Up this morning and in the dash to the portaloo I noticed Rhona was standing on her own by the water trough with no calf in sight. Hmm. I do my daily task of filling the various buckets, basins and baby baths with water for the ducks when M also noticed the lone Rhona. Worry is afoot and we head off around the field looking for the wee thing.
I took clockwise while M went anti but we met with no sign. M started zigzagging the field while I double checked the ditch. Still no sign. I decide to join M on the hill but she’s suddenly striding off to the farmhouse with what looks like a serious purpose. I head to where she’d come from with dread, not really wanting to look for the calf. M comes out of the house and waves me to come down. She’d not found the calf and had phoned Fred for advice – Fred knows cows like, well, someone who knows cows really well – and he’d said not to worry. The mother often hides the calf somewhere so it can sleep while she stocks up on food. Wherever Rhona had put her baby it was a damn good hiding place. The calf is about the size of a big sheep. M had never had a calf born in the summer – usually it’s cold so they’re still using the shed at nights – so this wild activity was somewhat unnerving, but mother and baby are both doing very well. I finally got a good look this evening. Still a bit unsteady on the legs but looking surprisingly strong.
Jobs today: Reinforcing the bottom of the chicken run just in case a fox comes at it with pliers and a screw driver; finished weeding the flower beds; strimmed the long grass in the rented mobile home. Also took lots of photos of chickens.