Surprise!!! A calf was born this afternoon. What a surprise! I don't let the bull be with the cows (except for the accidental breeding of cow 60) until June 1, so that should mean the earliest calves will be born is around March 10. I just double checked the gestation chart. Today is about 16 days early. I know babies can be born early, but this early? Thankfully the calf looks to be fine, and doesn't look to be premature. Speckles is the mother. Last year she had twin calves. They were born March 27. A few days ago I noticed a few of the other cows - not Speckles - looked pregnant and getting closer. I thought at the time, I wouldn't be surprised if you gave birth right away on March 10. Now I will have to check the cows more often to make sure there is not another calf born early.
The calf was born this afternoon. It is another heifer. I went out around 4:30 pm to check on and count the cattle and check the hay. I had given the cattle another large hay bale yesterday. At the far end of the cattle - the middle of the pasture - I saw a black shape on the ground next to a cow. They were under a large tree and the black shape didn't look to be one of the tree's roots that are partially above ground at their start from the tree trunk. I walked and found a baby calf.
The calf had been licked by her mother, but these days and temperatures, it takes longer to become completely dry. My guess is that the calf was an hour or two old. The calf's fur looked to be the same 'wetness' as the calf born in January, and that calf was less than three hours old when I found her.
Fortunately the high temperature today was 47 degrees. The calf was not shivering and she was laying next to her mother on the dry ground under a large tree. But this is February. The overnight low temperature will be in the 30s; snow is on the ground; and it was raining lightly. The calf needed to go into the corral and be with the other cow and her calf in the straw.
Donna came to help me. I brought along a plastic shed to transport the calf. We found the calf and her mother under another tree nearby the first tree. The calf was standing. I wasn't sure it would stay on the sled so I picked the calf up and carried it. I'm getting old as I had to stop and rest three times by the time I reached the corral. Mama, the grandmother cow, ran over to see what Donna and I were doing. More what I was doing as Mama then saw me carrying a calf. Fortunately Mama only kept an eye on me and didn't attack me. Mama is protective of calves.
Yesterday I had put out more straw to lay on for cow 60, her calf and "Muscles", the calf with white muscle disease. Part of the straw was already starting to get wet, so I got more straw out for them to lay on. The calf was warm when I carried it, but now it was starting to shiver slightly. Speckles laid down on the straw. Eventually the calf laid down next to Speckles. Being newborn the calf still is figuring out how to lay down.
Cow 60, her calf and Muscles were eating hay when we arrived. While we were there they stayed away from the straw area. Since then I looked several times to see how all were doing. Donna and I were worried that cow 60 can be a bully and were concerned she might chase Speckles and her calf from the straw. Thankfully she didn't.
The first time I checked on them all but Muscles were laying on the straw. Cow 60 doesn't like Muscles to lay near her. I had to look for the newborn calf. She wasn't laying by Speckles but was laying right next to cow 60's back. I had to get up close to check that cow 60 didn't lay on the calf. Cow 60 then got up when I reached to touch the calf to make sure her legs weren't under cow 60. The calf was fine.
I just checked a few minutes ago. Cow 60 and her calf were by the hay feeder. Muscles was standing in the rain next the straw area. Speckles and her calf were laying in a different spot in the hay, and were laying right next to one another.
Only a couple of photos. I'll get better photos tomorrow when Donna and I tag the new calf's ear.
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