New life on a Saturday morning

What a wonderful start to my day! Whilst out in the field this morning I heard a cow making a horrible noise. I thought she was dying, so stopped to watch and listen to see what was happening. I saw her straining, and wondered if she was in calf. The farmer usually keeps them in the barn when they are due to calf, so this was unusual. Anyhow, very soon I saw a calf being pushed from her and relaxed.

But all was not well. The calf was stuck mid section. The heifer was walking around in small circles and had given up pushing {This was 10am and I learned later that she had been struggling since 5:30am}

Telling the dogs to wait, I hopped over the fence and walked over. The calf looked dead. Talking quietly to mum, I told her that I had come to help, I pulled the birth sac off the calf, and cleared the mucus from his nose. His eyes blinked. Hooray, he was alive. I grabbed his wet slippery legs and tried pulling. Nothing. He wasn't going to budge. I had two dog leads in my pocket, so I tied one to his legs and pulled. Nothing. I wrapped it round my waist and pulled. Nothing.

I pulled and pulled but he didn't shift. I removed the rope and wondered about going for help. No. I decided to have one more go. Tying the rope back round his legs, I pulled again. This time I was sure he had moved a little. I pulled again. Plop! Out he came. I cleared his nose again and his mum turned and started licking away the afterbirth. I moved back and watched to see that they were both ok.

What an incredible moment. I felt so grateful.

Ten minutes later I spotted Roger - the farm labourer - in the tractor, driving into the yard. I went and told him what had happened. He said that the heifer was a 'right nasty old bitch', but I was surprised at this as she had been relaxed and calm with me, even when I didn't go away once the baby was born. I believe that when we don't have a history about others our approach is unbiased and so we often get a better response.

I walked back to watch them both, amused to see baby struggling to get to his feet. Falling, time after time as mum increased her vigorous licking, he eventually managed to get up onto all fours. Mum tried to steer him to the teats. He licked on her hairy black chest. You could feel mum's frustration as he tried to suckle in so many different places. But eventually he got it.

A little wet calf on a cold windy morning, hands and coat covered in blood and mucus, but happy as a sand boy! Does it get any better than this?