Spring 2023 Calves!

Every year is a learning experience. This year, we learned that even mini cow mommas can be incredibly protective. We also learned that Mother Nature counts the days as she sees fit, regardless of what the calendar says! Both mommas went over their due dates by about two weeks. I’m beginning to think that dwarf calves may need more time in the oven!

BamBam calved first on May 5th, 2023, her third year to calve in the middle of the day, in the pasture. She delivered the most beautiful, red dwarf heifer. The calf is almost a strawberry blonde, so we named her Strawberry Shortcakes or Shortcakes for short. An easy delivery, the only drama was that BamBam wanted to eat the placenta and so did the dogs. BamBam chased the dogs, and she won (I guess that’s a win?). Her straggly, wet calf made it up to the barn, dried off and they both slept for a few hours.

Pebbles waited another 10 days (on May 15th, 2023) and then calved her calf over night. I should have known she had delivered because as soon as I walked outside, I heard short, deep moo’s that sounded like a distant barking dog. I fed the chickens and the horses, then realized… that’s a cow “barking” and it sounds like BamBam. Oh, my, there’s an extra calf in Pebbles’ stall. All of the commotion made Pebbles very irate; she charged me three or four times. Luckily, I caught the calving early and picked up the placenta to keep the stall clean. That was the first mistake. I technically “won,” but nearly got head butted by Pebbles. Trust me, if I had known she wanted it that bad, I would have left it. Gross, but geez. Pebbles’ calf is a beautiful blue color, technically a silver dun, but she looks blue to me… so we named her Blueberry Muffins. Do you notice the protective mom in the photos below?