Soule: Mr. Devon Isn’t Like Other Calves

Not too long ago, we were weaning 12 calves at once. Seven had been born here on Miles Smith Farm, and five more were purchased so we’d have plenty for our summer campers to train.

Calves mimic Mom, and all had learned from Mom that hay is good to eat. Now that each calf no longer had access to Mom’s milk, they all switched to eating calf feed with a 12% protein content without complaint—all except for Mr. Devon.

The other calves are all Scottish Highlands or Belted Galloways. Mr. Devon is a rare breed called Devon. I wanted a pair of Devon calves to train as working steers, but I could only find one. I bought him, hoping I could find another steer to pair later with him. Mr. Devon, taken from his mom at birth, had never learned social skills from her, and it showed.

Calves usually bond with each other, but Mr. Devon was not interested in his peers; he only wanted to suck human fingers and follow every human he saw – especially when it was time for his twice-daily bottle of milk replacer. He made a show of nibbling his grain but, unlike the other weanlings, didn’t take to eating solid food.

He lost weight and developed extreme scours -- a form of diarrhea that can be fatal. We tried everything to cure him...

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Carole is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm at Loudon, N.H., where she raises beef and shares the joys of her Farm with kids and adults. She can be reached at carole@soulecoaching.com.