Deb Ward, GWS, OWS, PWS, WSI - WATERCOLOR/WATER MEDIA - My passion is teaching adult “beginners”. Weekly classes in my home; workshops; classes for Cincinnati Recreation Commission. My work is nationally recognized and published - see “Featured” on my sidebar. I’m a Signature Member of Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana state Watercolor Societies, Cincinnati Art Club, past-President of Greater Cincinnati Watercolor Society. Contact info below under “Class Information”

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

IT'S A BOY . . . .

. . . . we think!

Here are photos of our new arrival – our first “grandcalf”. (I now have a “granddog” and a “grandcalf” – apparently the closest I will ever get to a “grandchild”).

Just a few minutes old and mama is cleaning him up. We were concerned about her mothering skills since this is her first calf – seems she knew just what to do.



A few minutes later – a bit more awake!


Trying to stand up, front legs first – not working for him! Trying again, back legs first – not quite there yet. I stood in the field several more minutes to try to get a photo of his first steps - until my husband decided he had better things to do, so I left with him in the gator rather than hike all the way back up the hill – we have A LOT OF HILLS to hike up and down. . . . .
. . . . which is why, several hours later, after he got his legs under him, the calf managed to fall/roll down a hill and wedge himself under the barbed wire fence. My son pushed him up the hill and he went to mama.
Then, yesterday, my husband informed me he couldn’t find the calf – then found him outside the perimeter fence (again, barbed wire, and my husband has the cut to prove it!) and carried him up and pushed him back under. This morning he said he can’t find him at all – one hopes he did not get carried off and eaten last night (we have coyotes, plus large neighbor dogs plus who knows what in them woods!) – I’ll keep you posted.
And, yes, I have now decided this must be a boy – a girl would have figured out the first time not to roll down the hill and under the fence – best to stay by mom for snack time!!!
If it truly is a boy – his name is “Sonny”. If it turns out to be a girl it will be “Sunny” – since mom is “Sunshine”!
p.s. Day 3 – Sonny lives! He was outside the electric fence laying in the tall pasture grasses – we were specifically searching for him and didn’t see him until we were about 10 feet away - the dog was with us and saw him too, but didn’t bother him and came immediately away from him when we called.

All of you real ranchers out there are no doubt laughing at us. All of the books on cattle that my husband has read and seminars he has attended – and he had to call two of the local farmers for pointers on baby calves! He had 9 cows years ago before we lived out here and we have seen the young calves laying in the fields – but neither of us realized that when they are first born the mother hides them. And since the area our cows are in gets eaten and trampled down there is no place for him to hide, thus he has to go outside that area in order to hide.

Guess we will be going day to day with him and hoping for the best until he gets bigger and more mobile.

5 comments:

Cindi said...

congrats on the gcalf.. glad he/she is ok.. i started with grand-animals too.. turtles, bunnies, kittys, dogs etc.. and now have 5 gkids... so you are on your way!!! LOL

Kathy Wirth said...

I'm no expert, But I understand that deer do the same thing. They leave their newborns in tall growth for the first few hours while they gather the strength to stand and walk. Fawns have no scent, so it's actually safer for them to be alone when they are so vulnerable. People who find these babies sometimes think they are abandoned, bit they're not. Maybe cows are doing the same thing?

RH Carpenter said...

Wasn't it Dion who had that song, The Wanderer? Maybe you should call him Dion! ha ha Seems like he's going to be wandering for a while.

Gaylynn said...

YEAH for Sonny! Looking forward to future info on your "grand calf". Maybe a painting or two as he grows ;-)

debwardart said...

Gaylynn - my son has decided to "befriend" him now - realizing how big he may get! Not sure about any future paintings, tho!
Rhonda - cute idea!
Kathy - yes, they must do the same thing, we are just novices at this.
Cindi - gotta start somewhere I guess!