kickstart the calf (norman)

e: ... yesterday [rancher's brother] stopped by ... he said he saw a calf who was not doing too well out in the south pasture ... so i followed him there ... and sure enough, there was a little bull calf who was just about dead ... he was the last calf born this year and had been poor a few weeks earlier ... but he had been doing much better recently, and i thought he was fine now ... but there he was, lying motionless on his side, barely breathing, eyes not blinking, just making little grunts ... and his mama was only a hundred yards away ... chewing her cud ... not making any effort towards her calf whatsoever...

... [rancher's brother] said it looked like his mama had abandoned him ...

... well, the brother went and got some milk replacement from his trailer down the road ... and we bottle fed that little calf for probably an hour ... at first, we had to mash his mouth up and down to get the milk through the nipple and down his throat ... but after about half the bottle, he started sucking on his own ... and he eventually finished the bottle ...

... i kept the little guy in the house yard last night ... and he got me up this morning, mooing for his breakfast ...

... at first, he wouldn't take the bottle ... so i was holding him between my legs and trying to force the nipple in his mouth like yesterday ... but then i decided to let him go ... and he walked around a bit ... and then when i held the nipple out for him, he came right up and began sucking ... and he finished the whole bottle on his own ...

... i've got him in the corral now ... the plan is to put his mama in there with him and to see if she claims him back ...

... i've named him norman ... hahahahah ... from the movie city slickers.
... we're all rooting for you, norman!