Maybe you remember back in April when Tug was born. His mother, Bailey, would not feed him.
So we did.
Tug was a couple weeks old here….you can see how thin he was.
Although we fed him accordingly….nothing seems to match up to the real thing.
Tug struggled to find a mama cow that would let him nurse. He tried…bless his heart….over and over. Several times he would get a swig here and there from another nursing mother, but they would kick him away. It was sad to watch. He would stay off to himself a lot as well. After I would feed him in the pasture I started herding him back to the herd while I was on my 4 wheeler. He didn’t like me doing that. He would try to go off to the side to hide in the trees, but I was as stubborn as he was. I made him join the group….then I would leave the pasture. Eventually he started staying with them more and more. It was a good time really, because we were having babies being born every few weeks, so he wasn’t the only baby out there. They started keeping each other company.
Tug was born at the end of April. Madre was born on Mother’s day hence the name….makes it easy for me to remember when she was born.
I had hoped tug would be taken in by Brandy…which is Madre’s mother. Cupid had delivered Rey just a week or two before Tug was born…there again I had hoped she would let him nurse. There we were with milk everywhere you could look…but poor tug was not getting any of it. For us to milk the cows was just not an option at this time . Maybe sometime in the future…but just not now.
One day when I went to find the herd and take tug his bottle…I saw him before he saw me. He got behind Brandy and nursed from behind, while her baby Rey was nursing from the side. The session was cut short because she pooped right on his head. Poor little guy. He didn’t seem to mind though….he was glad that he had gotten a swig of “REAL” milk. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him….and snicker at the same time. I started watching real close before I would feed Tug…..hoping if I delayed the feeding….he would get hungry enough to nudge his way in there and get some real milk again. Sure enough….he started ignoring me when I would come to the herd to feed him. At first I was a little bit offended. When I would call his name he would just look at me…..then look at one of the adult Mama’s…then look back at me. It reminded me when our kids were teenagers, and they didn’t want you to embarrass them in front of their friends. You know that look they would give you? Well…. that is the way Tug would look. Like….oh hey! Oh…….. Hey…uh…maybe you could just hook up with me later…you know… when everyone isn’t looking at me…seeing my human Mom feeding me a bottle…..that’s like so not cool.
I would leave the pasture and not feed him….apparently he was trying to fit in…and possibly even had enough milk in his tummy that he was satisfied. There were several days that he would be wearing poop on his head…so I knew he had been fed.
When Cupid had the twins, Laverne and Shirley, I went to buy another bottle since I was feeding tug at least once a day and now would be feeding Laverne as well. Tug surprised me. He only took two bottles once Laverne came into the picture. Everyday I would fix bottles for both of them….just in case…..but he usually refused his. I was amazed and glad that he had reached the point that he weaned himself.
He hangs with the other calves now. He runs and plays with them…..and they nap together a lot too.
Funny that Shirley which is Laverne’s twin sister….looks just like tug. They are the same size and everything. Shirley has a white tip on the end on her tail and Tug doesn’t.
I really got a kick out of seeing him nursing side by side with Shirley. If you didn’t know better you would think -HE- was her twin. Cupid, the Mom didn’t seem to mind one bit that he was nursing with Shirley. I am amazed at how he has jumped around from one Mother cow to the other and they seem to be alright with it.
Tug is on the left and Shirley is on the right.
His coloring has changed so much. He is very brown now…with black around his eyes and ears.
The other day he approached me while I was on the 4 wheeler.
He has that unsure, hesitant look in his eyes…
then decided to go for the human touch….
and seemed to remember it well. Only allowing a few pets here and there….then off he went to be with the herd.
Here he is with Madre on the left, Tug in the middle and Rey on the right. I may have touched them at birth, but other than that I have never been able to pet Rey, Madre, or even Shirley. Sometimes when they get older, they will begin to trust a little, especially if you bring them a treat!
Saturday, Billy and I were working on some odd and end things around the pasture. I saw Tug and spoke to him, he was laying near the fence. I decided to enter the pasture and see if he would let me pet him for a minute. Sure enough he stayed seated when I approached him. I sat down beside him. He let me just sit there and pet him. He especially likes to be rubbed under his chin. I found that out when I was bottle feeding him…..so I gave him a rub there and he was like putty in my hand. I couldn’t believe that he was content to just sit there with me. I looked at my watch after several minutes….thinking I really should get busy doing the other things I needed to do. Then I decided….no…this is where I want to spend this time.
We enjoyed each other’s company for 20 minutes. That just doesn’t happen. All the other cows…looked on with a puzzled look. Although they all seem to like me and Billy….they have that instinct in them to fear us a little. A healthy respect/fear is a good thing I suppose, but it sure was fun to have a little Tug time. Time where he was back to his old self.
He is happy, healthy and seems to be enjoying his life. He will always be special to us.
I've Gone Country 