Last Tuesday evening about 9pm, I heard one of the cows roaring appearing to be in distress. I went out to check if it was in our paddock but it sounded further away.
Wednesday morning on the way to school, J and R noticed a calf on the wrong side of a drain between the drain and the fence. J checked to see if it was alive. It raised its head.
Wednesday afternoon when R came home, she told me about the calf and I went to check. It was still lying in a ball in the shade. It was cold. I got it to its feet. It was unsteady so I carried it across the drain to a sunny spot. His mother came to check what we were doing. The calf struggled to its feet again and tried to feed but the mother was no help. R saw the farmers daughter-in-law and told her about the calf. She said she would report it to her father.
Thursday morning, I walk down to the postbox and see the calf lying alone. It's mother has abandoned it. I watch during the day and the calf is struggling to follow its mother but is still not feeding. I phone the farmer and tell him that calf is struggling to feed. He says that he will check.
Friday evening, I see calf lying at bottom of hill below our house. It is unable to get to its feet because it is so weak. The mother cow is roaring because the calf will not get up. I walk across to see the farmers son and tell him that calf is in very poor state and will need attention. Son tells me that they are his father's herd and he looks after them.
Saturday morning, calf is dead in same spot where I saw it last evening.
The farmer did not look once near the calf in the last 3 days although we had given 3 messages. I know many a farmer whose own health would have suffered to try and keep animals alive.
Sunday afternoon. The mother cow is sleeping beside her dead calf.
Friday morning. Nearly a week later the dead calf is still lying down there. The farmer drives past the dead calf every day. When does it become a health hazard?
R and J wanted us to adopt the calf on that Wednesday afternoon. I said that was stealing. I wish we had done what R and J wanted. The farmer would not have cared.
Thursday morning, I walk down to the postbox and see the calf lying alone. It's mother has abandoned it. I watch during the day and the calf is struggling to follow its mother but is still not feeding. I phone the farmer and tell him that calf is struggling to feed. He says that he will check.
Friday evening, I see calf lying at bottom of hill below our house. It is unable to get to its feet because it is so weak. The mother cow is roaring because the calf will not get up. I walk across to see the farmers son and tell him that calf is in very poor state and will need attention. Son tells me that they are his father's herd and he looks after them.
Saturday morning, calf is dead in same spot where I saw it last evening.
The farmer did not look once near the calf in the last 3 days although we had given 3 messages. I know many a farmer whose own health would have suffered to try and keep animals alive.
Sunday afternoon. The mother cow is sleeping beside her dead calf.
Friday morning. Nearly a week later the dead calf is still lying down there. The farmer drives past the dead calf every day. When does it become a health hazard?
R and J wanted us to adopt the calf on that Wednesday afternoon. I said that was stealing. I wish we had done what R and J wanted. The farmer would not have cared.
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