A Baby!!

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