Breaking news from the Farmlet! Rosie, one of our dear cows, gave birth to a fine little black calf late this afternoon, up at the top of the hill.
Since last weekend, we had been thinking that Rosie’s calf could be born any day. Her udder had filled up, and she was looking a bit swollen under the tail. I’d been hurrying out of bed most mornings (even in the torrential rain) to see whether the calf had been born during the night. By now we had started to get used to seeing Rosie looking like she was about to burst and nothing happening! Just before midday today I realised that we hadn’t been out to check her since yesterday evening. Feeling like a very neglectful cowherd, I rushed out to the cow paddock. I found Rosie all the way up the top of the hill, standing next to something that looked like a giant jellyfish. It was a clear sac of fluids, lying behind her on the grass, and I knew this must mean that the calf was on its way.
PUUUUUUUUSH!
Kevin and I are novice cowherds, and had never seen a cow calving before. Once it was happening, we were very excited, but realised we had no idea what to expect. How would we know if something was wrong? We went to check Rosie again. She was lying on her side, and we could see one hoof sticking out. Was this normal? Probably, but we weren’t sure! Rosie was working very hard, and for a long time there seemed to be no progress. Kevin walked down to the house to consult Google and call my Dad (who knows a lot more about cows than we do!). No cause for concern, he reported. And sure enough, before long two front hooves came into view, followed by a little black nose. Once Rosie managed to push the calf’s head out, the body followed in a rush. A twitching, wriggling black bundle lay on the grass behind Rosie.
Rosie cleans her calf
First steps
It was wonderful to watch Rosie turn around and start licking her calf. As she licked the little one clean, Coco and Esmerelda came over to see what was going on. Once satisfied that this had nothing to do with them, they wandered off to eat grass again. Evening closed in. The calf tested its wobbly legs, and managed to stand up for a moment before collapsing on the ground again. We couldn’t tell the calf’s sex yet, but it looks like a healthy little creature. Rosie seems very pleased with it. We look forward to checking up on them again tomorrow morning, and will keep the website updated regarding their progress.
Update: The Next Day
He’s a healthy little bull calf.
About 17 hours old
Thank you for sharing this farming moment with us. I love watching the calves when they first stand and start suckling. We have charolais cows on our farm. Your cow and calf is lovely.
Sara from farmingfriends in the UK
Oh! What a lovely post – congratulations on your new addition, and kudos to Rosie, she looks like she’s gonna be a great mom. I love the look on her face in that first picture though – like she’s saying “I’m doing all this work and you’re takig pictures!?!?” 😉
Congratulations Rosie!
That cheered me right up. Most positive thing I’ve seen all day. Congratulations.
A lovely addition to the Farmlet family.
Congratulations on the calf.
May I suggest to you and Kevin to auction off the name? 🙂
Thanks for all the congratulations!
@Dan: We’re disinclined to get too attached to this calf, since it is destined for the freezer. We want to raise meat for our table, knowing that the animals are healthy, organically farmed, and well cared for. This is very important to us. Still, at a certain point it won’t be easy! We feel as if naming the animal would probably only make it harder for us to follow through on our intentions.
We’ll write another update on the calf’s progress as soon as possible. Both cow and calf are looking well, and Rosie seems to be a very devoted mother.
Cheers
Rebecca
Congrats. Nice pics. Michelle
I know some people who have a pet lamb called Lambchops and some other friends who have a pig called Crackle as a reminder of their future umm, ocupation, perhaps you could try a name like that.
Hi Aaron,
Funny you should mention that! Over the last day or so we have started calling the calf “Herman Beefsteak.” We’ll see if it sticks.
Rebecca
Congrats on your new arrival! I have been waiting and waiting for the big day, and low and behold (IL) told me last night over dinner that the calf was born last week! Love the pictures – a girl at work got all sqeamish and said you should be on a farm – I said that is the plan! Well done 🙂
Now that is awesome.
Hello,
I have recently started a site called Lovely Blogs NZ and we’d love to include yours.
You can check it out here:
http://www.lovelyblogs.co.nz
If you’re keen to participate that would be just fab! Please email me if you’re interested.
Thanks heap and have a fun Friday!
Charlotte