Just continuing on from yesterday’s post about Tilly’s arrival… Mike and I headed over to the barn before church to see how Granny was doing with her new calf. We were delighted to see Tilly all dry and fluffy, and with a full tummy, too!💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻
Granny scored an A+ with us! She is taking good care of Tilly, so they’ll stay together for now. We decided to wait to let them out into the barnyard until after we got back from church.👍🏼
They were both ready for some sunshine when we got back!☀️
And some pics of them outside to finish off the post. Of course Tilly went under the single wire electric fence as they tried to avoid my picture taking, lol, but Mike was able move the wire up higher and direct her back.🤦🏻♀️ 😆
In typical Roberts’ fashion – here it is – a blustery, cold, February evening – and we’re welcoming our first calf of 2022, lol.❄️💨🥶
This is Granny’s first calf for us. We purchased her last summer from friends, and she’d been bred to calve the end of February. Mike noticed she was starting to bag up last week, so he began preparing the runway to bring her down from Mordor and into the barnyard. We wanted to have her closer to the barn so we could keep an eye on her just in case there were issues.🙏🏼
Our window to move her came on the 11th. Mike was able to clear enough snow and break up enough of the ice so that we could walk her down to the barn without issue. Thank You, Jesus!✝️🙌🏼
This was the perfect time to make some upgrades to the milking area… A series of panels and a gate have been added so we can section off the stanchions we don’t normally use. Since our herd is small, this will be helpful to create other options of space, and keep our girls where we want them when they come in for milking. The gate will be WONDERFUL to use for these aging farmers, as before we had to straddle over a waist high board to get into that area.🥴👴🏼👵🏼
We made a section where we’ve been feeding Granny her hay and she can bed down if she wants. She can also go out into the barnyard, too.👍🏼
Mike went over this evening to check on her, and there she was with her new calf! A girl!!💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻
We were trying to think of names that would go with “cold.” Paul suggested “Tilly” (think Tillamook Ice Cream😂) and we loved the idea – WELCOME, TILLY!!❤️❄️🐮
Granny had a good start on cleaning her up, and Mike thought it looked like Tilly had started to eat. So he closed them up in the barn for tonight and we’ll check on them in the morning. Our plan is to let Granny take care of her for now so that we don’t have to start daily milking yet. Our other mamas aren’t due until the end of April… We’ll watch and see what the Lord’s plan is for us.🙏🏼
Lord, we thank You and praise You for this new addition to our farm. What a fun way to add some warmth to this cold season! We thank You for the gift of being able to work alongside one another and enjoy the growth and harvest that comes from this farm. It isn’t always easy, and we are in awe of how You teach us through this process. We cling to You for guidance as we navigate this next season. Grant us the Wisdom we need to make the necessary decisions moving forward. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen✝️
Ruby, Uno, Nat, and Angel are the mamas due to calve starting the end of April. If you click on their names, you can read about their calves from last year. (Except Angel’s will take you to when she was born – Lord willing, 2022 will be her first calf for us.😉🙏🏼)
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