Introducing Baby Bobby Blanc

Our baby calf has arrived. Both mother and baby are doing just fine. I am going to let the images tell the story.  A few of these shots are of the actual birth which was perfect. Magic in the field.  I thought I would warn you of the birth photos ahead of time, in case you are a little fragile and want to whizz down the page to the pretty ones at the end.

We started at midday. And it was all over by 1.30. I was very lucky that the breeder was free and able to come over and support me. Of course Daisy was fine and managed it all herself. I was the one that needed propping up. I was on a steep learning curve yesterday.

First your new calf. This is Baby Bobby Blanc. He is mostly white and a very big boy! He has one white nostril and one red one, like a minstrel.

He is big but not that big. 

Now here are three shots of the birth,  You can close your eyes and scroll down but I cannot censor these three. It is too wondrous. 

Big feet said the breeder. 

Big head, said Daisy.

Ok.  Awesome but pretty graphic so lets get to the cute shots! We pulled her baby around to her head and Daisy mooed and cooed and licked and got him all cleaned up. 

We had to force her to stand up as she was on the ground a bit long.
Time for Bobby Blanc to stand up.  He tottered about and was ready to suckle quite quickly but Daisy kept backing away from him so I left them for a while.

Later and Bobby Blanc was nursing.

There now.

When John got home we loaded this incredibly heavy calf onto the back of the pick up truck and I held him with Daisy trotting alongside and into the barn we all went.

With Bobby Blanc alongside, I milked Daisy and tended her udder. Daisy just stood beautifully while I milked. To get the cups onto her ridiculously swollen udder, in my unpracticed  cack-handed way, I was almost knelt right under the cow.  A prime target for a good kick, but she just waited.  I will get better at this I told her as we finished. Once she was free,  with the smallest switch of her tail,  she sauntered back out into the field and began to eat like a starved teenager, leaving me with her baby.

Good morning. They both had a quiet night and very shortly I shall go out and milk again.

And so it begins.  Suffice to say I did not get a cup of tea yesterday either. It was all too new to me and I could not settle for a smoko break at all. But I did have that glass of wine you recommended as the sun went down on a very successful day.

Have a lovely day.  I am back on that learning curve.  There will be a lot of calf gazing today too!  And lots of prettier pictures tomorrow. And plenty of shuffling chores into a new routine!

celi