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| Nutmeg, our surprise calf! |
So, as we've mentioned many times before, we are greenies to anything having to do with farming, animal husbandry, you name it, well, except for chickens, We have had chickens at various times in our lives and are quite familiar with poultry husbandry. Other than that, green we are...
With that said, when we went out scouting for our first cows, we didn't know much other than what we read as we tried to educate ourselves a bit. I found first a Jersey heifer, a breed I had desired to own since childhood. We found her, brought her home, and she has been a delight ever since. Her personality is wonderfully sweet and playful. Her face is just adorable. Next, I decided I needed a Belted Galloway, I was drawn to the stark contrast of their coat and found her also close by. We went to see her, and she looked beautiful to me, and I wanted her. Apparently, she had bonded with a Guernsey cow who lived there also, and the owner insisted that if we wanted the Belted Galloway, we must also purchase the Guernsey cow. I really didn't want her, but since I wasn't aware of any other Belteds available nearby, we agreed to purchase them both. We were told that they both had been exposed to a Brahma bull, and could be pregnant. With our general luck, I didn't give it much thought, except that Bill kept saying that she, Ginger the Guernsey, looked big enough to be pregnant. They both looked big to me!
Well, around the middle of August or so, we noticed her udder looking different than before, we thought, but I wasn't sure whether or not I had even noticed her udder before. Then, out of the blue, on September 11th, out in the middle of the pasture, Bill saw a little tan baby calf jumping and scampering all around. What a wonderful surprise it was!
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| Isn't he a little charmer? |
We thought of naming him something reflecting his day of birth, such as Patriot, or Justice, but instead, we decided to carry on his mama's name theme. We're not sure just what we want to do with this special gift, but I'm sure we'll decide on whatever seems to be best for him and us. Perhaps we'll sell him to another hobby farmer much like ourselves. But, we have plenty of time to decide. For now, we will enjoy watching this little miracle grow.
Carpe Diem!
