Heather Smith Thomas

JANUARY 27 We had a couple weeks of cold weather (-25 C every night). The old cow with the frozen calf we thawed out is enjoying life in a pen by the barn, where she gets pampered with all the hay she can eat, and some good alfalfa. Her calf, which we named Popsicle, is […] Read more

Nearly every calving season has some challenges, and once in awhile a situation occurs that takes diligence and determination in order to save the calf. One challenge we faced several years ago involved a little black calf that became affectionately known as Dodie. His mama was a three-year-old red cow named Dowdy, and this was her second […] Read more

JANUARY 1, 2013 With the cold stormy weather we decided not to wean Michael and Carolyn’s summer calves, and leave them on their mothers a while longer, since those cows won’t be calving until May and later. We preg-checked and vaccinated the cows and calves while Michael was home from North Dakota and the kids […] Read more

Proper management will help prevent it from happening, 
but when it does happen chilled calves need immediate attention

Calves that are severely chilled at birth, without immediate assistance to warm and dry them and make sure they ingest colostrum in a timely manner, have poor survival rates. If a calf gets too cold before it suckles, it may not be able to get the teat in his mouth, and does not obtain crucial […] Read more

NOVEMBER 26 Andrea and I have been working with the young fillies every day, leading them, tying them, and feeding the weanling (Willow) a little grain and alfalfa pellets. Last week our neighbour Alfonzo branded, vaccinated and weaned some late calves and two of the Miller family (one of our new Amish neighbours from the […] Read more

NOVEMBER 1 Last week Lynn and Michael finished setting the posts to rebuild the side of our big corral. Rick and Andrea helped nail up the poles. Michael used the backhoe to alter the main gatepost so the gate would swing completely around in both directions, to make it easier to sort cattle. They also used some of […] Read more

SEPTEMBER 25 Andrea and Emily had an inspiring time at the World Burn Congress in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They made many new friends and got very little sleep, spending most of their time visiting with other burn survivors and their families. Emily quickly got over being shy, realizing that most of the young people she met […] Read more

These veterinarians developed a probe for determining pregnancy that is not only accurate but saves the wear and tear on the arm

While preg checking has traditionally be done by arm-in rectal palpation, technology is making it possible to use trans-rectal ultrasound probes to do the job with just as much or more accuracy and it’s a lot easier on the technician as well. Andrew Bronson came to Alberta after graduating from Ontario Veterinary College in 1982. […] Read more

JUNE 1 Last week we put in one more weir, so all our ditches now have headgates and weirs for measuring water. The heifers got out again, so we put them in the little pasture by the house overnight, then put them with the cows and calves in the field below the lane. A few days later Lynn walked […] Read more

MAY 1 Last week I dewormed the horses and Michael put shoes on Ed and Breezy for me. Andrea and I rode April Sprout (Dani’s new horse) a few times; the mare is still green and inexperienced and needs more training. Emily’s allergies and a bad cold suddenly escalated into pneumonia and she couldn’t breathe […] Read more