Frozen Calf Rescued Pt 2

Frozen Calf Rescued Pt 2

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
I'm Bob Larson. We updated you yesterday about the progress of Oreo, the calf rescued in Central Washington over the weekend after he was found covered in snow and ice. But, even though Oreo has been nursed back to health and returned to the heard, the business of keeping nearly a thousand head of cows safe and fed doesn't stop.

Ephrata rancher Nick Cobb with C & C Farms took a short break to talk with me ...

COBB ... "We're just getting finished up checking cows, checking babies. We're heading back to go get them out of the barn right now to go bring back moms. We pulled 12, 10 last night from the freezing weather again."

Cobb says when the weather's like this, it's a 24-7 battle ...

COBB ... "My dad, he feeds all day and then we check every 2-or-3 hours and then, by the time that I'm working on grafting calves and cows and doctoring calves as they come into the barn. I'm doctoring them, getting them warm colostrum to get their body cores all warmed up. And I found one that was frozen this morning. His face was frozen to his legs. I picked him up and took him to the barn, gave him some warm colostrum and he's up and going this morning in the barn, ready to go back to mom."

Cobb says the weather alone isn't the worst part ...

COBB ... "As long as we don't get the wind, we're okay, but if we get the winds, boy howdy, they, those calves, they don't have a chance. We just take them home. If they're alive and breathing, we're taking them home doing our best to get them going again."

Cobb says they've lost several calves during this winter blast and will keep patrolling the heard until the weather clears.

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