We have the pitter patter of tiny new hooves...

Nothing a farmer likes more than to come home and find a new calf.

 We haven't been able to get to close to it to check its...um,...er...its "undercarriage", but by the neck line and square lines of the head, we are thinking it is a little bull.  We have named it Liberty, since we were in Liberty when it was born.  (Aren't we original with our names?)

Here is the proud momma and daddy.  Don't tell daddy, but he is next in line for the deep freeze, probably some time this winter.  The rest of our herd is Angus, so we are slowly phasing out the Charolais and Shorthorns.  I think we are going to have another calf in a few months, judging on the appearance of one of the Angus ladies.

Our cows are rather spoiled at times.  I am not sure they even are aware they are cows.  I think they think they are large dogs.

Last night we had sweet corn and one of the girls threw the husks over the fence for the cows.  This morning JD saw one of the ladies at the fence eating it, with a smug look on her face.  He noticed she didn't let on to the others what she had.  To them, its like candy.  She kept it a secret and didn't share any.

New Baby!!

This morning Elizabeth and I got up early and went to the dentist.  Elizabeth has TMD (similar to TMJ, but the disc of the jaw joint is out of place).  Today they took x-rays and impressions of her teeth and jaw.  She will get to wear an appliance, similar to a retainer to correct it.  She isn't too thrilled about any of it.

But, as we pulled into the driveway coming home, she perked up.  On the other side of  the fence, where the last little bit of hay from a bale was left, lay a just born, tiny calf.  Very tiny.  Our black labs make it look even smaller.

 Since it is so tiny, and it is her first calf, we will have to keep an extra eye on things for the first few weeks. 
I've checked them twice since we have been back, and momma and daddy seem to be taking care of it.  Normally, when there is a new calf, the other cows come up, this time, just the daddy, Star, (a black Angus with a white star on his side) came up and was licking on the baby--being the proud poppa.   Later on we saw the other cows and chickens, dogs, cat and guinea come calling as well.

I've not seen the baby nurse yet, so we will keep watch and may end up having to bottle feed it for a couple days.  This calf wasn't due yet, but yesterday I thought we were getting close, by the way Daisy May was acting and looking--I had JD come and look at it.  But, we thought it would be a couple more days.  So, this one came as a surprise.

Within the next 4 to 6 weeks we will be having another calf as well.