The Bovine Bugle

A busy day in the barn maternity ward

It was a busy day on the maternity ward of the farm. When I was bringing the cows in to the holding area for milking this morning, I found a cow in the barnyard with her new calf. After corralling the rest of the cows, I went and got the wheelbarrow and brought the heifer calf, followed closely by her mom, into the maternity room. Karen and I had just given both pens a good cleaning, so we were all set for mom and her calf. It was the second calf for the cow, Bea. Farmers would refer to a cow like this as a "second-calf heifer". With Bea and her calf taken care of, I went ahead with the morning milking. We brought Bea in at the end and milked her into the fresh cow bucket. This first milk from a cow that has just given birth is colostrums, very rich in protein and in antibodies which help the newborn calf fight off infections. I fed Bea's calf 2 quarts of the warm, rich colostrum.

The second arrival of the day came in the evening. I went out to bring the last few cows into the parlor to milk when I saw a cow in labor in one of the freestalls. This cow, Keesha, wasn't due for a week, but she was definitely having her baby tonight. We put her in the other pen in the maternity room, right next to Bea and her calf. Son Noah was really hoping to see the calf being born, so the vigil began. We checked Keesha's progress a couple times an hour. Unfortunately for Noah, bedtime came before the calf did. A little after 8:30, Keesha gave birth to a heifer calf. Like all cows, Keesha promptly began licking and cleaning her calf. This both cleans the calf and stimulates its bodily functions. I made sure both new mothers had plenty of fresh hay and water and left them to take care of their newborns.

--Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont