Happy Mother’s Day! We had a very busy Mother’s Day weekend on the farm. We had five calves born over the weekend and seven calves born in total over our second week of calving.
Be sure to check out our:
Observations from THE PASTURE: Week 1 – 2019 Calving Season
and on to……
Observations from THE PASTURE: Week 2 of the 2019 Calving Season.
Week of Monday, May 6th – Sunday, May 12th
Monday, May 6th – After our streak broke on Sunday, I was pleased to see a new baby calf today! Calf #7! I discovered him/her during my first check of the morning.
Tuesday, May 7th – No activity during the first check of the morning. After putting my son down for a nap, I went for another check and discovered…..baby #8! This calf had probably been born in the last 45 minutes. A mini-me of his/her mother!
Wednesday, May 8 – Friday, May 10 – No activity during these days. Just lots of babies running around, play-fighting and exercising. Some trouble making, too, for the calves. haha! Lots of napping for the babies and the still-pregnant cows!
Saturday, May 11th – Boy, oh, boy…today sure made up for the last few days! Three babies born today!
The first check of the morning was calm, no new babies. The next check was the complete opposite! I discovered calf #9 and a cow in labor with calf #10!
After checking on calf #9 and mama, I went back to see how the cow in labor was doing. Her water had already broke. I kept my distance at this point, used the zoom feature on my camera and let nature take it’s course. Here are some pictures:
I always feel so honored and blessed to be able to witness a birth. This was my first one of this season. I have seen many babies born, and I have given birth to two of my own. I am still, though, always in awe of what these creatures do. There are simply no words to describe it. I always count my blessings that I have been able witness such miracles on the farm.
I was already in bed Saturday night when Jer discovered calf #11! Wow! What a day!!
Sunday, May 12th – Mother’s Day! – Today did not disappoint! I had a wonderful day with my three men, and we welcomed two new calves on the farm.
After being served breakfast in bed and drinking my coffee, I went out to check the herd. I always enjoy checking the herd, especially this time of year, but the first check of the morning is always fun seeing if anyone was born since the previous evening. I entered the back pasture, and I immediately could see what looked like a new baby in the distance. Sure enough, we had calf #12!
I continued on with checking the herd. The herd was spread out quite a bit, and as came up on the last group, I noticed a calf that looked mighty new-looking! He/she was curled up, sleeping, with a cow grazing nearby with a bunch of discharge hanging out. Hello, calf #13! I call that a GOOD Mother’s Day morning! 🙂
Week 2 of calving sure ended with a bang! So far, calving has been uneventful (in a good way!), and we have not had to pull or assist with any births. Just the way we like it. Letting mother nature and the natural instincts of the animals take the lead. 13 calves so far. We are excited to see what week three brings for us here on the farm.
Happy Calving!
Take care!
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