Remember last week when I said that the cows were getting ready to calve (give birth)? Well, I am very happy to announce that the babies are here!!! We had a set of TWINS on the first day along with another little baby from the cow featured in last week’s email. Twins are not as rare as you may assume but they are definitely not common, so this set of twins is a big blessing and a surprise! We’ll be monitoring them to ensure the mother does not struggle with two, but we will step in if it looks like she can only care for one calf. Because cows are naturally prey animals, a calf’s first few hours are crucial. They must stand up independently, be cleaned by their mom, and begin to nurse on their own to ensure they get the vital colostrum needed for early development. Colostrum contains important nutrients and immunoglobulins (IgG), which are essential for passive immunity and protect against infectious diseases. This is why we must ensure our cows are well taken care of and receive the proper vaccinations because if they do not have the necessary immune system protection, then they will not pass it along to the calf.
Herd health practices go beyond their initial receiver, which is why it is vital that we care for all our resources including the land and cows. Healthy pastures feed healthy cows. Healthy cows make healthy calves, and so on and so forth.
