If you have problems with graphic birth pics you may want to skip this post! We had an idea but not an exact date for our cow to deliver.
This pic was from Friday afternoon. She looks ready to pop!
Doesn’t she have a beautiful udder? Hey, beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
Hey, can I see what you have?
When Michael came home from work Saturday evening he went to check on her as usual. This was a little before 9. He actually saw her water break and so came to get me to help bring her in from the upper pasture. Luckily he had just bedded the barn but we really weren’t ready because we thought she had almost two weeks to go!
We encouraged her to slowly come down the hill and into the barn. She labored but not real hard and I hoped we hadn’t stalled it because of moving her.
Another water sack.
After almost two hours the first foot appears!
I think this calf was twisted some. The foot was almost upside down from how it should have been positioned. When I could hold the foot I kept some traction on it so the baby wouldn’t slip back.
I’m not pulling hard but just helping as she has contractions. She was pretty tired by this time. (Me, too!)
And out she comes!!
Welcome to the farm, little girl! 🙂
Come on. You can do it!
She was up within 15 or 20 minutes and nursing.
We were exhausted and left her with mom overnight even though the plan was to bottle feed her.
5:30 Sunday morning. Isn’t she stunning!
A couple of long, exhausting days but that’s life on the farm. And I wouldn’t trade it for ANYTHING!!
I have more garden stuff and kids and cookies from last week and frustration with a calf who wants mamma and not a bottle but will save that for another post. God bless and have a great week!
this homestead life 
How fantastic, your cow has a magnificent udder!! and such a sweet wee calf….are they jerseys? You must be so relieved to have had a good healthy birth and soon some good milk again too! fantastic pics.
Mom is a Jersey and dad is a Charolais. They are a beautiful creamy white beef breed. When we got our cow, (we traded a hay ladder for her!) she was only milking on 3 quarters. There’s something wrong with the back right teat that won’t allow the milk to come out. That quarter dries up and we only get milk from the other 3. She milked 2 gallons this morning. Just a couple more days. We can hardly stand the wait until we get to drink her milk!
Hi Missy, I had to come over to see about your new calf, especially since our Buttercup is due any day. She is sure a beauty! I wonder how she will turn out with a Charolais dad. Do you hope to milk her some day? Our cow was bred with a mini Jersey bull when we got her this spring, and I can’t wait to see how little it will be. We’re really hoping for a heifer as well. Enjoy that milk!!
We do hope to milk her. We were very happy to get a heifer. We made cheese this morning and I hope to make ice cream today but we picked about a bushel of beans this morning that we need to clean and process. Always busy but at least it’s a good, productive busy! Thanks for stopping by.
I’ve been reading back through your blog looking for cow posts. This is superb! I love the delivery pics! We always seem to completely miss deliveries that go well around here. They’re both beauties!