Progress Report On The Two Calves

You may recall that Rosella gave birth to two opposite sex calves, which means both will be sterile and can never be used for breeding. And then she rejected her first born, the heifer calf. I brought the little girl into the barn and began bottle feeding her:

Unlike last year's bottle fed calf, this sweet little girl was friendly and sociable and playful. I knew I was in danger of becoming too attached and might wind up keeping her:

I advertised her for sale at a bargain price, but before I got even the first call, my neighbors stopped by, a nephew and uncle, and wanted her:

The little heifer was not too excited or fearful, but she did manage to get her front legs stuck over the folded seat. The uncle extricated her and then climbed in with her to keep her company on the short ride home:

They know she will be a freemartin (sterile) but love her anyway, planning to keep her as a pasture pet. That white bag behind her is the $70 bag of milk replacer which I included in the sale:

I advertised the bull calf also, and got a number of calls on him. Someone tried to buy him but we were unable to catch him. Despite his young age, he could already run like a deer. My fat cows surprised me with how fast they too could run:

Luckily, I'd put the caveat of "contingent on being able to catch him" in the ad. I had to turn down all the people who wanted him:

Of course now I may have to wait until autumn, when I can lure him into the barn. I'll have to charge more then, but whoever buys him won't have to bottle feed him:

So for now the little fellow is happy and free to run with the herd. Rosella, his mom, is an attentive mother and life is good for her little boy. I'm even more pleased that the heifer calf will have such a good life:

I walk out to the field to check on the herd now and then, and all seems well:

I haven't named the bull calf yet and may just leave that to whoever buys him:

He's having a happy childhood (calf-hood?). Some day he'll have to be sold, but for now he's a happy boy:

Little Horses In Their Corral

It's taken a few weeks to get Blue and Remy accustomed to spending their days in the new corral and their nights in the barn:

Remy was especially rebellious and our walks between the barn and corral (in both directions) became frightening for me as I thought he might accidentally (or intentionally?) hurt me:

But over time, both little guys have calmed down and seem now to enjoy their new lives:

I throw a brick of hay over their fence each morning because they have almost no grass left in there to eat. That is, after all, why they're in there:


My Amish neighbor trimmed their hooves the other day and said it was obvious they'd had laminitis (grass founder) but were healing nicely:


And sometimes their friends, the cows, come and lie down just outside the fence as if they want to keep them company:

It may be anthropomorphism on my part, but I really think both cows and horses enjoy these closeness sessions, even though separated by an electric fence:

Remy, being the most clever and mischievous, is the first to be led out in the morning and first to be led back to the barn in the evening. In the morning, I tie him to the Box Elder tree while I go to fetch Blue from the barn:

I tie Blue to the tree in evening so I can safely lead Remy back to the barn for the night - but that doesn't stop Remy from being mischievous:

I took this shot from the road one day while the cows were visiting the horses. It seems to have become a ritual:

And I took this picture from inside the horses' corral just as the cows were moving on. Things have been blessedly peaceful recently:

Spring Planting!

It finally began warming up here and my attitude was "Better late than never." I resumed planting, beginning with two Bleeding Heart plants, a gift from a neighbor:

My PJM Rhododendron bloomed nicely:

And then it became even more beautiful:

I continued to put the Begonias, seed trays and baby roses out on nice days. They seemed to benefit from it:

And then one day I planted five of the six baby roses in the front yard, next to last year's hardy roses:

The sixth baby rose, a vigorous climber, got planted beneath the old sign frame. I'm hoping it will grow up over the whole frame. I'll cut off some of the cherry and pear limbs to give it more sun, but I want to wait until after they bloom:

Violets bloomed all through the lawn:

And Grape Hyacinths sprang up next to the bicolor Daffodils:

At close range, it's evident how this plant got its name:

And a new, fourth variety of Daffodil began to bloom, this one with small, buttery yellow flowers:

My neighbor saw me mowing my tall lawn grass and stopped to see if he could rake up the clippings for his cows. Of course I said yes:

He and his uncle raked grass clippings while my dogs watched. Only Fergus continued barking after they saw who it was. Fergus just can't help himself:

Rosella Gives Birth - Part 2

Rosella had just given birth to two calves (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). I left them alone for awhile, then came back out to check on how everything was going. Rosella, the second calf and the rest of the herd had moved across the field, but the first calf was all by herself:

I couldn't leave things as they were, so I picked up the heifer calf and carried her across the field to join the rest of the herd:

I found Rosella and the second baby, acting as if everything was just fine:

I set the heifer calf down near Rosella, hoping for a glad reunion:

Grandma Scarlett trotted over to see what was going on and the little heifer calf tried her out, hoping she was her mother. Rosella, seen behind them with calf number two, just glowered:

I got the heifer calf a little closer, but Rosella butted her away. After she had the second calf, she failed to understand that she now had two. Twins are rare in cattle and she was programmed only to care for the most recent birth:

I brought out the tractor and put the heifer calf in the bucket, driving her back to the barn. I put her in a stall with hay and then called the neighbor. She and two of her boys brought over colostrum replacer and a bottle, then mixed it in my barn:

And then the little heifer got her first meal:

The two boys got to feed her:

Growing up around animals is a blessing which will help them throughout their lives:

She also brought over a calf blanket, which she put around the little girl so she'd be warm during her first night:

At this point all is well with both calves. The bad news is that opposite sex twin calves are almost always sterile because they share hormones in the womb. Neither of them can be registered or used for breeding. I am attempting to sell them, hopefully to someone who wants them as a 4-H project:

Rosella Gives Birth - Part 1

It was a cold, rainy day, just right for me to stay indoors. The horses and cattle were outside, relaxing:

There was a bit of hay left in the morning, though it didn't last long:

I noticed that Rosella was lifting her tail and acting as if her mind was preoccupied. I knew she was due to calve, so I figured a birth was on its way:

Rosella walked off, leaving the other cows:


And when I checked on her, I discovered a newborn calf. Rosella was eating the afterbirth:

And it appeared that more afterbirth was coming. Yes, newborn calves have white hooves, but they darken quickly after they're born:

Rosella has always been a good mother, and she tended to her baby. I couldn't tell yet if it was a heifer or bull calf:

I went back in the house but a neighbor knocked on the door two hours later to inform me that I now had two calves in the field:

Rosella was busy tending the second calf while the first calf must have been trying to figure out where it was:

I watched the three of them to be sure everything was OK and hoping to find out what sex the calves were:

The newest baby stayed curled up and I couldn't identify its gender:

But the first calf let me stand her on her feet and lift her tail, revealing that she was a heifer calf. There is more to this story, though, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: