A Spate of Spring Arrivals: New Life Bursts Forth on the Farm
"Oh boy. Well, would you look at that." The quiet morning air held a sense of wonder as a new arrival was discovered. "I thought that might happen overnight. Looks like Audrey had her calf overnight. I don't even exactly know when. Nothing was doing when I came out here around I don't know 8:30 last night. Actually, probably was 9:30 when I checked on things then. Nothing was going on." The mystery of the exact moment of birth only added to the enchantment. "Here we have the little one. He's a little boy. It's like kind of a reddish maybe brindle color. It was a cold night last night. Uh I think the low was about 20° Fahrenheit, but he seems like he's doing okay. Mom seems like she's doing okay. All in all, another successful birth. Good work, boss cow. This is your third calf on the farm. I'm very proud of you." Audrey, a seasoned mother, had once again successfully brought new life into the world. "I think you're trying to drink from the wrong lady there, little one. Audrey's going to get mad at Buffy the Vampire Slayer in a minute." The newborn's initial confusion was a charming display of instinct. "It's always kind of magical when you wake up on farm mornings like this. You're looking good, fella. Can I say hi to him? Hi. Just saying hi to you. Oh, you're cold. It's okay. I'm not trying to hurt your baby, mama. I really am trying to do right by her." A gentle introduction to the newest member of the herd was carefully orchestrated.
The farm's other recent arrivals were also thriving. "Meanwhile, let's check on the farm's other calves here. There's our little sea girl. So, her mom, Bonnie McMurray's right here. Hi, Betty White. How's it going? So, because she is a sea girl, she does get a C name, which we finally picked out." The naming tradition for the third-generation calf was upheld. "You can also see little Buttercup running around right over there. Buttercup is I don't know. She's looking big and healthy and robust. I'm really excited about Buttercup. That's Anna Green Gables's daughter. She was the first calf of the year. Hey, Buttercup. Can I get you curious to visit me? Want to say hi? I'm just going to stand right here and continue to beckon you. How's it going, Ariel? Are you getting close to cabin? Now that Audrey's had her baby, it's either you or Belinda Carile." The anticipation for more births was palpable as other expectant mothers showed signs of being close to calving. "I think the little sea girl is shy. She's actually Bonnie, who's actually Ariel's daughter. She's actually really shy and it seems like her daughter is also very shy. Here she is side by side with Buttercup. What's interesting is you look at the two of them, right? And they have just a significant size difference. Like Buttercup is much much larger than the little sea girl. I don't know, Bonnie. Is that because you're a first-time mom and you're maybe a little bit smaller than Anne? I don't know. That might be my theory. She's just turning 3 years old, so she just had her first calf. This is Ann. I don't even know how old she is. This is at least her third calf on our farm. I don't even know how many she's had before she came to our farm." The contrasting sizes of the young calves sparked observations about maternal age and experience. "Let's look at Belinda. I'm starting to see mucus coming out of Belinda, too. Belinda, are you going to calf today? If you do, that'd be kind of great. It feels like it was just yesterday when I first came out here to find that Belinda Carile had been born on the farm back in the spring of 2022. A little baby calf freshly emerged, stumbling around the barnyard." The cyclical nature of farm life was highlighted as attention turned to Belinda, now an expectant mother herself.
The arrival of Audrey's calf was a particularly poignant moment, given past challenges. "And so, I have some very exciting news to share with you guys. Yes, our farm has had its first calf born. Despite the fact that it's only about 15° right now and despite the fact that we got about a foot of fresh snow and we've had blinding winds, our little calf is right here. How's it going, fella? Yeah, I feel like I could easily have two more born today. I mean, it's not even 6:00 a.m. and we've already got the first one. So, that shot was really important because Audrey had a calf last year, a little bull calf just like this one here. And she actually lost it because it had a mineral deficiency. And so, that's actually what I was just giving them there." The proactive measure taken to prevent a recurrence of last year's loss underscored the deep care for the animals' well-being. "Oh, well, good morning, baby bee. How are you doing there, girl? So, now that I've got this applied, I feel like mission accomplished. I'm just going to let them do their thing this morning, and we'll check back in with them later today." With the initial care administered, the focus shifted to allowing the new mother and calf to bond undisturbed. "Yes, yes, yes. We're going to feed the Pablo and Genie barn cats. There you go. Scarf. Scarf. Scarf. Scarf. Scarf. Scarf. Scarf. Scarf. Scarf. Scarf. Scarf. Scarf. All right, let's check on our hatchery." Even the barn cats received their morning sustenance.
The anticipation extended beyond the cattle to the potential for new avian life. "So, since it was so cold overnight, it's not surprising that it's about 65° in here. Luckily though, everything inside the incubator is looking good. Our temp is right at 99.5. Our humidity is right at 55 or 56. Got this automated pump that like basically just keeps it somewhere between 55 and 60. And so when it hits down to 55, it starts to operate and it'll send little drips of water down into the incubator. So we're making progress. We got probably a couple more days I'll put more eggs in here and get even more classes of goings going. So yes, beyond the calves, there's even more life here on the farm." The incubator hummed with the promise of goslings. "It's actually hot here. You know, one thing people always ask is like uh what do I do up here in the upper level of the barn? This is actually where I shoot all my video essays. So, I even have like a couple heaters here so I can shoot like in the dead of winter when it's like 10° Fahrenheit outside. Like, if you go look at my second channel, you'll see a couple videos where like you can see my breath even though I look comfortable. It's because I was shooting out here under the heaters." A glimpse into the behind-the-scenes of farm documentation revealed the practicalities of capturing life in a cold climate. "Hi, Mr. Toby Dog. How are you, buddy? Taking an afternoon nap. How's my Abbeby dog? A good to see you, sweetie." Midday check-ins with the canine companions were a comforting routine. "It's like right around lunchtime at this point, so I figured it'd be a good time to check in with our calves and see how they're doing. Looks like Barnacus was hanging out inside the house. What's up, Barney? How's it going, buddy? Hey, Mama Audrey. How's it going? How's your little one? Just coming to check in on them. Oh, here he is taking a nap right here in the hay. Don't worry, Audrey." The new calf was observed resting peacefully. "So, I was just uh actually putting a little band on the little boy. So, because he's a male, he's going to be raised as a steer. And so, that means he needs to lose his testicles relatively soon. And so, I'm just starting the process. I find the earlier you get on him, the easier it is. Yeah, Audrey is a very good mom. She knows what she's doing. He's a very pretty calf. more traditional, just standard Highland red calf. But he looks good." The necessary farm management practices were carried out with care and consideration for the animals' well-being. "I also came out here to check in with our other expecting mamas and see if there's any new developments in particular. You know, Amanda I'm keeping an eye on. Probably the one I'm keeping the closest eye on is this gal right here. What's going on, Belinda? I still think you're close. I still think you're very close. We got Curly Q over here. She's scampering out into the background. Belinda's actually her aunt. That little curly calf's mom is right here, actually. Hey, Bonnie. And Ariel, you're the other one I'm expecting to see something coming from pretty soon. You seem really close. Hey, Princess Buttercup. Am I spooking you or you going to say hi? I think she's going to warm up to me eventually. She seems pretty curious. Her sister is a little bit more skittish. She is relatively chill. And you are my chillst cow of all. Still just waiting on a calf from you. He's a vigorous little fella. He's already up and moving around. You can actually see he's a lot bigger than Bonnie's little curly calf, too. That calf is very undersized. Both this fella as well as Buttercup are pretty much exactly the size you'd want to see out of a calf. You're trying to get a drink off of everybody, aren't you, kid? Annabelle does not have any interest in letting you drink off of her. She's going to have her own calf real soon. It's okay, little fella. I'm certain your mom has plenty of milk. Oh, Abby dog, you've been so patient just hanging it back here. I know you want to visit with the little ones, but probably not this morning. Okay. I'm still pretty sure we're going to have another calf. So, we'll check back in later this afternoon. But, it feels like it's inevitable. Between Ariel and Belinda, those are the two that I am really expecting to see a calf come from." The close observation of the expectant cows continued, with Belinda and Ariel appearing to be the next in line to give birth.
The warmth inside the hoop coop contrasted sharply with the outside chill. "It is like roasting in here inside the hoop coop with the sun fully going at this point. Like, it's heated up for all morning. We're probably 70° inside of here, so nice and toasty. You can see some laying activity going on as we speak. This girl is not laying. She just always sits on eggs. Like, here you go. She's already got like a handful of them. I'm just going to take them away from her. She consistently spends most of her day just sitting on eggs." The dedicated but ultimately fruitless efforts of a broody hen were a humorous aside. "Good morning, Toby dog. How's it going, buddy? Come on, kid. Inside. I don't have time for your dillydally." Even Toby's leisurely pace couldn't deter the morning's farm duties.
The following morning brought the anticipated news. "All right, it is now the next morning, and it is time to check on our cattle and see how they're doing. I'm really wondering what we got here for new activity. Do you guys know if we had any new calves born? What about you guys, ducks? Do you know of any new calves born this morning? Oh boy. Well, would you look at that? I thought that might happen overnight. Sorry, guys. I'm going to have you stay out for just a minute." The question was rhetorical, as the evidence was clear. "Well, Belinda Carlile, how's your new little calf? Born in a rainstorm, it looks like. Yeah, it's about 35° and rainy, but our calf looks pretty good. Hey, little one. How are you doing? Oh, you're chilly. You're a little scared. Belinda, you did a very good job. I'm just going to visit with your calf real quick. She's already pooping. That's a good sign. Can't tell if it's a boy or a girl yet. Hang on. Don't want to anger mom. It's okay, little one. It's okay. Oh, mom's just trying to keep you clean. And I'm just trying to get a little check at you. I'm not a person to be scared of. I'm just trying to get her their tail up. I can't tell if it's a boy or a girl. I don't know, Belinda. I'm just trying to look. You just seem very bossy and unhappy with me right now. I don't want to upset you. All right, we'll give them a couple of minutes to calm down. You know, you got to be careful, especially with new moms, cuz they can be pretty protective. And even though Belinda's known me all her life, I need to be careful." Belinda had indeed calved overnight, adding another precious life to the farm, despite the less-than-ideal weather conditions. "You know, I'm not shocked that that happened. You know, when I came out here for like the last check of the night, it was like around 9:30, and she was actually posted up right right about where she is now. and uh she was not getting up. She was looking pretty uncomfortable and so yeah, I'm not even remotely shocked that she had her baby overnight. And it's good to see that it seems like a pretty healthy baby. We'll give it some time to do its thing over the next couple of hours. I'll give it its Boseie shot. If it's a boy, I'll probably end up banding it. And now, as I'm looking right here, I would not be shocked if Ariel goes also later today, if not even later this morning. What do you think, Belle? Are you going to have a new sister very soon? I think it's looking like it. Yeah, it was raining really hard this morning. Like, you know, before I came out here, it's like about 7:00 in the morning right now. I waited until it all stopped, but it was it was going hardcore from pretty much about 4:00 when I first woke up onward. So, Ariel, do you think you're going to have your calf today? I don't know. This is going to be very interesting to see." The anticipation for yet another birth hung in the air.
Even Toby's less-than-refined habits couldn't detract from the excitement. "Excuse me, Mr. Toby dog. What are you eating? Please don't eat the placenta, Toby. Hey. Hey, Toby. Leave it. Toby, leave it. Please. Dogs like to eat the grossest of things. and we've got a few more chores to do. So, come with me, my friends. Come on, Tubs. Good morning, birds." The morning rounds continued, encompassing all the farm's residents. "I usually stash my egg collection baskets right about there. Oh, you guys are already getting a sneak preview, huh? Wait, but Bean, the party's back back over there. It's over there. Oh, poor Bean. All right, now you found the food. Good job, Beanie. Pretty much every day I check to make sure she does that at least a couple of times a day. And this chicken continues to sit on a nest that doesn't exist. Girl, you are never going to hatch any of those eggs because there's no eggs underneath you because I take them every single day. I know you go so broody and you just want a family. I might end up putting you in with the weird chickens, but not if you bite me like that and might end up putting you in a stew. All right, let's check for eggs this morning. That's one duck egg. There's a whole clutch of duck eggs. Nothing in here. Got another clutch of eggs down in here. What do we got here, Abby? Looks like three duck eggs and a chicken egg. So, we're a little late on collections this morning, but we're early, so it's okay. I am starting to notice that the birds are starting to make little nests outside because the weather's getting nicer again. But I have to like go through here and do a check for eggs. The dogs are usually pretty helpful in that task, too. Abby Dog, can you help me spot the eggs? I'm looking for some. Hey, it's Greta the duck. She is actually the oldest duck on our farm. Oh, hey. Well, this is a terrible place to leave a goose egg. Huh. Let's get this inside. I have a few more days before I actually put more eggs in the incubator. So, I'm actually trying to get my hands on pretty much every egg I can. Come on, dogs. Come with me. Let's go." The egg collection continued, with the dogs providing their usual assistance.
A visit to the goats revealed their typical antics. "And how's the troublesome turbo team? You guys doing okay? Got some fresh hay enjoying your rock pile, which is like your favorite place to hang out when you're out and about? I don't know. Now that the snow's melting again, I might actually start moving you guys around the property. We're getting some stuff starting to spring up. And I'd love it if you could eat that instead of hay that I have to buy for you. So, very soon. Isn't that right, Tmicus? You know, it's so funny. They they all three of them have like very clear personalities that emerge. Oh, what