For most people the New Year starts on January 1st, but a far north yak herder's New Year starts when the first calves hit the ground. At the Circle F Ranch this year, that happened on February 25th.
When I went out to check the yak cows one beautiful early summer morning in 2013, and found our herd bull, Teddy, in with them I knew without a doubt that "Happy Yak New Year 2014" was going to be very, very early.
*Sigh*
The best laid plans of mice and men...or in this case, yak herders....
I'm sure you get the picture.
So begins long days of looking at the south side of each expecting cow once or twice a day, trying to determine whose been naughty or nice. (It's an undisputed fact that yak cows always face their tails toward the south very late in parturition, which tends makes my job much easier, until I realize that MY yaks are not aware of this interesting fact and face their tails alternately to the north, east, and west for no particular reason.) I do have my suspicions though, about who is due when and discretely follow those shy gals around, trying my best to get a peek at what does or does not lay behind that full and flowing tail. Mostly I'm looking for a "ripe udder" but most days I have to rely on attitude, eye contact (or lack of it) and attendance. If someone is MIA it's a good bet she's headed to parts unknown to do her business without my prying eyes and best intentions invading, what to her, is a very private affair.
I am thoroughly convinced that they all conspire against me and take turns feigning labor just to laugh at me behind my back as I doggedly trail after first one and then another soon-to-be, or more likely than not, soon-NOT-to-be, yak mom. My yak herder intuition has gotten better over the years and while I can often tell when I'm being played the fool, those girls keep coming up with new scenarios in an attempt to win the game of "stump the yak herder." I won't give up though, because one of these days I know I'm going to win!
In the meantime, I'm donning my parka and boots at 6am and heading out with my headlamp to enjoy yet another day in the life of a far north yak herder....
....and by the way,
Happy Yak New Year!
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Midway Blues
Whew! We are about halfway through the spring calving season and I am blue! Early calvings resulted in what we feel is a higher than normal mortality rate. One was a stillbirth of unknown cause, two were related to hypothermia, another was due to a post birth trauma with the cow. --That one was really sad.
Our "bad mom" yak (Amyak), who we didn't have a definate due date for calved this past Saturday (4-18-09) and Bobby brought the baby to the house. She was at least semi dried off and standing when he found them at 7am. Much better than last year's episode where Blacknose had to intervene and lick the birth sack off little June's face! Amyay (aka, Psyco-yak) wasn't letting her nurse though later when we did an experimental reunion she did lick her. She never did let her nurse so we are bottle feeding this one--no name, as I have given up naming the heifer's due to the high mortality rate!
Several more due in the next week's time and the weather is warmer so we should be "over the hump" as far as the hypothermia aspect.
Stay tuned!
Our "bad mom" yak (Amyak), who we didn't have a definate due date for calved this past Saturday (4-18-09) and Bobby brought the baby to the house. She was at least semi dried off and standing when he found them at 7am. Much better than last year's episode where Blacknose had to intervene and lick the birth sack off little June's face! Amyay (aka, Psyco-yak) wasn't letting her nurse though later when we did an experimental reunion she did lick her. She never did let her nurse so we are bottle feeding this one--no name, as I have given up naming the heifer's due to the high mortality rate!
Several more due in the next week's time and the weather is warmer so we should be "over the hump" as far as the hypothermia aspect.
Stay tuned!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The Saga Continues...
3-24-09
The rescued baby is still with us, though just barely. It's is amazing what stress does to newborn animals and also how strong their will to live is.
The baby did fairly well during the morning and was more lively so around 2pm I decided to go check on the momma and also Gotty.
They were still in the same spot but now there was ANOTHER BABY THERE! Gotty, whom I thought was so special to have gone along with Pemma Y had only done so because she had an ulterior motive! We got there just after the birth and knew right away what the plan of action would have to be. My helper and I (my yak partner and all around best friend and husband!) moved into the brush and I grabbed the baby while Gotty and Pemma Y watched. Of course what we didn't think much of at the time--that Pemma Y was also licking off the baby--would play a key role in this little yaks life later on.
We got him back to the house and dried off, warmed up and gave him a bottle of colostrum. He came right to life and was a nice companion for our little Sahalie. We kept him overnight with plans to lure Gotty back up to the barn which we finished partitioning off for our growing maternity ward.
Next morning (Sunday), we found Gotty had come up on her own so we got her into the barn and into one of the makeshift stalls then brought her baby out to her. She had no maternal instincts but was not bent on killing him, which was really good! We watched her for a while then assured that she at least wouldn't stomp him to death we retreated to the house to give her a chance to bond. Unfortunately, we had just fed him 2 hours before so he was plenty full. Several hours later he decided to stand up and look his new surrounding over and then Gotty was sure she didn't want him anywhere near her. We coaxed and encouraged but she didn't change her mind.
It's important to note that last spring during the "Great Alaska Yak Move" Gotty gave birth to her first calf which only lived a day. She and her new calf were to be part of the second trip but when we got back to Fairbanks we found out her little calf had died. While it lived she seemed to be a good mom and we were encouraged that this year she'd get the chance to have another. It was sad that she snuck off this year to give birth (a week earlier than I had expected)in a place where her calf's survival was in jeopardy. It probably didn't help that Pemma Y was on hand and missing her calf when Gotty's was born.
Back in the barn, Gotty was getting more agitated toward the calf so we finally turned her out of the barn. Then my husband got an idea to try this calf with Pemma Y...so, out of the barn we went with the baby. Pemma Y was sure focused on him! She gave a bunch of grunts--positive THIS was her baby. We got her to follow us into the barn and put the baby and her in a stall. Instant bonding. Wow! It worked!! The little guy was happy, Pemma Y was happy, we were happy!
We left them in the barn for a couple days then turned them out with the rest of the herd. The first day she decided she'd go eat on the opposite side of the pasture and left the calf near the barn. I then decided to "sneak" out and capture him. Brought him into the house and gave him a bottle and some loving. We then took him back out to the barn and Pemma came back for him so we put both of them back in the barn for another day. That seemed to make the difference and she never left him again nor he her...
4-22-09
Now, almost a month later he is still happy with his adopted mom, Pemma Y, and we've had the added joy of being able to go out with a random bottle and feed him. He knows his name (Joey) and has personality traits of his "real" mom, Gotty. If there were more cows with calves I have no doubt he'd go around snitching milk like she did as a calf!
Unfortunately, the little heifer calf didn't make it. She kept wasting away and developing more problems. Another surprise birth a week later from a young cow we didn't know was bred also was added to the casualty list. This mom was inexperienced and did not let the little gal nurse. She and the calf didn't show up until the evening feeding time and we suspected this calf was born mid-morning, about 8 hours earlier. She lacked the ability to suck and we just couldn't get nutrients into her in time.
Time keeps marching on and the babies keep coming. The weather has moderated so we don't have the terrible hypothermia concerns that we did early in March. (The coldest March on record in the last 50 years!) The snow has pretty much melted except in the sheltered drifted places and now the mud is drying up quickly.
The count so far is eight calves born with three surviving--two bull calves and our most recent heifer calf. The latest calf being a heifer out of Amyak (aka., Psyco-yak) who we are bottle feeding. She is doing great and will be a great addition to our outreach program. Although, she needs a buddy! We've got about 10 cows left to calve. Two younger cows we are not sure about but since Tonsina was bred I suspect these other two could be also. They are both older than she was.
The rescued baby is still with us, though just barely. It's is amazing what stress does to newborn animals and also how strong their will to live is.
The baby did fairly well during the morning and was more lively so around 2pm I decided to go check on the momma and also Gotty.
They were still in the same spot but now there was ANOTHER BABY THERE! Gotty, whom I thought was so special to have gone along with Pemma Y had only done so because she had an ulterior motive! We got there just after the birth and knew right away what the plan of action would have to be. My helper and I (my yak partner and all around best friend and husband!) moved into the brush and I grabbed the baby while Gotty and Pemma Y watched. Of course what we didn't think much of at the time--that Pemma Y was also licking off the baby--would play a key role in this little yaks life later on.
We got him back to the house and dried off, warmed up and gave him a bottle of colostrum. He came right to life and was a nice companion for our little Sahalie. We kept him overnight with plans to lure Gotty back up to the barn which we finished partitioning off for our growing maternity ward.
Next morning (Sunday), we found Gotty had come up on her own so we got her into the barn and into one of the makeshift stalls then brought her baby out to her. She had no maternal instincts but was not bent on killing him, which was really good! We watched her for a while then assured that she at least wouldn't stomp him to death we retreated to the house to give her a chance to bond. Unfortunately, we had just fed him 2 hours before so he was plenty full. Several hours later he decided to stand up and look his new surrounding over and then Gotty was sure she didn't want him anywhere near her. We coaxed and encouraged but she didn't change her mind.
It's important to note that last spring during the "Great Alaska Yak Move" Gotty gave birth to her first calf which only lived a day. She and her new calf were to be part of the second trip but when we got back to Fairbanks we found out her little calf had died. While it lived she seemed to be a good mom and we were encouraged that this year she'd get the chance to have another. It was sad that she snuck off this year to give birth (a week earlier than I had expected)in a place where her calf's survival was in jeopardy. It probably didn't help that Pemma Y was on hand and missing her calf when Gotty's was born.
Back in the barn, Gotty was getting more agitated toward the calf so we finally turned her out of the barn. Then my husband got an idea to try this calf with Pemma Y...so, out of the barn we went with the baby. Pemma Y was sure focused on him! She gave a bunch of grunts--positive THIS was her baby. We got her to follow us into the barn and put the baby and her in a stall. Instant bonding. Wow! It worked!! The little guy was happy, Pemma Y was happy, we were happy!
We left them in the barn for a couple days then turned them out with the rest of the herd. The first day she decided she'd go eat on the opposite side of the pasture and left the calf near the barn. I then decided to "sneak" out and capture him. Brought him into the house and gave him a bottle and some loving. We then took him back out to the barn and Pemma came back for him so we put both of them back in the barn for another day. That seemed to make the difference and she never left him again nor he her...
4-22-09
Now, almost a month later he is still happy with his adopted mom, Pemma Y, and we've had the added joy of being able to go out with a random bottle and feed him. He knows his name (Joey) and has personality traits of his "real" mom, Gotty. If there were more cows with calves I have no doubt he'd go around snitching milk like she did as a calf!
Unfortunately, the little heifer calf didn't make it. She kept wasting away and developing more problems. Another surprise birth a week later from a young cow we didn't know was bred also was added to the casualty list. This mom was inexperienced and did not let the little gal nurse. She and the calf didn't show up until the evening feeding time and we suspected this calf was born mid-morning, about 8 hours earlier. She lacked the ability to suck and we just couldn't get nutrients into her in time.
Time keeps marching on and the babies keep coming. The weather has moderated so we don't have the terrible hypothermia concerns that we did early in March. (The coldest March on record in the last 50 years!) The snow has pretty much melted except in the sheltered drifted places and now the mud is drying up quickly.
The count so far is eight calves born with three surviving--two bull calves and our most recent heifer calf. The latest calf being a heifer out of Amyak (aka., Psyco-yak) who we are bottle feeding. She is doing great and will be a great addition to our outreach program. Although, she needs a buddy! We've got about 10 cows left to calve. Two younger cows we are not sure about but since Tonsina was bred I suspect these other two could be also. They are both older than she was.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Yakking it up
Day two of the recent yak calf saga.
The little girl got strong and warm enough to stand and follow me around the house and outside yesterday so I decided to reunite her with her momma. Looking back I know I made several animal husbandry mistakes but at the time I was willing to try them to see if she could be re-introduced to the herd (and momma).
When she finally came outside with me, her momma was very happy and I made my first wrong decision. Put her into the general yak pen instead of carrying her to the barn and seeing if momma would follow. Momma attached herself to her right away and I thought that was a good sign but what followed was a bad sign. The baby had no idea this yak was her momma and was content to follow anyone around--little yaks, yearling yaks, old yaks...didn't matter. I saw that was not a good thing although she did love it when Momma licked her and grunted at her. (No one else did that) I followed along at a respectable distance and chased interlopers away when they looked like they were bent on mischief. Kodi-yak our youngest '08 calf thought she should be able to play with him and was kinda persistent in those thoughts. My long yak staff came in handy to gently push him back and out of the way without getting too close the the re-bonding process.
The calf didn't nurse while I was present but there were other chores to be done and when I checked again things were the same except momma was a bit more possessive and didn't like me trying to talk with her baby. I left them alone and watched discreetly from the house windows.
Eventually she decided to head for the woods with her and at that point I mounted up with the feeding snowmachine and went to check things out--tried several times to position myself between the calf and the momma with the machine but that little dickens was too quick for me. That made me think she had in fact nursed as she was pretty lively. I backed off again and left the momma to her own decisions (Mistake number two) and decided I'd check again just before dark and intervene if necessary.
Went looking for them just before dark and found them way down in the woods--what a distance for that baby to travel--again I was lulled into thinking she must have had some sustenance other than what we gave her in the house. They seemed bedded down nicely--Momma got up for the grain I brought but went right back to the baby. Miss Gotty was with them so I knew if a predator of any sort came along she'd help defend the calf and would be a help to Pemma. (Gotty is our sweet 5 year old Royal cow and lost her baby last spring just as we bought the herd.) I decided to leave them alone (Mistake number three) and check at first light.
First light this morning brought me back to the same location where they were last night. Gotty was still there and anxious to see if I had grain, which I did. Pemma Y also came for the grain and I had a good chance to see that the calf had been lying all night in the same spot and looked pretty lethargic but alive and breathing well. I went to round up hay for the cows and came back with hay and my yak staff. I put out the hay some little distance away from the calf area and Pemma Y came to eat. I used that time to circle around (difficult to do in the thick brush) to catch up the calf and make it back to the snowmachine. Pemma Y came and tried to challenge me slightly but I held out the yak staff and warned her off sternly. I am so glad she is one of the more laid back moms! I got the calf to the machine and sled, tucked her down into the hay I had left and hightailed it back to the house and warmth. I doubted she'd make it she was so weak but now, 2 1/2 hours later she's hanging in there. Some warm food and a spot by the heater hopefully will do the trick. I know she is absolutely exhausted and weak from lack of food.
We'll see.....
The little girl got strong and warm enough to stand and follow me around the house and outside yesterday so I decided to reunite her with her momma. Looking back I know I made several animal husbandry mistakes but at the time I was willing to try them to see if she could be re-introduced to the herd (and momma).
When she finally came outside with me, her momma was very happy and I made my first wrong decision. Put her into the general yak pen instead of carrying her to the barn and seeing if momma would follow. Momma attached herself to her right away and I thought that was a good sign but what followed was a bad sign. The baby had no idea this yak was her momma and was content to follow anyone around--little yaks, yearling yaks, old yaks...didn't matter. I saw that was not a good thing although she did love it when Momma licked her and grunted at her. (No one else did that) I followed along at a respectable distance and chased interlopers away when they looked like they were bent on mischief. Kodi-yak our youngest '08 calf thought she should be able to play with him and was kinda persistent in those thoughts. My long yak staff came in handy to gently push him back and out of the way without getting too close the the re-bonding process.
The calf didn't nurse while I was present but there were other chores to be done and when I checked again things were the same except momma was a bit more possessive and didn't like me trying to talk with her baby. I left them alone and watched discreetly from the house windows.
Eventually she decided to head for the woods with her and at that point I mounted up with the feeding snowmachine and went to check things out--tried several times to position myself between the calf and the momma with the machine but that little dickens was too quick for me. That made me think she had in fact nursed as she was pretty lively. I backed off again and left the momma to her own decisions (Mistake number two) and decided I'd check again just before dark and intervene if necessary.
Went looking for them just before dark and found them way down in the woods--what a distance for that baby to travel--again I was lulled into thinking she must have had some sustenance other than what we gave her in the house. They seemed bedded down nicely--Momma got up for the grain I brought but went right back to the baby. Miss Gotty was with them so I knew if a predator of any sort came along she'd help defend the calf and would be a help to Pemma. (Gotty is our sweet 5 year old Royal cow and lost her baby last spring just as we bought the herd.) I decided to leave them alone (Mistake number three) and check at first light.
First light this morning brought me back to the same location where they were last night. Gotty was still there and anxious to see if I had grain, which I did. Pemma Y also came for the grain and I had a good chance to see that the calf had been lying all night in the same spot and looked pretty lethargic but alive and breathing well. I went to round up hay for the cows and came back with hay and my yak staff. I put out the hay some little distance away from the calf area and Pemma Y came to eat. I used that time to circle around (difficult to do in the thick brush) to catch up the calf and make it back to the snowmachine. Pemma Y came and tried to challenge me slightly but I held out the yak staff and warned her off sternly. I am so glad she is one of the more laid back moms! I got the calf to the machine and sled, tucked her down into the hay I had left and hightailed it back to the house and warmth. I doubted she'd make it she was so weak but now, 2 1/2 hours later she's hanging in there. Some warm food and a spot by the heater hopefully will do the trick. I know she is absolutely exhausted and weak from lack of food.
We'll see.....
Friday, March 20, 2009
The Yak Stork Commeth!
Finally Pemma Y had her calf. With a gestation time of about 262 days, she presented us with a gorgeous heifer calf at 11:15 this morning. Of course, we took her out of the barn yesterday morning since she didn't act like she was going to calf anytime soon. As soon as we let her out she took off for the woods and we spent the whole day following her around (I KNOW she was laugh at us behind our backs!) We tried unsucessfully to get her BACK in the barn and decided we'd just watch her. I watcher very closely this morning but wasn't too worried as she was back with the herd and pretty content to eat and hang out. At 11:20 I looked out the window and saw what looked like a baby yak laying in the snow next to her. Sure enough it was and we sped into action. Watching to make sure it was really alive then decided both of them needed to go to the barn. That was relatively easy. She backed off from the calf and I was able to get her picked up and carried to the barn but then Pemma Y wouldn't come so we took her back out and put her on a good bed of hay next to her mamma. Several times she came close to standing but was just too cold (at +16F) So we caught her up and brough her into the house for a quick warm up (it's been about 3 1/2 hours so far) and a small snack of colostrum. She's now warmed up nicely, has peed on my floor twice and can get up and walk on her own! Yay!!!
She is cute with a capital C! Now comes the hard part (at least for THIS yak momma) I have to take her back outside to her real momma...
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Birthing Update
I had hoped to have pictures of at least one yak calf posted by now but it wasn't to be.
Since the last post we waited patiently (and sometimes not too patiently) for Crooked Horn to present us with our first calf of the season. And then we waited...and waited...and waited some more. I let her out of the barn, put her back in the barn...and waited some more. So much for either my breeding observations (hey, I really DO know what that looks like!) or our gestation length calculations. Two weeks later exactly from the date I had calculated Crooked Horn gave birth to a VERY tiny stillborn heifer. No complications other than the little thing being stone dead at birth. She was tiny, only 17.5 lbs as compared with our smallest of 27 lbs previously birthed here.
Now we are again awaiting births. This time it's Pemma Y who was due on the 13th of March and Trimmy who was due on the 16th. Still nothing on either other than they do look very pregnant. Trimmy goes into the barn easily so we have her out right now but Pemma Y is in there and she looks at my as if to ask, "hey! What am I doing in here?" She's not as easy to get into the barn so we'll leave her there at least for a couple more days to see how she progresses. If our calculations are as off with the rest as they were for C.H. then it'll make it 9 months instead of the academic 8.5 we've been told and read about. It's really hard to know as we don't feel that C.H.'s situation was quite normal due to the stillbirth.
They are starting to stack up. Pemma Y, Trimmy, Twelver (due today), Gotty (due next week). I gave up traveling back east because I thought I'd be up to my armpits in yak births right now. (Not literally, as yaks birth very easy and quickly and seldom need assistance.)If these first ones don't calve soon we'll need a bigger barn!
Since the last post we waited patiently (and sometimes not too patiently) for Crooked Horn to present us with our first calf of the season. And then we waited...and waited...and waited some more. I let her out of the barn, put her back in the barn...and waited some more. So much for either my breeding observations (hey, I really DO know what that looks like!) or our gestation length calculations. Two weeks later exactly from the date I had calculated Crooked Horn gave birth to a VERY tiny stillborn heifer. No complications other than the little thing being stone dead at birth. She was tiny, only 17.5 lbs as compared with our smallest of 27 lbs previously birthed here.
Now we are again awaiting births. This time it's Pemma Y who was due on the 13th of March and Trimmy who was due on the 16th. Still nothing on either other than they do look very pregnant. Trimmy goes into the barn easily so we have her out right now but Pemma Y is in there and she looks at my as if to ask, "hey! What am I doing in here?" She's not as easy to get into the barn so we'll leave her there at least for a couple more days to see how she progresses. If our calculations are as off with the rest as they were for C.H. then it'll make it 9 months instead of the academic 8.5 we've been told and read about. It's really hard to know as we don't feel that C.H.'s situation was quite normal due to the stillbirth.
They are starting to stack up. Pemma Y, Trimmy, Twelver (due today), Gotty (due next week). I gave up traveling back east because I thought I'd be up to my armpits in yak births right now. (Not literally, as yaks birth very easy and quickly and seldom need assistance.)If these first ones don't calve soon we'll need a bigger barn!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Yak Birth Statistics
No baby yak presented itself last night. Crooked Horn was a little more irritable than she normally is but we thought maybe she was just tired of being in the barn. There is not a lot of yak info floating around so most of ours comes from other yak-keepers in the Lower 48. Plus we have a really good yak book (we call it our yak Bible) and most of our "typical" information comes from that. The book tells us that yak calves are always born during the day. Average gestation for yak is about 240 to 270 days with the medium being 255. Bull calves reportedly take longer than heifer calves. Guess we'll see! I do know if Crooked Horn was a goat the kids would be born in the middle of the coldest night possible regardless of how long she had to wait to do that. We'll see...
On checking this morning, still no calf. Mom is breathing bit more labored and "looks" like she could be starting labor. One thing we DO know about yaks giving birth, if you see it starting you DO NOT have time to run for the camera. It happens that fast! I'm just glad she's safe in the barn with a lot of hay and a good amount of bedding. It's windy today and this will be much nicer.
We can't wait to see what she presents us with, a bull calf or a heifer. We have a name picked out already (yes, ALL OUR YAKS HAVE NAMES--EVEN THE ONES WE WILL EAT!) The Alaska Zoo just had a calf born around Valentines day, if it's a boy they'll name him Valentino and if a girl I think it was Valentina...a week or so later they STILL didn't know if it was male or female...must not be farmers at the zoo. Even if you can't examine the calf up close and personal it's pretty easy to watch and see how they pee. Anatomy is different on all those type of creatures; cattle, goats, sheep, horses, dogs, yaks...must not be any farmers working at the zoo.
I'll be making many trips to the barn today. Let's hope one of them proves exciting!
On checking this morning, still no calf. Mom is breathing bit more labored and "looks" like she could be starting labor. One thing we DO know about yaks giving birth, if you see it starting you DO NOT have time to run for the camera. It happens that fast! I'm just glad she's safe in the barn with a lot of hay and a good amount of bedding. It's windy today and this will be much nicer.
We can't wait to see what she presents us with, a bull calf or a heifer. We have a name picked out already (yes, ALL OUR YAKS HAVE NAMES--EVEN THE ONES WE WILL EAT!) The Alaska Zoo just had a calf born around Valentines day, if it's a boy they'll name him Valentino and if a girl I think it was Valentina...a week or so later they STILL didn't know if it was male or female...must not be farmers at the zoo. Even if you can't examine the calf up close and personal it's pretty easy to watch and see how they pee. Anatomy is different on all those type of creatures; cattle, goats, sheep, horses, dogs, yaks...must not be any farmers working at the zoo.
I'll be making many trips to the barn today. Let's hope one of them proves exciting!
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