Checking in on calving season

I woke up at 12 a.m., tired but ready to check the heifers that laid lazily in the lot. My dad had put cameras up so we can check the heifers from our phones. It’s pretty handy! I check the heifers from the cameras first so I can see if I need to go inspect. I didn’t see any calves, but a heifer laying on her side, so I walked outside to investigate. 
By the time I got out there, all the heifers were standing. I walked through them just to make sure everything was all right. Whatever I saw on the camera must have not been anything. I yawned, and walked sleepily back inside. 
We check the heifers every two hours at night here on the ranch. My dad at 10 p.m., me at 12 a.m., our hired hand at 2 a.m. and my uncle at 4 a.m. It will sometimes alternate between the nights, but this is how it has been for now. 
I really enjoy calving season with the newborn calves running around for their first time, the late night checks, and even the dirty work of pulling calves. It is really fun for me being able to be involved in the everyday cattle work! One of my favorite things to do during calving season is rubbing down the newborn calves with towels so they warm up, and also seeing the calves running and jumping in the pasture!
This year I have a cow and a heifer to calve out. A cow has had a calf before and a heifer is a first-time calver. My heifer has the name of Kiah and my cow is Clover. I get to see Kiah every day in the lot at headquarters, and the reason she is up at headquarters (where we live and do most of our ranch work) is because we will have to see how Kiah does being a mother for the first time. I don’t get to see Clover as often, for since she is experienced, she is in a pasture a mile south from headquarters where we live. I still enjoy hearing about Clover and when she will calve!
Kiah calved on March 13. She had a beautiful bull calf this year, and I hope he grows well with all the other calves! Every day we check the cows and calves to make sure none of them are sick. One day after my dad checked the cows, he said we had to doctor my calf!
We got the vaccines we needed, the calf catcher, and hopped in the side-by-side. After we had found my calf, we tried to catch him for a long time! He was feeling well—a good sign! We doctored him and sent him on his way, and now he is healthy and back with the herd!
There are so many beautiful parts of calving. I just love to see the newness of life and the frolicking calves in the pasture! Of course, there are downs to calving as well, like when calves are weak or die, or cows die and calves need to be bottle fed or grafted onto another cow that lost her baby. Those are things that are not easily fixed and can be heartbreaking.
But us ranchers, we are in it for the lifestyle and we love what we do – being good stewards of the animals the Lord has blessed us with, and raising good beef for the USA. 
We all hope for a prosperous calving season with lots of baby calves! Wishing fellow ranchers a prosperous and successful calving season!