Soule: What Happens When Mom Gets in the Way?

The day campers held vigil all week, waiting for Kavi's calf to be born. On Tuesday, she showed signs that the arrival was imminent. Farm Camp day campers watched as huge Kavi took her time to give birth. We had false alarms twice when a camper thought he saw a calf's leg emerge.
"She'll probably wait until you all leave for the day," I told the children. "Over a hundred calves have been born on the farm, and I've only seen a half dozen being born."

And that's what happened. Camp ended on July 12, and Kavi went into labor on the 13th. The Saturday after camp, I found a little red heifer calf lying on the ground...dead.

Hours later, I remembered that two years ago, Kavi had given birth to twins – one alive and one stillborn. So I got thinking, maybe there's another baby out there. Sure enough, when I checked later, I saw a tiny silver bull standing beside Kavi. We brought Kavi and the twin calf into the holding pen to ensure he latched on to mom's teats and got a good drink at mom's "milk bar."

This little silver calf was nudging and butting at his mom's chest and butt. He even ducked his head under her belly and nuzzled her teats. The campers had decided the calf's name would be Crackle. Crackle seemed to be nursing so I left thinking thoughts of joy and happiness that this little guy would be a survivor.

After all, is it too much to ask that after a calf gets up, he finds his way to the breakfast buffet and drinks his fill? That's what calves are supposed to do. It's genetically imprinted on them and their only means of survival in the wild. Don't drink, and eventually you'll die, a truth for calves, dogs, and, well, basically all wildlife. Instead, this tiny calf decided he wasn't going to suck on his mom's teat.

That night it was apparent he wasn't nursing; his belly was empty, so I offered Crackle a bottle of raw milk, which he sucked down later; when offered a second bottle, he wouldn't drink.

This calf was weak, and every hour without food, he got weaker.

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Carole Soule is the co-owner of Miles Smith Farm in Loudon, N.H. She raises and sells beef, pork, lamb, eggs, and other local products. She can be reached at carolesoule60@gmail.com.