the calves navels any more - water mixed with steri7 and put into a squeegee empty washing up bottle is much more successful at preventing an infection. 100%.
And of course, other things at risk of being nabbed are old towels, old duvets, kettles, mugs, hair dryers .... What have I left out?
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