New Additions

Here he is!  Yes, it is a he.  This is what a BRAND NEW calf looks like!  Okay, so he’s not brand new in this picture.  He’s about 14 hours old here, but he looks brand new.  He was in a warming room.  It’s a small room that used in the winter.  Not all farms have them, but my family’s farm does.  The room has heat lamps hanging from the ceiling to warm the air.  The purpose is to dry off and warm up the newborn calves so they stay healthier in the cold, blustery Michigan winter weather.  

Look at that adorable face!  

What a precious little nose!  My advice to anyone is do not let a calf or cow lick your face.  I have learned that the hard way.  They are very slimy and not pleasant.  Also, a cow/calf tongue is very rough, much like sand paper.  Rough tongue is not pleasant on a face.  

One of the most important parts of taking care of a newborn calf is making sure it gets enough colostrum.  Colostrum is the first milk that comes from a cow after calving.  It has extra fat, immunoglobuins, protein and other nutrients a calf needs.  The reason why a calf needs immunoglobuins is because they are born like a premature baby.   They have no immune system and consequently cannot fend off germs or illnesses.  Dairy producers know that getting a calf colostrum within a few hours of birth is the most important thing they can do to make sure their calves are healthy and sound for their entire life.  The health of our calves is most important to us and we work hard to make sure they are cared for to the best of our ability.  

You may be asking, how do you feed the calves that colostrum and milk.  Well, with a bottle of course.  In your mind, you’re probably thinking of the baby bottle that you may have used many years ago.  Try again… Try bigger. Think of the milk cartons that you used to drink at school and stack 4 of them on top of each other.  Each carton is a pint and we will feed 4 pints to a calf at each feeding.  Or, instead of thinking of that, I can just show you!