Today was a nice spring day and there were calves kicking up their heels if not napping in the sunshine. But this calf isn’t kicking up his heels yet since he had a rough entrance to the world being an upside down breech birth and we were surprised, as was the vet, that the calf was still alive after the long delivery, so my niece named him Miracle.
A Miracle Calf
The calving season has officially started on my family’s farm yesterday with the first calf born early Sunday morning, even though the trips to the barn checking on the cows have going on for a week already. At least the calf will have a warmer and sunny week instead of snow.
First Calf
Today was the Indianhead Polled Hereford Association Spring Opportunity Sale where established breeders and first time consignors had bulls. cows and heifers for sale. Even a little boy got to raise a bidder number (when said so) as the cattle were auctioned off. And this heifer was a granddaughter of a heifer purchased at a previous Indianhead sale.
Hereford Heifer at Auction
My cat used to give me kisses and whisker rubs and I think I prefer that to a slobbery kiss from a heifer!
Slobbery Kiss
The cattle seem to be enjoying the sunny fall day as much as I am although the grass holds their attention more than the autumn leaves which captures my eye.
Cattle Enjoying an Autumn Day
My niece had an early wake up call when one of her cows was calving this morning. And calving wasn’t late enough this year since the ground is white again with a fresh new layer of snow and so I didn’t even walk to the barn in the cold weather to take a picture of the new calf. The calves two years were enjoying green grass and dandelions in April but not this year. And no warm sunshine to take a nap outside either.
Sleepy Time Calf
These Herefords are wondering what happened to the 70s and sunny October weather as they don’t like the low 30s, grey and snowflakes anymore than I do.
Herefords Looking for Warm Autumn
The new calves arriving the past few months are probably wishing for spring to arrive too as green grass and warm sunshine are more inviting than snow drift and cold winds.
Spring Calf
This Hereford cow looks as thrilled about the new snow as I am, especially since I just came in from shoveling snow again.
Hereford in the Snow
It appears this Hereford bull isn’t real thrilled about walking through the snow but I wouldn’t to be at the bottom of a hill if he was tobogganing.
Herefords derived their name from Herefordshire, or the county of Hereford, in the west of England. Benjamin Tomkins is given credit for developing the breed. A primary founder of the breed, Tomkins began in 1742 with a bull calf from the cow Silver and two cows, Pidgeon and Mottle. Herefords in the 1700’s and early 1800’s were much larger than they are today.
Henry Clay, Kentucky statesman, brought Herefords, one cow, one heifer and one bull, to the United States in 1817. Then, in 1840, William Sotham and Erastus Corning, of Albany New York, established the first recorded breeding herd in America with the purchase and importation of 22 head of Herefords from Herefordshire. Among other renowned early Hereford breeders were Charles Gudgell and Thomas A. Simpson of Missouri. Their big break came with the importation of Anxiety 4, a bull credited as being the “father of American Herefords.”
Now more than five million pedigree Hereford cattle exist in over 50 countries.
Bull in the Snow
