The week before Thanksgiving, Rosie the pregnant Jersey cow exhibited symptoms that made us worry about  another premature birth. So we moved her to the barnyard where she could bask in the afternoon sunlight and spend her nights in the safety of the barn — and more importantly, where we could more easily monitor her
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There I was, wandering around in the pasture, checking every tall stand of grass and cluster of brush for the day-old calf that was hiding somewhere out there in the pasture. And I saw this . . . Rosie apparently had a bad itch.  Her daughter, one of the twins from two years ago, helped
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Several weeks ago we noticed something odd about Cocoa, the preemie calf.  Take a look at that face. Look a little closer.  Note the underbite and the exposed teeth. It’s not a huge underbite, but it definitely affects what I used to think of as her sweet face. If she were my child, I’d start
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Somewhere there’s an alien cow barn missing a calf. Look, the alien calf’s big sister came to visit, too. It’s an alien cow family reunion. P.S.  Don’t take your camera flash to the barn.  Just don’t do it.

I’ve been spending a lot of time with the Jersey cow and her preemie calf. When viewed from the side, Rosie looks pretty good. At this angle, she still looks very pregnant. Or very fat. Whatever you call it, she’s still huge. I worried about bloat. I dreamed one night that by some freak chance she had another calf in there, still growing and biding its time until it could emerge like some alien space creature with big teeth and a raging, carnivore appetite.

I’ve never wanted a bottle calf. In my experience, four-legged bottle babies are pushy, demanding pests. A few years ago I got a scary-looking hickey from a bottle calf that thought my thumb made a good pacifier. I’ve been bumped, shoved, and slobbered silly by half-grown calves that think humans are just part of the herd. And then along came Cocoa.

Cocoa came into our lives on a bitterly cold morning when the wind gusted  through the trees and chilled every living creature to the bone.  Weeks premature, she seemed barely alive when I found her.  She’s stronger now, and I finally feel safe in sharing her with you.   Here are some pictures to get you
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Alone, but apparently not lonely, our young Jersey cow Rosalie spends her days in the back 40, munching on grass.  Her only responsibility is to eat enough to maintain her ever rounding figure.  She’s doing very well at that. Rosie’s also doing very well at being alone, which isn’t always the case with herd animals.  Rosie spent most
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The calves got bored with the fenceline meet-and-greet routine pretty quickly.  Or maybe they got tired of being licked.  So they went exploring.  Rosie behaved like a typical new mother, hovering close, keeping an eye on her restless offspring.  She tried to keep them close.  She tried to keep them together. She’d head one off,
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