Barry our original cow dad was delivered from up north. Arriving home we could see a young bloke sitting on the curb, beside him on a lead nibbling the nature strip was cute teenage Baz.
He sauntered into the paddock, sniffed his new mate Sally then made a beeline for the expensive bale of lucerne in the corner, no fence jumping or running off this time, we were learning.
But this compliant beginning didn’t last.
He was forever looking over at the neighbours place where the grass actually WAS greener on the other side. Lulled into a false sense of security by expensive fencing we assumed he could only look 👀
Rooky mistake. Was a shock to find him one morning , kneeling, big boofy head pushed right under it, nibbling the forbidden grass
A bucket of cow nuggets rattled in his ear made him reverse his tiny/huge bulk backwards! The fence was reinforced with many star pickets, everything chill again.
Until it wasn’t.
Was a heart-sinking wtf moment to see Baz gaily running round the garden of the frownie-faced, neighbours 😩
Rob sprinted over, nuggets in hand, grabbed his 150kg bulk by the halter. Baz objected, tried to run wrenching Robs arm “out of it’s fkn socket” he hung on for dear life, managed to lead/drag him back to ours.
The fencing now looked like a high-security jail adorned with barbed wire and electrical tape, extra lucerne was provided 🙄 Baz settled down.
The hump on his neck developed, his moo was loud, he’d occasionally charge round the paddock blowing air through his nostrils, the odd quick mating seen between him and Sal. After a full two years we suddenly noticed her developed udder and large girth, she was pregnant! Yay!
No idea how far along she was, we watched and waited. Soon her behaviour changed, one day pacing round, pawing the ground, bloody mucous hanging from her back end, tail twitching , SURELY the birth was close? 🤷♀️
Darkness, torch beams hopefully not disturbing her
The birth was close, bag of waters visibly bulging, getting bigger and bigger, then JUST as we expected the calf to pop out … she wandered off out of sight (course she did)
Our vantage point near the house gone, a quick decision was made to follow her. Rob, 6yr old B, 9yr old G and me, slow motion crept after her.
Shushing the kids, we spotted her, we crouched, we waited then SHIT! Baz!
He’d taken zero interest in the proceedings till now but the sudden loud mooing, snorting and sound of his 180kg body running towards us in the dark wasn’t good! Eeek!
We grabbed the kids and ran, didn’t fancy a prop forward hit from him
Me and kids catching our breaths, on the other side of the fence, Rob still gamely hanging out in the paddock.
A splash, “that’s not right?” sure enough, the long awaited calf born RIGHT next to the creek had fallen in before it even had a chance to get to it’s wobbly knock-kneed legs 😩
Rob quick as a flash, rescued the slippery bairn, rubbed it with a towel, carried it to the shed full of dry hay where Sal attentively did her thing, licking, nuzzling, encouraging that important first suckle. Gorgeous 💕 Baz looked on from BEHIND the gate.
What a night, what a memory! 😆🥰