Ho-hum. Over the weekend, we once again witnessed the miracle of birth and the moments following......for the umpteenth, gazillionth time on this farm! There's a video below.
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In case you aren't aware of it......immediately after giving birth, a mother cow will give her baby a thorough tongue-licking, to stimulate the calf and wash it clean, of course. She nudges the newborn in the direction of her udder, too, so the baby can start nursing and ingest the "first milk", officially known as colostrum. Isn't that amazing! (And, I just found the following info on a colostrum website: In the English countryside, colostrum is called "beestings" and is used in a variety of custard and pudding dishes. Wow.....I've never heard of the word "beestings" before, or of bovine colostrum being used in cooking!)
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Ok.....the video is below. Sorry about the cacophony of noise in it. Fans running, radio blaring, guys talking, barn swallows squawking.......the usual summertime barn sounds.
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"Welcome to the big, bad world, my child!"
"Hey, watch it there, Ma. Take it easy on my little 'ol ear!"
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14 comments:
Hi friend, peace...
Your blog very interesting.
I love farm and country (village).
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At the state fari, I always went to where they had the baby cows ...
Thanks ...
love your words here...and seeing the beauty of nature in your blog..thanks for sharing all these wonderful photos..take care! have a bountiful harvest all year long!
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I always know when a first time freshener nudges her newborn goat kid back to her udder that she is going to be a good dam.
Even though I have experienced hundreds of births, I am still amazed at how nature guides the animals in caring for their young.
Jeannelle, You just made my day! I couldn't every hope to post anything as wonderful as this! Did you name the calf? (I should go and read the post - when I saw there was a video I jumped to it!)
Kat
P.S. I posted the pictures.
I did know that cows licked their babies to stimulate them after birth, but I'd never gotten a chance to see it. I haven't spent much...if any...time on a real farm, so I guess I'm a city girl through and through...in spit of the fact that I live in a farming valley whose total population is around 50,000. At any rate, I really enjoyed this video.
Thanks for visiting my blog. It's great to "meet" fellow bloggers!
Hi, Aristiono Nugroho,
Peace to you, also! Thank you for visiting here and leaving a comment! I'm glad you like farm and small town (village) life!
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Hi, JC,
Thank you for visiting and commenting, too. Oh, yes, fairs are a great place to see cows and calves. The county fairs will soon be starting here in Iowa.
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Hi, Euroangel,
You have a lovely name. Thank you for your kind words and for providing your links!
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Hi, Mary,
Yes, the nurturing instincts new animal mothers never ceases to amaze me.
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Hi, Poetikat,
Oh, bite your tongue....your posts are always wonderful! The calf is a male, so he does not get a name tag. If you want to suggest a name for him, I will call him that when I see him each day.
Good....I will look forward to seeing the buffet!
Hi, Becky,
I almost forgot you! Thank you for stopping by!
Its not always possible to be right there after a birth to watch the mother licking the baby. It happens in a tiny window of time and even I don't see it happen everytime a calf is born here.
awwwww what an adorable baby, love the ear chewing LOL ...good mama!
We have been birthing too. In this heat, every one is miserable. We have had one set of twins and three singles so far. Not a lot but enough for us to handle. I am glad when they are spaced out a little instead of all being born in one week.
Beautiful cow and calf.
Hi, Laura,
Now don't go getting any ideas about chewing on Bradley's ears!! Heehee.
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Hi, Gail,
Oh, best wishes with all the birthings. Yes, the heat doesn't help matters any. I hope all goes well.
Enjoyed the video. Brings back old memories of calfings. I sometimes had to rub the calf down with a burlap sack until the mother could do the job of lickin' the newborn. Oh those were the days...;)
I'm thinking on it right now and will e-mail you.
Kat
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