Aug. 24, 2002 ~ A heifer!
Suzy Q, the world's sweetest cow, was the first calf born of our first cow. Because of this, we probably spoiled her. Didn't know any better. We petted her a lot, talked to her, and expected her to be gentle and sweet. She did not disappoint us. We've since learned to leave the cows alone, for the most part... not to make pets of them. "Pets" can hurt you, when they weigh one or two thousand pounds. They don't mean to do harm; it's just the nature of the beast. They bop each other around, toss their heads, kick at flies, and so on. If you happen to be nearby when they do this, particularly if you are close to a fence, heaven help you. We know longtime cattlemen who've been badly injured, had ribs broken and lungs punctured, by their gentle cattle. We especially know not to be too friendly with bulls. That sweet bull calf grows up into a hormonally-crazed giant who is far from sane when he's after a cow.
But Suzy is a sweetheart. A big girl, very big, but gentle and wonderful and just a delight. Not a beauty queen, with her tiger stripes, but who cares. From the beginning, we hoped and hoped and HOPED Suzy would have a heifer, but every single time, she's given birth to bull calves. This is not her doing... the bull is the one whose genetic material determines the calf's gender, and of course, the bull doesn't have any say in the matter, either! So it's just one of those things.
Last night, just before dark, Suzy gave birth to the prettiest little heifer you've ever seen. Husband hadn't even noticed she was in labor; there were few signs. Maybe it's a woman thing, or a mom thing, but I knew what was up. I pulled on my boots and went out to check on her, which meant that I was the first one to see that brand new baby! Just me and Suzy and a very wet bundle of fur... all legs and ears and snort, snort, snort. Fresh from the factory. I cleaned out her nose and mouth and rubbed her wet body, trying to bond with her right from the start. Petted mama cow a lot, too, so baby would know I was okay. Generally, the sweet cows have sweet babies, because the babies imitate the mother's behavior, as well as her reactions to humans. After a while I trudged back to the house to get Husband, who did not seem to believe me! Couldn't believe she had already given birth, or that she'd had a girl. But I was smiling from ear to ear, so he followed me out to the pasture and I think he was in shock! I even picked up the calf's wet tail and showed him the evidence. Yes, it really was a girl.
This morning we both went out to pet the new one, and she is a DOLL! Red and big with big hooves. Big ears. Big head. Soft and sweet. Blue, cloudy eyes, though, and Husband is concerned about that. Doofus has similar eyes, but Doofus had a high fever and a bad infection shortly after birth. I think the heifer's eyes are just those of a healthy newborn, and they will change to healthy-looking brown eyes in a few days. That's my plan. Because Husband's first thought, when he saw her eyes, was "It might be the bull."
He has been wanting to get rid of Henry for a while now. And I don't want Henry to go. I LOVE Henry. I don't pet him or anything, but he's a big baby, docile, for the most part, and I can handle him. This wasn't the case with our last bull. When I think they're going to hurt me, they have to go. And I don't even care when they leave. But Henry is a nice boy, though he's getting up in years. And we really can't keep a bull forever. We do need "fresh blood." Well. Husband thought the calf's eyes might be a genetic thing; I hope not. And he's just ready for Henry to go. I changed the subject. But I know he'll keep on until we have a new bull. Our next one will probably be black, probably Brangus, and he WILL be gentle. Or he'll be gone.
I don't yet have a picture of Suzy's new calf, but here's a photo of her with her last calf... taken when he was just minutes old.
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