Norman – Sunday, April 9th.  It’s spring and that means it’s calving season in Virginia.  This year we were lucky enough to join in the fun.  That’s Number 32 (aka Little One) in the picture with her new born calf, Norman.  Ever since we saw the movie City Slickers, we have come to regard “Norman” as a perfectly normal and logical name for a bull calf owned by Los Angeles natives.

Norman shortly after birth

Number 32 went into first stage labor sometime before dawn this morning and delivered the healthy bull calf at 12:03 pm.  Although we really wanted to get in there and introduce ourselves to Norman, we thought it best to keep our distance for a few days.  Weighing in at a little over half a ton, we had to respect the fact that Norman’s mom has the blocking power of four NFL defensive linemen.

Norman birth was textbook in just about every respect.  Second stage labor began at 11:20 with the emergence of a brownish, fluid sac.  Just forty-three minutes later, she was delivering a calf that weighed something in the neighborhood of 60 to 70 pounds.  She paced the fence for much of this time, stopping only during contractions.  A few minutes later, two small, front hooves presented themselves.  Norman was on the way!

Sally – Tuesday, April 18th.  This time it was #28’s turn.  She gave birth to a female calf that we hope will become a part of our next generation heifer herd.  In the photos below, you can see that #28 is taking good care of her calf.   #26 is next in our line up.  She is due anytime during the next week and a half.

Annie – Wednesday, June 14th.  #26’s calf finally arrives and on the Harker’s wedding anniversary!  We expected the calf in mid-May, but our vet was right on the money with his prediction of mid June.  The calf was born in our shed which turned out to be a lucky break.  The shed protected the newborn calf from the sun and heat that we have been experiencing over the past few days.  By mid-day, however, the calf was up and walking in the corral.  By the evening, it appeared that cow and calf had figured out nursing (below).  So what does Mary Harker call a calf born on her anniversary?  Well, Annie, of course!