It's a Boy!

The cows gathering round (Natalie on left)

Almost done

     Yesterday the first calf of the year was born! His mother, Natalie, gave birth at around four o' clock. Farm Boy and I were fortunate enough to be outside at two o' clock and noticed she was off by herself, with her tail up, milling slowly in circles, three signs that that cow was probably in labor. First, a transparent membrane bag came out, called the water bag. It was filled with water, hence the name.
     After a while, the bag fell to the ground and burst, causing Natalie to become agitated and begin mooing. This caught the attention of many other cows, who then came over. Farm Boy and I threw out some feed from the small shed we were sitting on the roof of to distract them and give her some peace.
     Once she settled down the actual calving began. After a few minutes, we saw the hooves peeking out. It was awhile before anything else began to show. Eventually we saw a nose following the hooves. After the head, everything comes very quickly. She pushed most of the calf out, and then stood, causing the calf to slip harmlessly to the ground. She immediately began to to lick the calf off, drying its hair. The rest of the cows noticed she had calved and once again clustered around her. The Farmer chased them away, so that the the new mother could have time with her new baby without the other cows bothering them. 
     The baby then attempted to stand, and soon rose shakily to its feet. We took a few more photos and then left them to themselves.

Too Cute!

Licking him off

More licking