A real surprise. 
Elsie has given birth to a wee heifer. She was already here when I went out to do the chores yesterday morning so the girls got to see her before departing. They had the best visit.
The calf is a beautiful wee bouncy heifer she has the same markings as her mother on one side but otherwise she is all black. We will keep her and train her to be a milk cow in a few years. Unlike her mother who is not a natural house cow at all. 
I milked Elsie yesterday evening she was dripping milk rapidly but she did not like those cups and kicked like a crazy thing. I did get her milked but it was most unpleasant not to mention dangerous. As she has raised her own calves in the past my plan was to share milk with her. After things settle down – Putting the baby in the barn at night, milking in the morning, then letting them be together in the day, then separate for the night again. This routine works for a lot of people. But it depends on a cow who will cooperate. After a few months I would wean the baby off and take over all the milking myself getting lots of cream and butter. Well, that was the plan.
I shall try again today and if she has not settled by the end of the day I will let the calf take over full time and hope that Lady Astor is more willing. There is no point pushing this into the realms of illness. Hers or mine. Plus I work alone, the risk of injury to me is very real and then I have a very real terror of mastitis and will not take any risks. Elsie has always been flighty and prone to wacking me. Lady is a lot calmer. Hopefully I can milk one of them.
But I am feeling demoralised after the attempts at milking her yesterday. After all her training I was hoping she would do a little better than this. 
I don’t know what else to say. I am going out to have another go. But I am not going to force her – though all my plans revolve around having a milk cow. We will see.
The good news is that every egg, except one, hatched out. Now we have a whole hoard of fluffy chicks in the brooder. 
A very good result indeed. At the beginning of next month the turkey eggs arrive. I hope those do as well!
Good morning. I am girding my loins. Ready to give this cow my best shot. Elsie was going to need time to settle to milking so I must keep positive.
This calf has quite the look. I am not sure of her name yet. I hope you have a lovely day,
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
113 responses to “A Surprise Baby”
Congratulations all round and how brilliant for the girls to get one last burst of excitement 😉
Morning Mad.. c
A surprise baby for Easter! Bugger about the milking though, I’m sorry to hear it was such a chore. Please take great care! I know you will, but I’ll be thinking of you. Hope today’s attempt goes better! Much love xxx
Morning darling – she was worse if anything.. she is used to raising her own calves.. I think the guy who sold her to me sent me the wrong one – he said she was a nice quiet cow, but she has never been quiet or approachable.. hates to be touched – so I gave it a crack – now I am letting her be. Just in to bind up my wrist then off out again to feed the animals who love me.
sometimes a farmer will tell you what you want to hear to get rid of a problem critter.
my dad was the most honest person around….untill he was selling something, then look out
What a life you are having ron!.. c
What do you mean, *bind your wrist up*….were you hurt?
Sigh..did she hurt you? I’m so sorry to hear that… 😦
What a lovely surprise. Better to be safe than sorry C, expecially when you work on your own. Fluffy chicks with no mama are so much easier! I’ve seen grown men vault five bar gates to get away from over-protective newly calved cows (though thankfully that isn’t your problem) but a slap around the face with the tail of an unwilling milker is bad enough, let alone kicking.
She has a reach too – she got me a beauty this morning. You are right. best to be safe. i don’t need milk that badly..baby can have it.. c
Congratulations! She is beautiful. And great that the girls got to see her before they left. Sounds like you’ve been having your usual busy, busy time. Best positive vibes for success with Elsie. Would she be less likely to want to be milked because she now has her baby? Love that you’ve had the chicks hatch over Easter weekend. Very apposite. And great that you have such helpful visitors – great for them and you.
Thank you kitty – enjoy your day! c
At last, a heifer born on the Farmy, the first I believe? To think the girls almost got the opportunity to squeeze the cow 🙂 Sorry to read Elsie is being a right cow about the share milking bit, but be careful always. Laura
Yes this is the first heifer.. and her mother has left me typing one handed..
oh Dear, Change Elsie’s name to Elsewhere if she is going to be a menace. Will you be able to train the baby to come to hand if her dam is so people averse? Get that wrist seen to. Laura
I have always hand raised my heifers, so I will have to work out how to tame this one,
don’t forget the arnica 🙂
Fabulous celi .. Welcome to your new baby! Hopefully Elsie settles down. Fingers crossed 🙂
I am popping over to look at your garden shortly!
Oh good, I love it when you do 😀
Maybe if you just take baby steps with Elsie. Break the task down into small elements and continue to build on them over each day after success of the last one. Maybe it was just too much all at once for her, especially just after having a new beautiful baby!
She has taken her baby and stepped outside.. My favourite baby steps.
Oh, what a beautiful baby! How can you stand it? I think I would be out there with her, making sure nothing untoward happened to her… hehehe Is that Elsie’s problem, that she is an over-protective mama? If so, maybe it will ease off a bit over time. In the meantime, it appears she has done her job and presented you with a beautiful babe. And chicks too! It must be spring. 🙂
as John said – at least she gave us her replacement.. She can stick to being the Mama, my wrist hurts – a lot. -she is a wild cow
A surprise indeed! Well done Elsie. I hope she calms for the next try at milking. The chicks are adorable I just want to scoop them up.
The chicks are definitely doing a success
Hi Miss C, I have just nominated you for the One Lovely Blog Award. I put a link to your site on my blog post. I totally understand if you do not not have time to participate in this as it is quite busy on the farm!
Thank you – that is lovely – and you are right, I don’t do awards anymore.. with a daily farm blog plus the daily farming it is just too much to keep up with.. thank you so much of your kind thoughts though.. c
Perhaps milking her by hand might work better at first? Until she becomes more comfortable with it, and then the milking apparatus can be introduced again? Or perhaps she just needs a day or two to devote her milk only to the baby, and then will become more willing to be milked. Be super careful around her Celi! Her baby is beautiful!!!
I cannot even get my hand under her, even just to clean her.. she just kicked me across the room, and that was with her baby sucking on the other side.. No, I don’t think hand milking is an option. It is not the machine it is people… She does not like people..
From one solo worker to another, stay safe Miss C! The new baby is beautiful, and so glad it’s a girl.
Yes we do need to watch out. But this cow is faster than me, Daisy was a lamb compared to this cow.
Yikes!
Could you call het Miss Easter? You really needn’t be despondent just yet: you have given birth a time or two – don’t you remember how moody and up and down you were for a little while each time? She will soon settle, I’m sure.
love,
ViV x
Congratulations! Her marking kind of looks like a flipped Australia map! Could get a name out of that! Good luck. No experience milking cows, being chased by a protective mother is the closest I have come and the closest I would ever want to be again. She was big and scary! Be careful.
She looks a little like a Dingo you know.. c
could you buy a second calf to put on elsie to use excess milk?
i used to go to cattle market and pick up extra calf to raise on cow with her own calf.
easy,cheap way to increase herd faster.
for week or so, would fasten calves away from cows except for 3 or 4 feeding times a day
quicker if calf is same sex as the original calf
after few days, mama would accept extra calf as her own, and could let them stay together full time
I do like that idea – she does not have a huge amount of milk anyway though – maybe dues to always raising her own calf and never being milked.. c
whoops..you take care Miss C..we don’t really want to visit you in hospital….Maybe it is the hormones..after all any new mom is very unsettled even human ones….just take care …please…..The Baby chicks did not cause a problem this time..so what are theses chicks called ‘The non accident chicks’….
love the baby cow she is so pretty….How do you decide on names…love P