Soule: The Mysterious Death of Maybelle the Cow

Pregnant Maybelle stood at the 500-pound hay bale, swinging her wide Highland horns at any 15 weaning calves who got too close to her feast. When we set out the calves' grain, she hung back, but when we opened the gate, Maybelle moved in to clean up any leftovers. Expecting Maybelle to give birth in October, I'd put her in with the weanling calves.

After eating for two, she got bigger and bigger. October moved to November, and Maybelle got bigger. In December, the vet said, "Yep, there's a very active calf in there, probably two weeks away from being born."

Christmas came and went. New Year's Day floated by, and still no calf. Active and alert, Maybelle seemed fine. Farm friends asked after Maybelle's calf as we waited to welcome Maybelle's bundle of joy to the herd.

Scottish Highland cows can be "dual-purpose" animals. They are used for meat or milk, and while they don't provide as much milk as a dairy cow, a Highland cow can provide enough milk for a family of four. Back in September, I had promised to sell Maybelle to a woman named Tess, who lives in Ohio. She wanted to buy Maybelle immediately, but we decided to wait until the calf was born because, in my words, "Anything can happen, and we might lose the mom and calf." Tess wanted to give Maybelle a forever home.

Some deaths are inevitable on a farm whose primary income is from selling beef, but I'd prefer to re-home my cows when it's possible. So, I was delighted that Maybelle would be a backyard milking cow for years to come.

In January, I decided Maybelle had shoved Peaches, a 10-month-old, blind-in-one-eye calf, once too often. Maybelle would join the seven other pregnant cows in a nearby field...

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Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm, where she raises and sells beef, pork, eggs, and other local products. She can be reached at carolesoule60@gmail.com. Carole also coaches humans, helping them achieve the impossible a little at a time.