Seri and Almost

Serendipity's Song is a very small maiden. She was due April 15th, she waited, and waited, AND WAITED. Finally after 380 days, (normal gestation being around 345, give or take a few.) She produced an itsy bitsy, teeny weenie male cria. She was very nervous and worried. The cria was very weak. After trying all the normal things you try, meds for mama, hand milk expression, bottling colostrum from mama, (very little available). We put them in truck and off to the vet.
His IGg was nonexistent. That is his natural immune strength some of which comes from mama's colostrum. There I left mama and baby to see if he might survive.
Late that night after many trys mama calmed down and baby started to really nurse. After 2 days we got the o.k. to bring them home.
Huge homecoming activities in the girls pen. He has been slightly lost off and on, but mama always finds him. Time will tell, but we have hope for him. The tech at the vet has named him Almost. Almost what I didn't ask yet, we will wait and see.

Swallows

I have tried to finish and post this entry with pictures. Have you ever tried to photograph swallows in flight? Not an easy task, so here is the post sans pictures.
Two years ago we had a pair of barn swallows try to nest in the girl barn. The barn, more of a shed really, is a three sided, low hanging, shelter. They tried with no success. Last year on the second nest they had built that year, they had success and raised beautiful babies.
This year they had eggs when the nest fell. Now we have nest boxes and hope they will stay, the birds AND the boxes.
They are intrepid little birds, always forging on it seems regardless of setbacks. They brought another pair of swallows with them this year and they already have a safe nest built
It is fascinating to watch them swoop and dive as they gobble up mosquitoes and flies. Yea!

Rain

Wind and rain and sun. I love Spring! While we are still waiting for Seri to have her first cria the weather is volatile. This morning was beautiful. Blue sky, light breeze, and a few puffy clouds. I looked out the window and saw Mattie Rose scowling. Now this in it's self is not unusual. Mattie has quite a disgruntled attitude at times, but added to the fact that she was straining over a dung pile and is right on her due date I took a second look. I turned to Bobby and said, "We're having a new baby today".
It wasn't as easy as it looks. Mattie is a 5 year old maiden.(that means she has never had a cria before.) We were worried. I would have taken her out to the vet after 2 hours of labor, but the vet was out on a ranch call. She didn't show sign much. I couldn't see any way to help her. Then the weather took a turn for the worse, cold wind, driving bursts of rain, and blowing tumbleweeds.
Seven hours later our poor exhausted girl plopped out another exhausted girl. Yea!
There was a lot of meeting and greeting to the new addition. Then it started to rain, hard.
We shuttled them up to the girls shed and into a warm, dry open style pen. It was still very cold and the cria coat came out. Two hours later the afterbirth was gone and little Rose Rain was up and nursing for all she was worth.