Every morning for the last 10 days John has pulled the 4am shift – he gets up that early anyway. I would check Daisy when I finished reading about 10pm, and when he got up to get ready for work in the morning at 4am, he would check her on the firewood run. 
Yesterday morning I lay awake listening to him shuffling out to the verandah, down the steps in his Crocks, across the yard, the sqrunch of gravel as he crossed the drive, silence as he crossed grass then the wee distant tired squark of the Popes door in the big barn door being opened. Yesterday morning I listened to the slow sounds moving away, then cocked my head on the pillow at the pause, then heard the sounds hurrying back in reverse. John never hurries. I was already half dressed when he barrelled back into the bedroom and said, Baby on the way!
I went to the barn, he went to make coffee. He brought me my coffee 5 minutes later thinking I would be leaning on the gate watching and Daisy and I were drying down a new calf. Wow, he said. Daisy grunted as if to say she does not muck around.
The new Bobby (all the bull calves are called Bobby) took a while to stand up, but had an alert head and bright eyes. He is heavy and his feet are so small. But later (three hours later) he was up, dried off and in his jacket nosing about for a drink. The Breeder said that such a heavy calf is often slower to rise. I fed everyone else as the sun rose. The barn letting out a sigh. 
Later I opened the big door and Daisy led her calf out into the sun, and there they stayed the rest of the day. She licked his jacket right off him, she was so proud. But when it cooled off in the afternoon I put it back on. They had both slept most of the day.
I milked Daisy at lunchtime. The breeder had been out to visit and was a little alarmed at the size of Daisy’s udder. She had begun to kick at herself and was ripping the skin. The teats were so far apart that the milking cups would not be able to reach. Like a toddler trying to stretch her tiny fingers on finite palms to find the octave on the piano. So at lunchtime and then at 7pm I milked one side and then dragged my hoses and crept under the calf gate and milked the other side. It worked. Tending to her poor frayed udder. Using udder balm to massage her poor stretched skin and coax the colostrum out. After the second milking she relaxed a little. Massage and vacuous chatter does help an engorged udder. 
In the evening I fed her baby from a bottle and settled him in the sunroom with Marcel who I brought in from his day with Minty. In the night when I checked them they were in separate corners, snuggled up against the straw bales that created cosy warm nooks. All was quiet. Daisy who is free to wander to and fro now standing guard from her pen.
This morning when I milk her I will let her calf back out and they can spend the day together again, and until I know I have her udder and the mastitis under control Daisy will be milked three times a day. But my plan is to let her have the calf in the daytimes hoping that the frequent sipping from the calf 
during this time will promote udder health. Then with a bottle I will settle The Bobby in the sunroom at night then I will get a full milking in the morning (which will be shared with him too of course).
The milking parlour has been redesigned so that the calf can stand next to her while I milk but cannot get in the way. This feels kinder. The important thing is to make sure the calf gets plenty of milk and the farm does too so I am sure there will be adjustments along the way.
So, now, I will reshuffle the days, wriggling a little to allow for the milking to fit in, like sand shifting down the side of a glass with the movement. Finding a way for the calf and I to share the milking for a couple of months. And then milk for the next seven months. I am so full of plans.
But am so grateful that we have our wee calf and both Daisy and calf are both well so far.
Poppy is trucking along, developing a playful streak and I must be careful not to turn her into a big fat pig as well!!
Just think of the cheese! Oh I cannot wait!
I hope you all have a lovely day
your friend on the farm
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
113 responses to “The Bobby is here at Last.”
Trust a “male” to late in arriving. My own son was 10days over. However new arrivals tend to arrive when they are ready, not when we think whey should come
Welcome beautiful big boy 🙂 Now we have 8-10 days before we start nagging Queenie 🙂 Yay, spring has arrived at the farmy at last – hope your temperature increases a bit more soon. Laura
I was so excited to hear about Bobby!!! Spring is a wonderful time for new things…lambs…calves. This is a wonderful story to follow. Still wishing I had a farm and animals!!!
What a happy, happy post. Yippee for Daisy, the bobby, and all that milk and cheese and and and. Your turn next, Queenie – I hope yours comes easily too.
Funny that Boo isn’t keen – I thought he loved every baby in the world.
This baby is bigger than he is plus he has an even bigger mother! I think that might be it.. morning Viv.
Morning C. Boo has met his match!
okay…then i can get attached! he is so cute! glad you received your package!
it has brought me many smiles already!.. c
I knew it..I just knew it…. I prayed for Daisy and it happened. God must have thought it a strange request. As I said to Him…’I don, t know where Daisy lives but she lives with Celi, Queenie, Sheila, Marcel and lots of cats , one being called Marmalade. So He knew who, what and where….such power there is in prayer The bobby looks an absolute delight and I am so pleased that it all went well….love to Daisy
now we wait for Queenie….
What a great experience. John running back with the news and Daisy proud to have licked the Bobby’s jacket clean off is so much fun to read. You’re a wonderful storyteller. And he is soooo cute, the image of his Mama. I keep forgetting there’s milk and cheese and ice cream in your future. Some of us city folks just think about the births as ends in themselves! Mindset needs adjusting here.
Congratulations on all your work and meticulous planning! They really paid off. He’s beautiful.
What a gorgeous boy! Lovely to see him out in the sun with his mum… We have four inches of new snow and it’s still coming down but your news and photos made my day. Thank-you.
Awh … poor Nanny Boo. Imagine coming along to see your best buddy and finding a HUGE ‘other friend’ already there in your spot!
My heart is FULL of congratulations to you and Daisy – wonderful!
I am so excited to see how well he is doing. Keeping good thoughts that your milking strategy will thwart the mastitis that plagued her before—sounds like you have a great routine set up and the strength to keep with it. Love the pictures—-amazing to see how such a big baby is born! 🙂
I’m just so happy that this birthing went so well, fast and easy for you and Daisy…once it happened, of course. And that Daisy and calf are doing so well. He is a real cutie pie and does have such similar markings to his mama. My goodness, just when I thought you were so busy, you’re going to really have hands full with baby pigs, calves, milking and oh yes, everything else you do. I do hope that you’ll be bringing along some “interns” this year to help you out. 🙂
Awww he is too precious!! Another baby for me to pinch if I ever make it to the US 😉
Congratulations Mummy Daisy and Miss C 🙂
Your turn next Queenie x
A hearty welcome to little bobby, and a well done to Daisy. I hope that Queeny delivers as easily. And have your new bees survived this cold winter?
The bees are all dead.. deeply miserable.. but there russian bees on the way who should do better.. c
Oh dear. How disappointing.
Wonderful that you were there for the birth. I love the photo of your cockerel and hens scratching in the hay as Daisy and the calf rest. Looking forward to following your adventures in cheese making.
Kim