06/17/2026
TL,DR: I’m an idiot.
Story time!
Our old gal Gloria was retired last fall after she lost a pregnancy early on. At roughly eleven years old with a low-hanging udder, I was hopeful to get one more rockstar calf out of her. She was bred over the summer and I had a positive test. However, a routine milk test in September returned with a progesterone level lower than what it should have been. Our wonderful vet confirmed with ultrasound that she had lost the calf, and that her reproductive tract had been quiet for some time. He agreed with me that retirement to the freezer was in her best interest. I cried my tears and put her out back with Henry to enjoy her final days on pasture, planning to process her after deer season.
Our deer processing business was swamped all season (y’all are amazing!) and well into winter. And then we butchered hogs. And then we butchered a steer. And then spring was here, too warm too early. I resigned myself to feeding Gloria all summer and try processing again in the fall. Can you tell where this is going?
Upon returning home from vacation this weekend, while doing rounds, I noted that Gloria seemed more bony on her topline than I’d remembered. I made a mental note to run some f***l & blood tests on her to check for parasites or disease. The following day, my husband saw her and asked “why does her udder look so full?” ……
I said I’ll just go bump her belly for fun. She’s an old barren thing. But her udder is fuller….
THERE’S A WHOLE DAMN BABY IN THERE.
How dare I assume that Henry would not Casanova his way with gramma Glor again. How stupid of me to let days fly by this winter & spring and not think to separate them beforehand.
So not only do I have two young cows due to calve within the next 2-4 weeks, I now have a third calf due in sub-30 days just by looking at Glor. 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠
I’m glad I caught up on sleep last week. I will not be getting any for the foreseeable future.
Pictured is Gloria with her last calf in October ‘24. Let’s hope for healthy mommas, healthy babies, and at least a fraction of this cuteness. My sanity cannot be recovered. 😅
