Calving

We are waiting patiently for one of our heifers to succumb to the biological forces upon her.  She is just hours away from having her first calf and the first of the season.  I noticed her about three hours ago dancing around behind the rest of the herd, which has been clumped together this afternoon because of the chilly wind.  She had her tail out from her body and was slinging it around a bit and lastly she was pawing the ground hitting her belly--all signs of a cow going into stage 1-2 of birth.  George confirmed what I saw, so I ventured out in the bitter wind to see if she was further along than just the kicking and being annoyed phase, she wasn't.  George and I headed out an hour later to feed for the afternoon, but still not sign of stage 2 (the point when the calf has entered the birth canal and the water bag appears and then the calves hooves and nose).  We wait.  As George put it earlier, "she doesn't know to just lay down and start pushing."  This being the typical older cow technique which means the calf is out in about two hours or less. 

I'm itching to go check, but I'm going to hold off a little longer.  I hope she has headed for the shelter of the brush to protect herself and the calf from the wind. 

So days are ebbing away, but little calves will make me smile through the last bit.