Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

                                          An ordinary day down on the dairy farm is full
                                                            of extraordinary activities.
                                        It is the Mother's behavior of licking her calf that gives
                                        the new baby strength and encouragement to stand up
                                      for the first time usually within the first hour after birth.
                                       

I'm thankful for the reminder of how important a little 

encouragement can be to all of us!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Foggy mornings are sometimes challenging when you are looking 

for new calves that may have arrived in the early morning hours.

The gathering of these expectant cows around the new baby  was a 

beacon as the fog began to lift.

It's that mothering instinct that always shines.

                                       
                                       I'm thankful for the beauty of new life as we transition
                                                into the fall season down on the dairy farm.
                                                                                   
                                                   

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Welcome Miss January!

It was obvious that being born on a single digit morning entitles you

 to special treatment from more than one mother.

                         
                           Miss January was full of energy as she darted around the hay manger
                                         followed quickly by her mother and adoptive mother.
                             
                                              I'm thankful that the cows and  calves tolerate
                                               the cold temperatures better than the farmers!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Did you ever get the "look" from your mother when

 your behavior was less than perfect?

This new mama was giving the "look" to the family dogs that followed

 me to the pasture and  wandered just a little too close to her new baby. 

                      Watching the behavior of our cows and thinking about my own experiences
                          of mothering and being mothered, I'm thankful for the God given gift
                                      of maternal instinct that protects our young  and the "look"
                                           that often provides a boundary of safe behavior.

Dairy Life Lesson

Although this new momma had to have a little assistance delivering her calf, 

she instinctively knew how to care for him. Within the hour after giving birth,

 she was busy licking him and urging him to stand up for the first time.

He was a little wobbly on that first step but he made it!

It's such a sweet picture of  encouragement and a lesson in life  

that we witness often down on the dairy farm.

Encourage one another.

                          1 Thessalonians 5:11

Mother Love

Will the real mother step forward?

That was my thought as I watched these other pregnant cows try to claim this new calf. 

It doesn't happen too often, but sometimes a pregnant  cow will try to 

claim every new baby  before she has her own calf. 

                                   
                                                 The real mother, the Ayrshire in the center,
                                   did step forward when the other cows got a little too close.
                                              Maternal instinct is strong and protective and
                                 one of the many miracles we witness down on the dairy farm.