We've added two new members to the herd since my last post.
On May 1st our lead cow, affectionately dubbed "Mama", gave birth to a little bull calf we have named Shawnee. He resembles a plains bison, and is very orange-red. We are anticipating he'll grow to be a girthy and lighter colored bull over the next few years.
He has progressed on schedule so far, nibbling on the grasses and alfalfa hay and drinking from the 'baby trough' at his leisure.
At first, Mama was extremely possessive and protective of her little guy. Getting a good look at him was a real challenge, in fact, we weren't even sure he was a bull until he was a couple of weeks old.
But now, he's leaving her side more and more and seems to be really intrigued by his big brother's shenanigans, trying to run and prance as he does when Cherokee gets a little piss and vinegar in his sails. Shawnee loves to do zoomies, and displays a real independence - to the point that he keeps Mama on her hooves. She's a very good mother, she watches him closely and when she's had enough of his playful antics she issues a few directorates through low guttural grunts. On the occasion those are ignored she will just herd him in with a few quick steps positioning herself in his path or next o him.
She never reprimands him...yet. She teaches him with patience. It is so interesting to observe. Now, Cherokee on the other hand. She does discipline him with more vigor. At first he was extremely unhappy that he suddenly had a new competitor to take his mama's attention from him. But, being he is more thana year old now, it was his time to learn he must mature without a constant presence from her. She would drive him away from the calf with just a couple of fast steps and her head lowered. For several days he would stand off from the herd appearing almost lost, displaced. I felt sorry for the little guy as his confusion was obvious. But, as nature does, the new order was soon realized and he adapted without much need for sympathy.
Now he bulleries and headbutts with the other yearlings or tags at a distance behind Mama and Shawnee. This week, Shawnee has started tagging along after him. Watching the calf learn from his big brother as well as other herd members has been an education in and of itself for me.
On May 11th Canada gave birth to her little heifer calf, we named her Yuchi.
Watching Canada care for her calf and include her yearling heifer, Seneca, is a stark difference between Mama and Shawnee and Cherokee.
Canada is much more laid-back and relaxed. Her protectiveness of Yuchi when I am around is fairly equal to Mama's behavior. But, among the herd itself, she is not a helicopter-mom. She concentrates on her needs (eating) without the need to constantly hover or reel Yuchi in from big-kid games. Yuchi definitely has more of a woods bison build, is a darker red, but is long legged and as tall as Shawnee, even with two weeks difference between them. Yuchi also lacks the bravery that Shawnee displays. She stays close to Canada, and if Canada is busy grazing as Yuchi rests, Seneca checks on her. And, even our little odd-ball "Midge" has been seen licking and comforting Yuchi. Canada is quite comfortable with their involvement and doesn't seem nearly as territorial as Mama is with Shawnee. This is providing great learning opportunity for both Seneca and Midge to develop their maternal instincts and perfect a nurturing behavior for someday when they produce new calves.
Shawnee and Yuchi will run, kick, jump, and sleep side by side most of the day. Mama and Canada take turns now keeping the two calves within their near presence. The 'nursery' is often busier in the early morning and evening hours as most of the herd just lounges during the heat of the day.
We have one more to go, Milkshake's calf is due any day now - or, hopefully any day now. We think she should calf by the end of May. That will complete the baker's dozen for us for the year.
An update on Lula -- she has improved a lot over the past couple of weeks. I returned her to the herd to ease the stress. She spent several days alone during the calving period for Mama and Canada. I would go looking for her in the front field and there she'd be, laying in the corner farthest from us and the herd. After a few days I started taking her tubs of oats and molasses and half a bale of alfalfa. She had lost any interest in me, rightfully so...I mean, I lock her up and make her stand still in a big scary metal thing while I scrub and rub on a very sore spot.
I was afraid I might never get her to trust me, even a little, again. But, after a few days of laying off from the herd and receiving some extra nourishment, I looked out one morning to see her standing in the feed corral looking for hay.
I obliged. But, she left the corral when I came into view. We repeated this exercise for about a week. Finally, she has returned to the corral and waits for me to bring the hay and "fluff" it so she can munch the dry goodness.
We're going to run her through the handling system again this week to give another 10cc of Draxxin, clean the wound, and turn her back out to the herd. The wound itself isn't healing as fast as I would like to see. But, given it's location, it is going to be a challenge to get the area to scar and heal. I am mixing the treatment with some holistic and western methods, hence the draxxin. But the topical treatment I'm going with medical grade honey. I've also reached out to the NC Zoo veterinary division, initially due to a research paper I came across on wound care for wildlife that Dr. [Kate] Archibald discussed the use of honey or sugar for wound treatment. Since contacting them I've learned that Dr. Archibald is now at the MD Zoo. So I'm waiting to hear from Dr. Minter, Director of Animal Health at the Zoo. Of course, we're still working closely with our vet, Dr. Bolton, who was with Yellow Stone and worked bison health out there during her internship. But as much as anyone else, we're leaning heavily on our friend and mentor at Blackfish Bison Ranch and his nearly two decades of bison-research and care.
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