Cooking in the West

Calving season is almost upon us. It is a time that fills me with both enthusiasm and dread.There is nothing more rewarding in ranching than helping calves come into the world. The dreaded part is the small percentage of mamas that have delivery problems and/or attitude problems as in they seem to have both severe pre and post partum depression and resent human intervention. Once they are on the ground, it seems like the hard part is over, but that is not always the case especially if a nasty spring storm blows in.

For years, a nasty night would mean calves in the bathtub. Then we graduated to a heated calf box and heated tack room. There was still a small percentage of chilled calves who would not survive even if we fed them Five Hour Energy drinks or whiskey and eggs or tube fed them, and I found part of the answers to this conundrum on Facebook of all unlikely places.

It seems that every time I decide that I am going to close my Facebook account because it is such an alluring time waster, I find a true gem that somehow outsmarted the Facebook algorithm and popped up in my feed. The following posts from the Broadus Vet Clinic page are valuable public service announcements as ranchers head into calving season. I know that our vets have told me this same information, but usually the message just sort of floated through my ears without lodging in my brain after a cold middle of the night vet call for a C-section. I am thankful for the following posts by Dr. Clint Pedersen of the Broadus Vet Clinic regarding calfsicles--aka chilled calves, which explains the reasons why many warmed and tubed calves still do not survive. Dr. Clint wrote the following post:

“Calf boxes are good for a chilled calf, but terrible for one with frozen extremities. You need a quick thaw so frozen body fluids go from solid directly to liquid. Heated air causes frozen fluid to go through a slushy stage which ruptures cells and causes ice embolisms to block off arterioles and cause more damage.

For a quick thaw, calves should be placed in almost unbearably hot water for approximately 20 minutes. After that, you can use a calf warmer to dry and maintain their heat. They also will benefit from anti-inflammatory medications such as banamine or meloxicam.

Calves with a temperature under 100 degrees but above 98 degrees and still standing or sitting up need interventions like being put in a warm barn, heater, calf box, or dryer. Calves with a temperature under 98 degrees need a hot water bath ASAP. When in the bath, if a calf is acting dizzy, or like it doesn’t know what way is up, it needs sugar! Lots of calves get hypoglycemic and need some maple syrup or honey rubbed on their gums.

NEVER EVER feed a cold calf!! Hot milk WILL NOT warm them from the inside out. Make sure you take your calf’s temperature before feeding. Do not feed a calf who is below 101 degrees. A great way to give them some pep is to rub some maple syrup or honey on the calf’s gums.

Calves with a temperature OVER 102.5 need antibiotics.”

Once calves are on the ground and up nursing, only half the battle is over. The other half is keeping them healthy until weaning time. Dr. Clint wrote another great post about believe it or not--the dangers of warm sunny days:

“We tend to think over-eating, bloating, or scours are only problems after large storms. Which truly is a cause, but another huge reason for any of these, are warm sunny days. Those days where you see all your calves sleeping in the sun enjoying the weather! It’s nice to nap in the sun after a chilly night with a full belly of milk from mom. Problem is, some of these calves will sleep all day, and mom’s bag will be nice and tight by the evening. When the calf finally decides to get up, it’s STARVING!!! They then proceed to pig out on mom’s super full bag.

When calves over-eat, sometimes the normal balance of the GI tract can become off balance with bacteria growth. All 4 of a calf’s stomachs are not fully developed or functioning at birth. They develop over time, and even take “practice” to use, like the rumen. The rumen starts to develop slowly as a calf starts to experiment with new food, like grass or grain. When a calf over-eats, it can stretch and fill the underdeveloped rumen with milk, making it the perfect breeding ground for bacteria.

Getting your calves up, once or twice mid-day, can help save you the hassle of treating sick calves. Something as simple as a drive though to check water or feeding the cows late morning can really do wonders. Getting calves on their feet will make them seek out mom. Typically they have the, “Well since I’m up, I guess I’ll get a snack” mentality.

This really applies for those pairs locked in the corral. Calves stuck in the corral for any reason learn that mom is never far, which sometimes makes them even more lazy.”

Dr. Clint did not post any calving season recipes, but here are a few of my favorites.

Chinese Beef Casserole

8 oz. fine noodles, cooked and drained

1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained

1 small onion, chopped, sauteed in butter

Mix together:

1 can cream of chicken soup

4 oz. jar mushrooms, drained

1 C. milk

1/4 C. soy sauce

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

Place cooked noodles in a 9 X 13 buttered pan. Add beef and onions to soup mixture and pour on top of noodles. Top with 8 oz. shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Add 4 oz. Chow Mien noodles and 4 oz. mixed nuts (optional) and return to oven for five minutes.

Spicy Chicken Spaghetti

12 oz. spaghetti, uncooked

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into strips

16 oz. Velveeta, cubed

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained

4 1/2 oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained

1/3 C. milk

Cook pasta as directed. Drain. Return to pan. Meanwhile, stir fry chicken in a PAM sprayed skillet for about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients to chicken in the skillet and stir on low heat until cheese melts and ingredients are heated through. Add chicken mixture to drained pasta and spoon into 9 X 13 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Baked Taco Salad

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 1/2 pkg. taco seasoning

1 t. garlic powder

15 oz. can tomato sauce

1 1/2 C. sour cream

1 1/2 C. cottage cheese

3 C. crushed tortilla chips

3 C. shredded Cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef and drain. Add onion, garlic powder, taco seasoning, and tomato sauce. Set aside. Combine sour cream and cottage cheese and set aside. Place half the crushed chips in greased 9 X 13 pan. Add enough meat to cover chips. Cover meat with half the sour cream mixture. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Repeat layers and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and mixture is heated through. (Serve with shredded lettuce, black olives, sliced tomatoes, and maybe a dollop of sour cream and guacamole!)