We have a heifer.  We also have a cow.  A little over year ago we took both of them to a friend's house to be bred.  The cow calved about 3 months ago, but the heifer never did.

We have been suspecting for sometime now that she may not get with calf.  Her heat cycles seem to be a bit erratic, but our butcher told us we could bring the heifer (tag number 238) to his farm to see if his bull would breed her.  Unfortunately our heifer lost her 238 tag somewhere along the way of being hauled or of mixing in with the new cows.  

She has been with Mr. Bull now for about 5 or 6 weeks.  In fact, she has been penned up with him alone for much of that time.  Since she has had enough time to be bred, Kent scheduled to have her pregnancy tested today.  That meant he had to take the trailer out to the butcher's place, which was over an hour away.  Then he had to take the cow to the vet which was another 30 minute drive.  The plan was that if she was bred, he would bring her home, but if she wasn't he would take her back to the butcher to become hamburger.

He texted me from the vet's office.  "She is in her 3rd trimester and should calve in the next couple of months.  Is that even possible?"  He didn't ask that because he didn't know that it was impossible.  He texted it out of complete wonderment at what was going on.  

No, it was not possible.  That would have meant she was with a bull 6 months ago, and believe me, we would have known if a bull was in our field.  None was.

The butcher called Kent and when he heard the news, he said, "I thought she was bred."  Then he called back a few minutes later and he said, "Hey, that's right around the time all our other cows will give birth."  Then he called back again and said, "Maybe that is one of my cows."  By then Kent was nearly home with her and the butcher said, "Just go ahead and put her in your field, we'll figure it out later."  Kent didn't want to do that because on our mom and pop farm, it is difficult to load cows.

So, he took her back to the butcher.  (It was getting to be a long day for Kent.)  And, when the butcher saw her, he knew it was one of his cows.  Now, they have to figure out which one is truly ours and put her with the bull.  So, maybe, we'll have a pregnant heifer in about 6 weeks...or maybe we will have a lot of hamburger.  But, wouldn't it have been funny if she hadn't been bred, and Kent had taken her back immediately, and the butcher had butchered his own cow?  Maybe sort of like I have butchered this story!!