Ok, so I'll admit it. I'm a little impatient when it comes to waiting for my cows to start calving. According to my notes, they could start as early as next week.

Last year I had a bull who was firing a few blanks, so calving got spread out a bit. So eventually I gave up on the anxious waiting and traded it for being surprised when another cow proved she had a calf in her. I got a lot of sideways glances from neighbors when I mentioned I was using a known "bad" bull (because I had him tested by the vet ahead of time), but last year I had 19 calves out of 18 cows from him over three months.

Yeah, it's not good to have your calving spread out that much, but I mostly care about calves on the ground and having that cow pay for herself rather than having to cull an otherwise good cow that "didn't settle" in her first or second cycle. My other bull, Lewis, is a "crackerjack" so I'm not worried about this year, though I'll still be spread out a bit.

Back to the original topic: I dislike waiting for calves. Otherwise, I have the patience of an extremely well-trained labrador who knows he is going to get the treat in the end. My cows are looking quite pregnant and uncomfortable, I would imagine they are more anxious than I. Calves soon!!

Cows love a good straw pile.

Waiting... Waiting... Waiting.