The Miracle of Birthing Twin Calves in Subzero Weather

Rescuing a calf in subzero temperatures is an adventure. My daughter and I had managed to save "Negative 2" and the calf was curled up in a make-shift pen on my living room floor. Things could finally settle down. The mother cow, Goofy, had been through enough stress for the night and with the temperatures predicted to plummet to -22 degrees, we needed to be sure the cow had some hay to help her through the night.

Jeni was my mom's caretaker and she needed to get back to my mom's house which was just across the pasture. The temperature had dropped another 2 degrees and now registered as -4. I had half a bale of hay in the back of the truck so we stopped by the corral long enough to toss the hay to the momma cow to help her recover from her ordeal. It was pitch-black outside and the headlights of the pickup were the only source of light.

What I saw in the corral scared me. A second calf was struggling to stand as Goofy was trying to clean it.

"Oh, my God, there's a second calf." I yelled for Jeni to move the truck to the gate while I jumped the fence. Again, I was more concerned with the mother cow's horns, but Goofy let me grab the calf's front legs and pull the second calf out of the pen the same as I had the first calf.

Jeni helped me wrestle the twin into the front floorboard of the pickup. I was thankful this one was quite a bit smaller, though concerned because I was not sure just how long the poor thing had been out in the frigid temperatures. Frostbite and hypothermia could take its toll on the small black calf. Wrestling the twin onto the porch and into the house took everything Jeni and I had. The calf was slick from birthing fluid and we were exhausted from struggling with the first of the twins.

We carried the twin into the kitchen and I grabbed the last of my towels. We worked on the calf for over an hour, drying her off as well as we could. The calf was not as responsive as her sister had been and I knew I had a long night ahead of me if I was going to save her.

Jeni had to leave to take care of her grandmother and we left the calf, hoping for the best. I did not stop by the corral to check on Goofy. I was too scared we would find "Negative 8" if we did. The trip to Mom's took just five minutes and I returned to the house. When I got back to the second calf, she was curled up and looking around. She was holding her head in a strange position, so I picked up a towel and continued to dry her. Within half an hour, she was ready to try standing. The linoleum of the kitchen floor was too slick for the newborn calf, so moved her into the living room and the carpet. I would have a house that smelled like a barn for awhile, but I did not mind a bit.

I helped her stand up on her wobbly legs, steadying her when she stumbled around for her first few steps. Thus far, things were looking good for her survival.

A newborn calf needs to nurse as soon as possible after birth. Since it was too cold to take the calves back out to their mother, I made them a bottle of warm milk replacer. The second twin managed to nurse about half a cup while her bigger sister took a full cup. I am not sure who was more tired, the twins or me. It was nearing midnight and that is very late by my early-to-bed standards.

The next few hours were going to be critical to ensure the survival of both twins, but they had a good chance now. The next step was to hope Goofy would not reject one of them as often happened when twin beef calves were born. Twin calves are rare in beef cattle when compared to dairy cattle. This was the first set of twins in 25 years on the ranch.

I placed the "Negative 4" in the makeshift corral with "Negative 2" in my living room and longed for a shower. The pipes in the well house had frozen several days before. With no water and no clean towels left, I had to settle for stripping off my clothes that were covered in birthing fluids and falling into bed. The electric blanket felt wonderful as did the knowledge that Jeni and I had managed to save the twin calves under extreme conditions. I was exhausted yet on an adrenalin rush knowing we had those two tiny heifer calves sleeping in the living room.

Tomorrow would be a long day. I would have to introduce the calves to their mother and figure out some place more permanent for them to live. I was also expecting a shipment of propane in, but I never expected the driver to leave the gate open so Goofy could escape.