Em Nau Farm BLOG

Pats (aka the Devil Calf) returns

On Saturday 15 Mar 14 Heather and I were attending to the afternoon milking/watering/feeding when Heather spied our neighbour driving his front end loader across his paddock.  We both gave a wave but our neighbour didn’t respond.

Then H spied that the neighbour had something in the bucket of the tractor – our conversation went something like this:

H – what’s that in the bucket? Is that a cow?

B- looks like it – might be the devil calf (laugh)

H – nah couldn’t be – the devil calf would surely be dead by now.

Just to add here that we hadn’t seen Pats for about a fortnight, in fact nobody had seen her for at least a week and a half so we were pretty sure either dingos had gotten her or she would have died from hunger/snakebite/something else.

B – he is heading up to the top gate maybe he is coming here with the body

H – nah, if it was dead he would just cut the ear tag off and bring that over – he wouldn’t bring a dead calf here – would he?

B – maybe it is close to death and he is bring it over to be attended to

H - where is he going? He can’t get through the gate down here – maybe he is going up to the top of his property

B - yeah you’re right he couldn’t come down through the gate.

We watched as our neighbour drove across the top of our place and then disappeared.  After about 2 minutes of not seeing him - he started down our driveway. 

B - he’s coming here – he must have the calf

H - it can’t still be alive – I bet it has been attacked by dingos or wild dogs and it is close to death. 

To cut the story short, our neighbour appeared over the crest of the hill and sitting as quiet as you please (and looking like Lord Muck) in the bucket of the tractor was Pats.

All Heather could say was “I don’t believe it – I just don’t believe it” and “we thought she was dead”

Our neighbour told us that he was out spraying on the far side of his place and he saw the devil calf sitting with a heifer so he decided if it was still there when he finished spraying he would try to catch it.  After spraying he approached it slowly from behind and Pats gave up peacefully when he grabbed her.  He tied her up and placed her in the bucket and brought her home.

Pats has been gone for about six weeks in total and her condition is what can only be described as pretty poor.  She was/is covered in ticks (see photos below for an idea of what we picked off her – this is about 10% of what she had on her) and she is very thin (see other photos).

Over the past couple of days we have gotten a little fluid in to her, doused her in pour-on and malawash and she has started to nibble at hay and the green pick in the calf enclosure so we are hopeful that over the next couple of weeks she will gain a little strength and condition.

As Heather said – I just can’t believe she is alive.  She is one strong little calf our Pats.

I will update as she improves.