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”
It’s so frustrating when our best laid plans fall apart. What a cow! 🙂 That is a beautiful baby though. Take care of yourself and your wrist!
Sorry Elsie is so wild. I like Ron’s idea if she has enough milk for another calf. I’ll suggest the name Daffodil for the calf – it is Spring after all. Hope your wrist is soon feeling better. Hoping Lady A is a much calmer cow — has she had calves before too?
She chases anything that comes near her or her calf even the chooks – it would be a big investment if it failed and she rejected it – I am in two minds – plus calves are expensive.. c
Then I would stick with the one calf — it would be different if someone had a calf to give away (kind of how you got Poppy) . I’ll also recommend the arnica as others have for the wrist.
yes, milk replacer is very expensive too.
Oh yes, do take care. I know you will. Arnica tablets for the bruising? Arnica is also v good for that sort of shock.
Oh beautiful baby! Oh, cow of a mother! Sometimes beating a strategic retreat is best! I’m also thinking arnica for your wrist. Xo
I want to say congratulations, bur after reading all the comments so far, and your replies of injury and pain I don’t know if congrats are in order actually. It certainly was a surprise to read that the calf was here, especially with no notice from the post yesterday. Please take care Miss C…I know you don’t usually see the doctor, but please mo itor this wrist for your sake. It would be awful to find you are walking around with something more than a very bad bruise.
Who knew cows could be so cranky? Very independent, Miss Elsie. I gather they all have their own personalities – can’t change that.
No you can’t and I guess you can’t teach old cows new tricks either.. c
Be careful, and look after that wrist, congrats on the wee girl.. I know what its liked to be kicked by your milk cow, three years later and I must slowly admit that knee is never going to be the same..
Oh no., we need our knees. Elsie is just plain wild – I wanted to try – but she has never been a cow who even likes a scratch on her head.. Lady does so maybe she will come around..
Oh dear, I just read thru the comment lounge and now am worried about your wrist and you being kicked this morning. We’re getting a bit too old to be kicked by cows Celi. Please be careful. I love the idea of buying a second calf and letting Elsie raise it, but then might you run the risk of Elsie rejecting a second calf and you having to buy milk to hand raise it yourself? No easy answers, are there. Tell you what though, that’s one beautiful baby we have, and that’s one “don’t mess with me or my baby” look Elsie is giving you!
Yes – you hit the nail on the head – and looking at this cow she will reject it.. daisy would let anyone drink from her and anyone close to her calf but this cow is a very wound up wee Mum. I am leaving her quite alone now, in the back room of the barn with her baby. Baby has been drinking and now is sleeping.
Bet this is all a bit too much for her. Considering she got sold to you pregnant, got uprooted from what she knows and moved to the farmy, had a secret surprise baby for the first time and now you want to do what? Maybe next spring when she’s more settled and more trusting. Hope you have time for a nice hot bath tonight. Big hugs. x
Ah. Glad she popped out okay. Does the name have to start with a certain letter ( we are ‘L’ here )? Very cute.
Elsie is a puzzle. Michael’s required time to sort out and I’m sure that, given time, you will figure out what the right choice is for the farmy and Elsie. The heiffer calf strikes me as a Hildegard.
You are all L this year?
So sorry Elsie is such a disappointment. I always thought she looked wild/scared in her pictures, she just gives off that vibe. The little heifer looks to be a pistol. I keep thinking the name Vivian when I see her or Esme. Maybe Elsie will agree to raise Lady Astor’s calf and you can keep all of her milk. I’m sure you know this but you need to keep bring Elsie in with the calf, even if you don’t milk her. You don’t want the calf to pick up her mother’s fear/attitude. You want the little one to be use to you handling her and the routine of being a house cow. We had cows that were a real treat to work with (not) but we handled the calves since birth and they usually were much more agreeable. If Elsie were to let you milk her, the milk production would likely rise to meet the demand. Every cow is different and some do not start producing milk until a few days after calving. They seem to have a longer period of producing colostrum. Good luck and hope the wrist is just bruised.
Yes you are right, I will put a halter on the calf (funnily Esme was one of the names I had in mind for her – though she looks more like a Dingo today. ) and in a few days i will begin to bring her in. The calves have a creep that the mothers cannot get into so it is easy to get them to myself each day. You are right about keeping her in hand.. But I am letting Elsie’s milk just lower to serve the calf.. I think it is best that way.
Tis probably best to leave her be. She is use to little human contact and being a new mother she will be on high alert. When I was a little kid, common practice was still to let the cow nurse the calf for the first few days (don’t remember exactly how long my guess would be 3-5 days though) then put her into the milking string. I think it probably was best for the calf and helped with udder edema. On the other hand it made the calf more difficult to get on a bucket and the cow pretty unhappy when she couldn’t access her calf any more. Trade offs. Well I hope the calf’s name doesn’t end up being Dingo. Sometimes the first one that pops into your head is the one that sticks unfortunately. Maybe Ringo Starr , she kind of reminds me of him in that last photo or or Bingo (closest names I could think of to Dingo). If you change your mind about trying to milk I could give you some ideas to try if you want. If she stays really kicky though it is not worth it in my opinion. Crossing fingers and toes that Lady Astor is more agreeable. Glad to hear the wrist is just sore.
I agree. I only have a little experience with cows, but i do know they have long memories, dragging (literally) a cow in to be milked and she kicks and holds back the milk anyway will destroy her relationship with me AND her calf. This is her fourth calf – and she is adamant – so best we do it her way. And yes.. breath held for Lady A, who walked in and out of the milking shed with ease and calm this morning, with me touching her all over.. and banging stuff . around. So far we are ahead..
So sorry to hear about your wrist. I hope it isn’t broken.
Another blog I follow, Window on the Prairie, has some sort of chute they use for recalcitrant mothers. They just had babies too and twins who needed adopting. They used the chute to get adopted moms used to their new offspring.
Of course, keep in mind I’m a city girl and really have no idea what I’m talking about.
What does it mean to not be a “natural house cow”?
Hope you are feeling better soon.
My wrist is fine, just embarrassed. I think I mean a cow who adapts to being milked by a human. I need that chute. But I also don’t need milk that much so I am letting nature take over.
Morning Cec,this is from Connie’s mom,she got me hooked on your blob,love the chicks, showed the hatching to my great grddaughter, who is from Chicago, cool,take care of that cute calf,
Fingers crossed that she’ll settle and at least let you near her, even if she doesn’t allow milking. I don’t know if it’s worth talking to the farmer who sold her to you, and asking if he’s got any useful tips for handling her? I used to know a cow who’d do almost anything for celery, and maybe she has a quirk you simply haven’t encountered yet. Lovely little heifer, nice and sturdy looking. Good luck with taming her to being handled, and take care of your damaged wrist; everyone’s got the same recommendation, and I’m the same: use arnica, and if it’s badly bruised, Hirudoid will reduce the bruising and inflammation very quickly, if you can get it there.