It's another girl!

Yes indeed, I had three cows who gave birth in the past year, and all of them have had heifer calves.  I happened to be outside messing with the chickens this morning when I noticed Jody heading toward the back of the place all by herself.  For a cow that's due to calve any time, that is suspect behavior.  Having learned a few lessons the hard way (about calves falling into ditches), I got her to the barn and put her in a pen where she soon began having obvious labor pains.  Three hours after penning her up, she had her calf.  I have decided to name the baby Jennifer, after the lady who kindly allowed us to use her Jersey bull last Mother's Day (thanks, Jennifer!).  Keep in mind that a few months ago we were going to butcher Jody because she had such a terrible limp, but Cliff talked me out of it (thanks, Cliff!).

Perhaps because it's Jody's first calf, she didn't seem to know quite what to make of her little bundle of joy.  Normally a cow will get up as soon as that calf is out, but Jody was still laying there fifteen minutes later.  Oh, she licked her baby and seemed interested, but she just laid there.  I finally encouraged her to get up, and after a little confusion, she figured things out.  In the following pictures you will see the baby taking her first steps.

Didn't take her long to find where the grub was

And now, a video I shot an hour later to let you see the baby walking around.  Don't let the pile of afterbirth bother you; I'm sure Jody has eaten it by now.  (I love to gross city folks out with farm lore.)
Jody is part Holstein, and seems to have passed the long Holstein legs on to her baby.  For a mostly Jersey heifer born to a first-calf heifer, Jennifer is a BIG calf!