There is lots going on at our farm in the past couple of weeks! Last Thursday evening our heifer "Red" looked kinda funny in the pasture. She is the one that had an enormous bag but the hind end wasn't really puffy yet. My hubby went out to check on her(I would have but I was getting supper ready) and I got a call a few minutes later telling me that he could see hooves. Of course, I dropped everything and rushed out hoping to see the birth. I did see it and my daughter got to too! It was the first birth she has been home for and she was so excited!
I did get photos on my phone (which I will post later this week) of the entire birth and, believe me, Red was an all-star. I should have taken my camera out there, but I was hurrying so I didn't miss it altogether. She had a beautiful heifer calf that is, of course, solid black. Glad it isn't the kinda icky brown that she is. We love her anyway.
The very next morning I went out to do chores and our heifer "Tiny" had a little membrane hanging out. After a bit she didn't seem to be progressing. I was all over the pasture that morning looking at her and the others. I left her alone for a while and when I returned an hour later to check on her all the cows were in the barn lot, including her. I walked around the corner of the barn and nearly stepped on a new black calf. A little confused at first, I finally came to the conclusion that since the calf was cleaned off and I saw him stand and drink for awhile, she had already had him when I first saw her! What I was seeing was the afterbirth, but there was so little of it I couldn't tell. I felt like such an idiot that the calf was probably bedded down in the pasture I had just been in a little while before. He was a healthy black bull calf that wasn't as small as I thought he might be considering she was our smallest pregnant heifer.
All the calves, we have 4 now, are doing really well and were jumping around the barn lot tonight. They all seem very happy and healthy. It is extremely exciting having so many!! We have 1 cow left to calve and my son has one to calve also. Each one is just as exciting as the last and I feel blessed to have witnessed 2 out of 4 births this year so far.
In non-animal related happenings I was able to, with my daughter's help, get our garden all planted this evening. Actually we have 2 gardens! I always feel so good about getting that done in between the weather! It was extremely windy here but that didn't stop us!! We have some new crops this year and I planted some more herbs, too. The asparagus has begun and I need to get out in the pastures to check it again soon. The rhubarb is growing well and all the fruit trees are beginning to bud.
I love spring and all the new life it brings!
