We pulled up to my cousin Johnny's house, and saw about 10 trucks.
"These aren't all his," I told Emily, "I wonder what's going on?"
Turned out a baby calf was born... and not without a little (or a lot) of drama. My cousin Dustin's cow gave birth earlier that afternoon, but needed some help having the calf. Hence all those trucks.
After getting the lowdown on what had happened, I asked if we could see the calf. I've never seen a newborn calf before. So we trudged into the field to find the baby all wrapped up in hay with only her little head sticking out.
It was cold out (about 35 degrees). And the momma cow was on the other side of the field nursing a hurt leg. My cousin and his friends were caring for the calf, and keeping her warm and getting her to feed were on the top of the priority list.
I asked if I could feed her. Still covered in afterbirth, she was shaking and so tiny. Well... tiny being about 50 pounds. In the photo above you see me holding the bottle and my cousin Dustin holding her head while also keeping her tongue in her mouth. Apparently she didn't know how to suck properly, so that helped her to learn. She was PRECIOUS!!
Due to the cold, and the neighborly coyotes, Dustin ended up bringing her into his dad's outdoor kitchen that night. It most likely saved her life. The next morning we reunited her with the momma cow (see above) and I'm happy to share that both are doing exceptionally well.
During the night while feeding her, I nicknamed her "Little Christy." I told the boys that since I was vegan and didn't eat cows, that maybe it would help to save her and life and ensure she made it until morning (something we weren't entirely sure of). Who knows... maybe that added a little good luck voodoo to her evening. Either way, when I asked Kace (who plans to show the calf when she gets bigger) this past weekend what he named her... he said....
"Her name is Christy."
Awwwwwww........... xoxox
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