Meet Maggie, The New Calf

I have always used artificial insemination on my Red Polls, so it is easy to calculate their "due date." Of course I know that is only an approximation, but my cows have always been four to eight days later than the due date so I was surprised when Scarlett went into labor only one day late. By noon that day I found her with a tiny, wobbly, wet calf:

The new baby lay in the grass and of course I wanted to know its gender:

Scarlett seemed to trust me, so I walked close enough to inspire the baby to stand up:

Scarlett was fine with me examining her baby but she flew into a rage when the two little horses tried to get close. I lifted its tail and declared it a heifer calf:

Gracie, the proud aunt, and the other cows came over to check out the new arrival:

I saw that Scarlett was passing the afterbirth but knew that could be a long process:

I kept driving out to take a look and see how things were going. Scarlett passed her afterbirth and it lay in the field all day until I used a manure fork to flip it into a five gallon pail and carry it out into the woods. I didn't want to attract coyotes:


I kept driving out to see the new mother and baby. Mom wouldn't come in for grain, so I drove out with a bowl of food. A lactating mother would need extra nourishment:

Also, I wanted to get a better look at the little one, who I named Maggie at the suggestion of a friend:

Scarlett is a good mother, both nurturing and protective although she also deposits her newborn calves in the grass until she's ready to nurse them again:

On the second day I noticed something wrong. Maggie wasn't standing properly and seemed to be rocking back on her pasterns as if they were weak. I quickly did an internet search and read that this often corrects itself as the calf grows. Also, since Maggie was born earlier than any others so far, I considered that she might simply be less developed. I am happy to report that the condition did indeed correct itself:

I kept bringing grain (with mineral supplements) out to Scarlett until the third day, when she came into the barn for it on her own. Little Maggie is growing rapidly and many of the photos I am getting now show milk foam dripping from her mouth. She is eating well!:

First Evening And Day Two - Welcome, Tabitha!

I double checked and made sure the calf was a heifer. Then I named her Tabitha, using the same name as the calf who died a couple months earlier. I got lots of time to observe Rosella and Tabitha interact. Like her own mother, Rosella leaves her baby sleeping in the tall grass and then, later, goes looking for her to provide another feeding. She has a "mommy voice," a soft, low pitched series of short sounds when she is calling to or talking to her calf. Once the calf is found, Rosella lets roar a couple of loud bellows. I'm not sure what the purpose of that is, but it doesn't seem to be defiant or a warning to stay away:

Early the next morning, while the rising sun was casting a rosy glow over everything, I found Rosella and Tabitha right near the barn:

Rosella didn't want much grain, but I got her to eat a little by carrying a bowl out to her because she wouldn't enter the barn. After she'd had her fill, she walked out into the field and I followed:

I'd feared that something was amiss with Rosella's udder, but I soon realized I'd been wrong. It was symmetrical and well attached. The teats, which started out small, began to get bigger each day:

And Tabitha continued to be playful and curious:

Rosella was being a wonderful mom, with behaviors much like her own mother:

Still in the rosy light of dawn, I continued to snap photos. Tabitha was getting annoyed with me:

And went over to join her mother:

Gracie gave the new calf a sniffing, deciding she was OK. I watched when Tabitha tried to nurse off Gracie. That was not allowed (she isn't lactating) and she gave the little one a carefully placed, ever-so-gentle kick to move her along:

Are you still taking pictures of me?

Everything seemed to be going perfectly and no, that's not a setup for a problem. Things still seem to be going perfectly:

Rosella has proved to be a great mother and beautiful cow. The first calf born on my farm, Rosella now has a baby of her own:

Day One - Welcome, Tabitha!

Rosella was three days past her due date but not yet showing much udder development. I wasn't expecting anything to happen for another few days at least. But one night I saw her off by herself at the far end of the field, pacing uneasily. The other cows saw it also, and went running over to join her:

But it was almost dark and there was nothing I could do, so I had no choice but to go to bed. At first light the next morning, I went looking. But the cows were in the far, far field (that house in the background is set into my property a long way from my own house. So I got into my little red car and drove through the gate, all the way across the south field, past the neighbors' house and into the most distant field. There I found Rosella with a not-so-little calf:

The sun was just coming up, causing the colors in the photos to look a little funny, but I was pleased with what I saw:

It looked to be a heifer calf and if so, would be the sixth of seven calves sired by a bull named Mardan's Ray's Promise. He's well known for producing calves which are born small but then grow rapidly. I say he should also be known for producing heifer calves:

The little calf was only a few hours old and should have been a bit wobbly. Instead, she was running circles around her mother. In fact, Rosella seemed a bit exasperated, trying to keep up with her:

Remy came over to investigate but Rosella inserted her hefty self between him and her precious baby:

And then she took off, calf following, to join the other cows:

Blue and Remy made a few more attempts to get near and investigate, but Rosella made it clear to them that they must not get any closer:

After the two had joined the other cows, I continued to take pictures:

And then I saw the little one begin to nurse. That's when I began to relax and think that everything would be OK:

Later in the day, Rosella brought her little girl over near the barn and I learned that she was not afraid of me. In fact, she found me fascinating:

Rosella, however, was concerned and inserted herself into the situation to be sure nothing was amiss:

Red Poll Girls - An Update

The dogs and cats may be warm and comfy indoors (see yesterday's post), but the Red Polls have to stay outdoors in all kinds of weather. I feel sorry for them but they don't seem to mind the weather at all. I guess they evolved to live outdoors and are equipped to handle it:

I think that Violet has weaned her calf and is looking especially fat and shiny now that she no longer needs to produce all that milk:

A cow's life consists almost entirely of eating, pooping, sleeping and cud chewing:

With eleven cattle to feed, I have had to haul in a five foot diameter hay bale nearly every other day. The cattle rush forward to attack the new hay, so I have to be careful not to hit them with the tractor:

It's hard to believe that Rosella was just a cute little heifer calf herself a year ago. Now she's a big girl, and hopefully carrying her own baby:

A couple of this year's calves walked over to where Rosella was lounging. They've grown so incredibly fast that they seem almost as big as Rosella:

Autumn and early winter have been kind to the herd. They seem relaxed and comfortable, without the summer flies to pester them:

Number six is Gladys, my favorite calf from this year. I'll miss her but am glad she's going to a good home where she'll be kindly treated:

Loretta is going to the same home as Gladys - as is Annie. This year's first three calves were sold to the same herd:

Rosella and Pearl seem to hang out together a lot, causing me to wonder if, having the same mother, they share personality traits which make them so compatible:

Scarlett remains, at this point, the only cow not yet bred for next year. I watch her carefully for signs that she's come into heat, but haven't yet seen anything:

 

I saved this photo because of the facial expressions on the front two cows, two of the expressions which have helped endear these animals to me. Rosella is in the lead, looking cute and innocent. That's Scarlett behind her, with that inquisitive look:

St. Lawrence County Fair - Part 1

It was a lovely Friday and I was in no mood to be doing chores, so I drove to the village of Gouverneur to see the St. Lawrence County Fair. It was a fifty mile drive to Gouverneur, where I turned down a pleasant neighborhood road and and continued on it until I saw the fairgrounds:

I paid my admission, parked my car and walked toward the action. When I saw the words, "Free Petting Zoo," however, I made it my first stop:

There were Ring-Tailed Lemurs and screeching parrots:

Camels, sheep and goats:

A kangaroo:

And spotted Llamas:

Zebu miniature cattle:

Miniature horses and these partial albino, miniature donkeys. Unsurprisingly, the donkeys were the friendliest of all the animals:

This is dairy country and I toured several barns filled with cattle of various breeds:

And, of course, lots of Holsteins:

I arrived early, before the big crowds arrived, so the barns were busy with people cleaning their animals and stalls:

This woman was washing her Holstein heifer. But I still had lots to see at the fair, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: