Yes!
Yesterday Alex the wee Dexter heifer began to spend just a little too much time staring out into space, standing in the corners, as far away from the others as she could get. Then she started holding her tail up high. I had a very distinct feeling that things were going to start happening very soon so I invited her into the barn and shut all the doors so it was dark and calm and three hours later she had a wee calf. Quite the smallest calf I have ever seen in my life. I know that intellectually I knew the baby would be small but this is really small – smaller than Ton (who is locked inside on calving days).The baby is all black and vigorous.
(I checked with the man who bred her and the first time she had actually been with the bull was in July of last year so this is a full term calf. He had not realised she had been bred so quickly. Alex turned two last week so her timing is perfect).
Poor little Alex got a hell of a fright when this little wet bundle arrived behind her and she leapt up and bawled at it, making darting frantic scary motions towards the wriggling mess. It was breathing and blinking and already struggling to get up. A very strong miniature calf. But the new mother was irate. Queenie was the same so I was not worried. But this was my cue to shut up all the doors and windows (Lady Aster was trying to peer in) and make a quick exit stage right. Alex was a new mother, had no idea what had just happened and was in a panic, she needed some space and time to sort herself out. Humans would only make things worse for her. I crept back in twenty minutes later, peered around the corner and she was licking her baby and calling to him (or her).
I still do not know the sex yet . Alex is very protective and I will not be milking her, she is much too shy so she will raise her own calf. We will find out if it is a heifer or a bull calf today I hope – when I open Alex’s door and let her take her baby out into the sun. Then I will take some photographs for you. I checked them at 5.30 and baby was in yet another space (obviously getting up and down which is good) mother was lying diagonally before her and both were alive and well. When Alex stood up to watch me I could see that baby had been drinking too so they are in good shape.
The father of this calf is a low line hereford/angus cross. But next time Alex will be allowed to visit with Carlos the Tiny my Dexter bull.
Wonderful though don’t you think?. One down, two to go and an excellent result. A healthy ridiculously tiny calf.
Also, yesterday I had my first lesson making croquetas. And though we had to call Inaki’s sister in Basque to ask about consistency I thought they turned out ok. We pulled old barbed wire fence out of the hedge, worked in the vegetable garden and shifted both Sheila and Tima and Tane back out into outdoor quarters.
As you can imagine dinner was very late!
And, more good news, I think that Poppy is starting to belly down. She began to look like she was pregnant yesterday. Or it could be my imagination.
And today will be a much calmer day I hope and I have more of your work spaces to look at. I meant to get on with that yesterday but that day sure got away on me!
If I get lots of good baby shots i might post an extra special post this afternoon – so stand by!
Much love,
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
55 responses to “A Baby!!”
Can’t wait to see pics you proud Grandma you!! LOL I just love baby anything! We would be just as crazy when our Penny pig had her litters, and don’t get me started on baby goats! hee hee
Baby goats are cute. The sun will come out today so I will open their big doors just as soon as we get above freezing so they can get into the warm sunshine.
Yay, another baby. Always exciting. Looking forward to the pics C.
🙂 Mandy xoxo
It is such a relief that she had no trouble. She is so small, but this baby really tiny so that was lucky.. c
Congratulations to Alex and nice work with those croquetas 😉
Yes. i made plain ones to begin just to get the hang of it and tomorrow we will make some with a really nice spanish style ham we found. This weekend i will get ham out of the freezer and cook it up so Inaki can have lots of ham in his last week.. c
That sounds like a classic croqueta!
Do you know about the tape method of estimating weight for baby calves? it’s a special tape measure that’s wrapped around the top of the hoof. We used to do this when we had a registered angus herd. If you keep records of weights, it’s a quick way to estimate.
I would estimate just under 40 pounds going on Ton’s weight. No I did not know about that way of estimating- though I have a very protective mother in my hands so i will not be getting near the hoof of this calf for a while, I will find the info and keep it on hand for other calves though.. thank you..c
wow that is little but sounds like it’s doing ok! Yay!
Congratulations on your early surprise!
Christine
Yes – much earlier than expected but thanks to my help we were ready. Are you getting wwoofers again this summer? c
Wonderful news! I am so excited to see the little one.
So am I,even though I checked them in the night (it got quite cold) the calf was just a puddle of dense black. c
If it’s a little boy, he won’t be a Bobby, will he – too small for beef? Will you keep him for breeding stock, or sell him or something? I hope it’s a little girl… A girlfriend that Carlos the Tiny will be able to reach 🙂
Good work, Alex, the first of the year’s babies
This is a beef breed, though they are reasonable as a milk cow as well I needed a beef line to replace Queenie. So if it is a bull calf he will be part of the beef herd. But a heifer would be so much better! c
Congratulations!
That was an early surprise. Baby number 1 has arrived.
Hope the croquetas were delicious!
Quite a busy day.
They were but the ham ones will be better i am assured. I did not want to waste the ham on a trial run.. c
Alex, I hadn’t started knitting booties yet 🙂 Good Girl for getting on with it and sorting it all out on her own. Off to google croquetas now. Will be back for 1st photos later. Laura
Lets hope she lets me get some good ones – once they are out in the sun it will be better.. c
Congratulations! How exciting! I can’t wait to see the wee calf!
I know – and I am so relieved at the easy delivery. We have been very lucky so far.. c
That’s terrific. Complications are a very real terror when dealing with farm animals. Such a beautiful baby!
very cool. I love it when they pop out alright. I have an image of a tiny calf, so excited to see what s/he looks like.
Same – It will be a quiet day with such a nervous first time mother so i hope to get some shots..c
Looking forward to today’s shots of the teeny tiny one. I wonder what Ton will think?
Whoopee! Very nice, Alex did it! That’s great news. Looking forward to the photos!
Yahoo! A baby! A wee little cow!! Of course, can’t wait to see pictures.
Wonderful news….how lovely. And good work with the croquetas ☺