The little left behind calf

I was in the packing room one Saturday morning when I saw something out the corner of my eye. Thinking went on in my head for a few moments as I worked. The small black shape in the farm race was a calf. Daryn had shifted the cows and their calves across the road into a new paddock of grass the night before. I went over to the door for clarification ... had I seen a calf? Yes, there was a calf, it was standing quietly in the race by itself. It must of been left behind! I decided that I couldn't herd the calf across the road by myself and it would be ok until Daryn got home from the farmer's market to help.

The cows came to our farm in-calf. We didn't have any information about when they were mated, and slowly throughout a few months they had all but one, had their calves. It had been a few weeks since any calves had been born and the calves were now quite grown up and hung out in calf gangs, running up and down the hills together having a great time. Their mums are calm and friendly Angus cows, big giant softies, and good mothers. 

While I worked, I kept glancing out to check it really was a calf. And once Daryn came home we went out to the race to herd the calf over the road to it's mum. We walked up the race and at first it we couldn't see the calf. But it didn't take many steps before we could see the top of a little head and a little face trustingly watching us from a patch of long grass. The way the little calf was snuggled up, watching us approach and didn't stand when we walked up to it, made us realise the calf was a new born - just a wee baby. It had been born yesterday, just before the herd was moved! It had gone all night and half a day without his mum's milk and the warmth of her big body on it's first night to cuddle up to. The critical feeds of the first couple of days had been interrupted - we were eager to get the calf back to his mum. It was alert and we could tell it'd had at least a couple of first feeds before it'd got left behind, but he needed to get to mum ASAP. There was no way we would be able to herd the little fella without him having his mum to follow, so he'd have to be carried.

Daryn scooped the little fella up into his arms and I sped ahead to open gates in front of him. We got the little fella across the road and into the paddock where his herd was grazing. It took barely a second for his mum to see us coming and compute that we had her calf. She knew instantly he was her calf and gently pushed the calf into her side, knowing he needed to feed. We held our breath as the little calf bumped around clumsily trying to find her udder. He bumped around under her front legs and she pushed him back. He stubbled. He stood up again and did some more bumping around under mum. I was starting to feel a motherly-anxious-feeling of needing him to get the udder business sorted! It was at this time that a gang of older calves ran over to see who the strange calf was. They didn't know who this new calf was and started pushing the calf around and being a nuisance. 

Mum swung around and collected her baby with her nose. I think she was feeling like I was. She pushed him all the way around her big body to her other side, so that the calf was between her and a fence. Now the big calves couldn't get to her baby. We watched with relief as the little guy found his mum's udder and started drinking. What relief! We left them to it and headed on home. Daryn checked on the little guy each day, reporting back that the little guy was fine and strong.

A couple of weeks later I tagged along with Daryn to move the herd. The herd gathered at the gate waiting, while Daryn checked the fences in their new paddock. I stood there and counted everyone and everyone stared back at me. The mums, the bull and the calves in their gangs. The smallest face in the herd caught my eye and I realised it was the little left behind calf. He looked so grown up now, and like he had quite a lot of attitude. He watched me intelligently and I wondered if he was remembering his ordeal.

He was standing strongly with his legs apart and his gaze was steady. I guess he had to grow up quick to find his ground in the calf gang. I don't think he'll be left behind ever again.