Our first calf!!

Buttercup the Jersey appeared this morning, looking noticeably thinner. I knew straight away she had had her calf, but it was nowhere to be seen. I know they can hide their calves, and this is the way I was thinking until Max our cattle dog dropped a piece of cattle hide about 6 inches in diameter and the colour of our bull with long calf like hair on it at my feet. My heart sunk, and I assumed the calf had been stillborn or attacked. However this afternoon I thought I would go looking and thought that wherever the mum was the calf was likely to be, either dead or alive. I was so happy when I saw Buttercup in the distance with a beautiful little calf in tow.

It's a little heifer calf, and she looks very healthy. Mum is very protective, and only let me get close once or twice before she let me know that I was now unwelcome! I had Mum up to the yards this morning feeding her up, so I need to make sure she comes up a couple of times a day for feed, to keep her milk supply up, and in a couple of weeks I will start to share the milk with the calf. Jersey's always look on the skinny side, but the lack of green feed around at the moment has not helped, and we bought a large amount of feed in last weekend. It is pretty well just over 9 months since we got our bull, so he obviously got straight to work! She looks more like a droughtmaster than a Jersey. Mumma cow did a great job, this is her first calf, and she is doing all the right things and is VERY protective of her bub, and she has 17 aunties all looking out for her as well.