Calving Season!

Well, it's that time of year again! Calves are being born on the farm with the first one being born on March 12th and it's the surest sign of spring around here. I gave Christina a cow for our anniversary a few years ago and hers was the first one to have a nice little heifer which was a relief since she is the best mother we have in the herd right now. 

There is a certain level of stress that comes with this time of year as well. We are always worried about the cows and hope that everything goes as nature intended, and no issues. Like people, they can sometimes have complications like the calf can come backward which means they will need help getting it out. Sometimes the calf doesn't have the initial instinct to start going for milk from the mother or the mother doesn't want the calf to take milk for some reason. All reasons to worry until they are all born and healthy.

This birth was textbook in that the calf came out perfect, started walking right away, and went for the milk shortly after. The mother was very protective and didn't want me near them much but she had lots of milk and the calf has been getting lots since yesterday. 

Calving season on the farm is also not as busy as years since we only have 5 cows to possibly give birth compared to 15 only a few years ago. This has been a welcome change, since we can spend more time and energy supporting a few calves 

Now that she is born, we can enjoy the moment and the turning point from winter to spring on the farm and look forward to more seasonal signs of spring.