No Assistance Needed

Susan Schmidlin May 2, 2015 bull calf, natural birth, no assistance needed, Rocky, Roz, Topanga

Black angus cow in labor. — Rox in active labor, feet out

Feet sticking out during labor of black angus cow. — Feet a little further

Black angus calf just born and laying in the grass. — 1 and 1/2 seconds after birth

Black angus calf just born — Mother cleaning new baby

Black angus calf first struggle to rise. — First stretch

Black angus calf in grass, newly born. — First stretch, wobble, then colapse

Newborn black angus calf getting cleaned by mother cow. — Mother continues first bath

Newborn black angus calf starting to stand. — Beginning of first stand

Newborn black angus calf, first time standing up. — Success at upright

Newborn black angus first steps. — Leaning on mother for support

Topanga calved last week as expected with a sturdy bull calf. Roz on the other hand waited another week before she delivered ‘Rocky.’ All weekend it looked like it could be any minute, so we kept a pretty close eye on her, but she was just not ready.
On Monday morning, during the morning chores, I spotted her at a little grassy area just at the edge of the hillside. No assistance was needed, the calf weighs about 82 lbs. and started nursing as soon as his wobbly legs stayed under him where they belonged.