Thursday, September 30, 2010

Now She Is a Cow

On Tuesday, Marigold the heifer gave birth, thereby becoming a cow! Bubba's a healthy little bull --who looks like his Devon sire.
These two pictures are from Wednesday -- and the first milking.

Below is a slide show of the birth with captions, for those who might be interested. A little earthy, perhaps, but that's how birth is...


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29 comments:

joanna said...

vicki

You are wonderful -- thanks for taking the time, I know being there is the best, but LOL we get to watch -- it is always so amazing to me every time I am part of the birthing of seeing the (farm ) animals.

Healthy looking too,

Joanny

Michele said...

Oh - who is cuter - baby or mom. I remember my first milking - my in-laws loaned me a brown swiss cow to milk (me fresh from the city but very, very eager). I waited every day for her to calve, and of course she did so an hour after my husband left for work out of town. I had her back legs wrapped in twine and her tail tied to the wall (I listened to all the cautionary tales) and got closer to a cow than I had ever been - scary, poopy and so exciting.

Anonymous said...

If anyone ever doubts that an animal has all the feelings and emotions that so many only attribute to humans, all they have to see is the love and bonding that occurs between a calf and it's mother.

mamabug said...

What a beautiful mama and baby! Looks like she'll be very attentive of her sweet little one.

Martin said...

Wonderful! So glad to see mother and baby doing fine. Great slideshow of the happy event.

vicki archer said...

So sweet these two, Vicki...xv

Stephanie D said...

Oh, how sweet! And isn't he handsome? Good mama. Thanks for sharing!

Pat in east TN said...

Beautiful mom/adorable calf .. thanks for sharing all those pictures, and it looks like Marigold will have plenty of milk for her baby and you all too.

Brian Miller said...

wow. nice pics...grew up in the country so no surprise for me but still such a magical moment at birth...very cool!

Elora said...

Yea!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm with you, every picture! Every move! It's always a thrill. And now...MILK!!! Best of everything to everybody, including Marigold! What a great start!

Congratulations, all!
Elora

KarenB said...

Amazing! It happens everyday all over the world, and yet it is a miracle every time! Thank you so much for sharing. Love the somewhat stunned look on the calf and his charming large ears!

Liz said...

I am going to share this post with my grand babies. They love animals and I think the slide show will totally impress them! My oldest granddaughter wants to be a vet!

Jill said...

Fantastic slide show! Congratulations on the baby!

Tammy said...

Well, what a fine week you've had! Looks like it was a normal birth with a little help from you all. I'm always so glad when the babe is safely here, up and nursing! Not sure how it works with a 'family milk cow', but will you be leaving the calf on her and sharing the milk? I can't believe how calm Marigold is while you give her her first milking. Good little cow!
Tammy

Amelia said...

Fantastic slide show, thanks for sharing!!

NCmountainwoman said...

What a sweet, sweet video. The love between the mother and baby is so obvious. Thank you for sharing this exciting moment.

marĂ­a cecilia said...

How sweet Marigold giving birth!!!! That´s really a farm like living my dear Vicki!!! I remember seeing the birth of pigs, horses, sheeps and many other animals, it`s a wonderful moment, really!!!
much joy to you,
maria cecilia

Deanna said...

The first picture is heart warming.

The slide show is definitely "earthy" but you're right - that's how life is.

Thanks for sharing!

BB said...

Vicki...that is fantastic. Thanks for sharing the slide show. How can anyone say that they don't enjoy nature? I've known a few who have said this. This is truly magnificent.

Louise said...

Marigold makes a very beautiful cow, and her baby is the sweetest thin! Thank you for the slide show, the miracle of birth is always so awe inspiring.

Miss_Yves said...

A lovely event, and a gorgeous slide!

Reader Wil said...

Congratulations, Vicki! What a beautiful slide about the birth of this little bull calf. It must have been quite a happening! Marigold shows that she is a good mother.

Vicki Lane said...

Marigold is such a star -- she was unruffled by all the people and dogs and the camera.

Yes, Joanny, it's a miracle every time!

I love that description, Michele --'scary, poopy, and so exciting.' Exactly!

Yes, Dana -- it's amazing to see them begin to look for each other.

They are doing great. John and I went dawn this morning to help with the milking. She's very engorged and the two hind tits are tedious to milk. But with four of us plus the calfie, it finally gets done.

What we do, Tammy, is keep the calf up in the little barn and corral. He has a warm place to sleep and room to run around in the sun. After the morning and the evening milking, we leave Marigold with him for a couple of hours, then turn her out to graze till time for the next milking.

Folkways Note Book said...

Vicki-- Fascinating slide show. the calf is beautiful! Such tender exchanges between the two. Thanks -- barbara

jennyfreckles said...

That's incredible - being a townie I've never seen that before and it actually made me cry! The mother is so sweet to her newborn, so concerned. And from a dead-looking thing, the calf cleaned up well! Reminds me what strong stuff the female of (all) the species is, too!

Marilyn & Jeff said...

I grew up on a farm and your photos took me right back to all of the births I witnessed as a child, it was a normal part of farm life but at the same time a magical event. It is wonderful just how quickly new born animals can stand and feed from their mothers; Nature at her best.

Anonymous said...

This is so wonderful, thank you so much for sharing! What a joy to see the gift of a new life unfolding. Lise

Carol Murdock said...

WOW! Marigold is a Mommy! Finally!
It is so humbling to me to watch them give birth without so much as a wimper and we humans scream bloody murder! XOXO

Vagabonde said...

What a pretty young one as you say. The slides were great – so endearing.