Our blind calf, Rascal, still amazes us at six months old. His blindness doesn’t hold him back at all.
Rascal lives with the herd, eating grass and walking through the pasture like any other calf. His mother keeps an eye on him, but Rascal freely grazes all over the pasture with the other calves. He uses his senses of hearing and touch to navigate the pasture perfectly.
Rascal’s mother taught him where the gates are located. He ran into the electric fence a couple of times at first. Then his mother would go through the gate and turn around to face Rascal. She would call to him and he followed her voice. After doing this a few times, he quickly learned to find his own way through the gates.
Rascal’s sense of touch is amazing. He can tell exactly where he is in the pasture by feeling the ground under his feet. He knows which trail he is on and he knows where the trees are so he can walk around them without bumping his head.
The only times Rascal gets confused are when we run the tractor close to him so he can’t hear the other cows, or when he is startled. When something unexpected happens and Rascal moves quickly out of the way, he sometimes loses his bearings for a couple of minutes. When he gets confused he runs into trees or fences, but it doesn't happen very often.
It’s been amazing to watch Rascal’s development. Many farms would not keep a blind calf. We wouldn’t miss the opportunity. Watching Rascal grow is an inspiration.
