Saturday surprise

Don and I were working on a project out in the yard today when a low "moo" caught our attention. We looked up into the pasture, into which we had released the cows yesterday. Maggie, our Jersey heifer, was ... staring at something on the ground.

"Did Maggie have her calf?" I exclaimed.

Don and I grabbed boots and went to look. Yup, Maggie had dropped her calf. This wasn't supposed to happen for another two weeks or so.

The birth had happened just moments before.  The baby was still wet and not yet on its feet.

Boy? Girl? No idea yet.

Maggie vigorously licked her newborn. Licking accomplishes three things: It cleans the calf, it stimulates its circulation, and it familiarizes the mother with her newborn's scent.

Meanwhile we were tasked with getting Maggie and her baby into the corral for a couple of reasons. One, we don't like newborns to be out in the field just after birth. Too vulnerable. And two, we have something like three-quarters of an inch of rain moving in tonight and tomorrow, and wanted the baby under cover.

After some discussion, we decided to cut a hole in the fence and fetch the calf in the Gorilla cart. God bless that Gorilla cart, it has a thousand and one uses.

We fetched a lead rope and pressed Older Daughter into service. I clipped the lead rope to Maggie (she was cagey but not aggressive, always nice to see considering bovine post-partum hormones), then handed the lead rope to Older Daughter. Don pulled over the Gorilla cart, and I lifted the wet and slimy (and heavy) baby and laid it in the cart. I also took the opportunity to check the gender: It's a girl!

We carefully transported the calf down to the driveway. My job was to keep the calf – who very much wanted to try out her new legs – from trying to get to her feet. Don pulled the cart. Older Daughter pulled Maggie along behind (and tried to keep her from crowding Don). By hook and by crook, we got the animals down from the pasture into the driveway, then pulled the cart to the feed lot behind the barn. (The calf was trying to rise to her feet just as I snatched this photo.)

Now we could let Maggie relax and learn to be a mother.

The new baby is a darling little thing. She's half Jersey, half Angus.

Naturally the other animals are wildly curious to greet the newcomer. Here's Mignon, making overtures of friendship.

It didn't take the baby long to find the faucet. Good! Suck down that colostrum!

Meanwhile Maggie had a strand of mucus hanging down. It was so long it was dragging on the ground and getting tangled in her back legs.

I took a pair of scissors and snipped it shorter.

Maggie still hadn't dropped the placenta, so the mucus is a normal part of the post-partum process in cows.

I left Maggie and her baby alone for a couple hours, then went to check on them. They were both laying down, doubtless exhausted after their ordeal, and looking sleepy and content.

Maggie had also dropped the placenta, which was good to see. Often cows eat this; if it's still there by tomorrow, I'll throw it away.

It seems all is well in our little bovine world.

So that's our Saturday surprise. Maggie wasn't supposed to have her calf until Memorial Day weekend, but calves are born when calves are born. I'm just grateful we were here when it happened and could get everyone under cover before the rain moves in.

I guess we'll be building the calf pen and milking stall sooner than we realized.

Life on a homestead. Roll with the punches.