Valentine's Day Calves

Hi Friend,

Love is in the air on the farm… motherly love. Valentine’s Day marked the unofficial start to our 2021 calving season.

Caution: cuteness overload ahead.

White Face v Black Face

We noticed an unusual trend with our first-calf heifers (first-time mamas) this year. If they have a white face, the calf has white on its face. If the heifer has a black face, the calf has an all black face. All the calves are by the same bull.

White face calf out of a white face mama cow.

Black face calf out of a black face mama cow.

Calving in the Cold

Our first-calf heifers started calving about a week early, right when the temperature decided to drop by 20 degrees. Cows are cold-hardy, but quick fluctuations in temperature can stress pregnant cows. We placed the new mamas and their calves into our “maternity ward” and “nursery” to make sure all was well before turning them out together in our calving pasture.

Mama and adorable calf in the “maternity” ward.

Curious first-calf heifer and newborn calve in our “nursery”.

The Thaw

After almost a week and a half of near 0 degree weather and snow, we thawed out in a matter of two days. This is a recipe for mud because the frozen ground cannot soak in the snow melt fast enough. When this happens, we spread straw out in the pasture to keep the calves dry. The calves are enjoying spending their day sunning themselves on top of the straw.

Soundly sleeping in the sun.

Getting ready to take her first steps.

Bath time with mama.

We hope you enjoyed the calves. If you want to see more calf cuteness, be sure to follow Kevin on Instagram at @sieverkroppgc where he is sharing pictures and videos of our cow herd.

Best,

The Sieverkropps