Saturday, April 30, 2016

It's A Girl (I think)

Amy had been due to calve for eight days and every morning I checked, but found nothing. Her udder grew until it looked as if it would explode. Finally, one morning I looked out my bedroom window at 5:45 AM, just as it was becoming light, and saw Amy with a little calf following her around:

I went out to do the regular morning chores and then, while the other cows were in the barn eating grain, I walked out to see the new arrival:

I carried a bowl of grain out to Amy and took a closer look at her new baby, still wet but up and strong, the calf trailing umbilical cord and mom trailing afterbirth:

While Amy ate her grain, I took photos, all the while trying to ascertain the calf's gender. I've decided that it's a heifer calf although it never lifted its tail for me to get a definitive look:

So I've named her Tabitha, keeping in mind that there is a small chance I have the gender wrong (but I don't think so):

Tabitha nuzzled her mom's neck and I began to worry that she'd never find those gigantic, low hanging teats. But last year's calf had no trouble doing so, and there wasn't much I could do to intervene anyway, so I just watched:

Tabitha lay down briefly but Amy licked her until she stood back up:

It was a lovely, early morning scene:

Mother and daughter:

Blue and Remy (and another cow, Violet) came near, trying to get a closer look. Mom didn't mind me getting close with a bowl of grain but two nosy horses were too much for her and she took her calf out across the field.

I took a few more photos, this one of Tabitha licking her mom's collar:

Later in the day I found mother and daughter, both looking dry, well fed and peaceful:

3 comments:

  1. Mazel Tov!! a way of saying Congratulations, but literally translates to Good Luck. Wishing all the best to mother and calf.
    xx

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    1. Thank you. Both mother and daughter (now confirmed) are doing well except that Amy has such an enormous amount of milk. But Tabitha's appetite will be increasing every day.

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  2. Tabitha seems a smart little girl, too. Imagine investigating mama's collar - and at such a tender age! Amy is a very wise and nurturing mother, making sure the baby did not stay on the ground. Wet from the birth she could get chilled, and Tabitha needed to be around mama's undercarriage to learn where breakfast, lunch and dinner come from. With Amy's supply, Tabitha should grow into a sturdy little girl! Congratulations to the whole family!

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