2 weeks ago today we grew our herd to 4. We do not take it for granted that we have two healthy moms and two healthy calves and that we get to keep everyone. We are so fortunate and relieved that everyone is healthy and now I can finally sleep without worrying that something is going to happen in the middle of the night, or during a storm, during super hot days, etc.
Minutes after June's birth
On Sunday, June 18th, Loretta had baby June. We noticed the day before that Loretta's bag (milk & udders) was getting to be pretty big so we assumed that she was getting close. Since we figured it would be happening in the next few days, we began to check on her every hour or two throughout the day. Anthony left for softball at about 2:45 and I went outside to water some plants. I looked down to the pasture where Loretta was last seen and I noticed her tail sticking straight out and that she was pacing a bit and mooing. I called Anthony and told him it seemed like it was about to happen, so he turned around and came back home. (Anyone who knows about his dedication to softball will recognize that it was somewhat of a Sophie's Choice moment for him) He ran down to take a look, ran back up to the house and grabbed his camera and came back down. He told me to go back up to the house to get the cookies I was baking out of the oven. I didn't want to leave, but I also didn't want to burn the house down so I ran up and took them out of the oven. When I came back outside, approximately 3 minutes later, Anthony yelled "She's out!" I was so pissed. Missed it again!
Loretta immediately took charge and the other two girls came to join in a few minutes later. The whole process took less than 30 minutes and June has fit in with the herd nicely. It took a couple of hours for us to confirm that she was actually a girl and we then named her June in keeping with the theme of the first ladies of country music; naming her after June Carter-Cash. She looks so different from Dolly and I'm always worried that Dolly is bullying her, or taking milk away from her, or that she is just too skinny. Plus Dolly is so solid and June is built differently than her - she's much taller and has a skinnier face. But they all seem to be happy and now it really seems like we've got the beginnings of a legit operation going on around here. Or maybe it will be legit once the new fencing is up and no one is escaping, giving me heart palpitations.
The reason why I can never see her sleeping in the pasture. So little next to the tall pasture grass.
They are always together. Doesn't Dolly look huge next to her?
Here's a video that sums it all up. Hope you love it as much as we do.