Today, finally, the event we’ve all been waiting for happened: Our cow had her calf. Phew! Can’t wait for the real milk to come in in about three days, and hopefully it’ll taste good—the milk at the end of her last lactation had a bitter note to it. Of course, in the intervening three days we may try making colostrum Yorkshire pudding (which is delicious!), or that baked custard with cardamom in it that Mom discovered the second-to-last time the cow calved. For tonight, though, Mama and calf are staying together, and Mr. Calf has figured out pretty quickly where the yummy stuff to fill his tummy comes from!
What Mama cow looked like 3 1/2 hours before giving birth—HUGE!
All of us were out there to see the calf born. Thankfully, Chessie didn’t seem to mind too much, and it provided a great “science-in-action” demonstration! I’ll spare you the pictures of the birth. 🙂
Some of the observers climbed on the truck trailer!
Only ten minutes old, and he’s already trying to stand up! Those annoying legs, though—so wobbly.
Trying to teach him to suck.
Okay, he’s clearly an old hand at this already!
Welcome to the world, Speckles!
Something beautiful I saw tonight (the picture does not do it justice): Red hawthorn berries against the backdrop of a threatening sky.
Something else I spotted tonight: Farmer man going out to fix the gate.
Thank you, God, that the calf is here!
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