Last weekend, one of the heifers had a calf. (A heifer is a young cow, about 2 years old, who has never had a calf.) He had been born about an hour before I took these pics.
His mama did a pretty good job of cleaning him up, considering this was a first for her. We keep the heifers and their new calves in the barn for a day or so, and in this case for about 5 days as the weather was cold and rainy, before turning them out in the small pasture near our house.
Every year I marvel at the heifers. They have their first calves, and most of the time, they are good mothers. They clean their calves, and stand patiently when the calf struggles to find the milk bar and nurse for the first time. They clean their calves every day to keep them dry and fluffy. They watch over and protect them, most of the time. And I wonder- how to they know how to do it all?
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