Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

       

                                             Aren't these the cutest twins!

 

On a foggy morning in the pasture, the second calf was hidden  until it stood up next to Mama and appeared to be checking out the neighborhood before moving very far from Mom.  In just a short time, each calf was following their Mother around the pasture as expected.  Even though we will have three or four sets of twins born each year, each set is unique  and totally unexpected.

I'm thankful for the joy we find in the unexpected surprise gift of twins and the cooler weather for calving season down on the dairy farm.

Dairymom'sThankful Thursday

                               
                        What's not to love about this picture of spring down on the dairy farm!
                             

We have calves born through out the year but spring calving adds a 

little more stress as we closely watch our heifers give birth to their first calf.

We're on call 24/7  to ensure a healthy delivery.

I'm thankful for the awesome responsibility we have to care

 for our cows, heifers and calves and  to share the life experiences with 

the next generation of our family farm.

Signs of the Season

I'm not quite ready to believe that spring  has arrived in the

 first week of March but ready or not, I'm seeing the signs of the season...

 getting ready for spring plowing and planting,

 heifers are quickly approaching the birth of their first calf,

and

  daylight savings time begins this Sunday.

The cows don't seem to notice the time change but losing that 

hour of sleep is the farmer's kick-off for spring down on the dairy farm!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Cows just love to mother a new calf and often try to take

 over another cow's mothering job  before delivering a calf of their own.

Some mamas allow this behavior and others will work to stop this invasion  of their space.

I'm thankful for the natural  God-given mothering instinct 

that protects and  insures a healthy  start in life.

On Call Dairy Farmer

What's not to love about a new fall  baby?

                                                             Like most of our calves,
                                          this baby was born in the pasture next to the house.

                                          During calving season we keep a close eye on the

                                                      cows to ensure a healthy delivery.

                                                    If a mom-to-be does need assistance, 

                                         we walk them to the maternity barn for assistance.

                                           It's the on call dairy farmer  that makes the difference

                                                   in the  outcome of  difficult deliveries.

                                       

                                         
   

Wednesday Wake-up

Would you like this kind of wake-up call?

This baby was born after midnight and is enjoying a time of rest but this new mama says it's time to get the day started!

In just a couple of hours, this new mama will join the milking herd and the care of this baby will become my daily responsibility.

Calves grow up to become the cows that produce milk, so we make it a priority to get them off to a healthy start. For the first three months, this baby will live in an individual pen called a calf hutch that allows the calf to freely move about but provide protection from the heat and cold weather. 

Happy Wednesday !!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

We're on duty around the clock during spring calving season to make sure that our dairy cows have a healthy delivery. I'm thankful for this "special delivery" that happened without any complications  in the middle of a hectic day  down on the dairy farm.

 

 

Mother Nature always has perfect timing!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

 

We're celebrating a birthday today!!

 

                                                          Spring hasn't officially started
                                                                             but
                          I'm thankful that our spring calving season officially started today  with
                         our young Holstein  heifer giving birth for the first time  to  this   sweet heifer calf!