Monday 28th of February 2011 06:41 AM
uncategorized
By Kim L. Fritzemeier
KFRM Central Kansas Reporter
Farm Wife along the Stafford/Reno County Line
Is motherly love innate or learned?
For some, it seems as natural as breathing. This calf was born yesterday afternoon. The mom immediately began cleaning it off and welcoming it to the world.
For others, a little encouragement is needed. Randy carried a baby that had been born earlier in the day to the barn. He noticed that the mom wasn't all that interested in her baby. The calf was even nursing off a different mom.
Two other heifers were more concerned about Randy carting off the baby calf than the biological mother. They raced up to the corral to make sure the baby didn't come to harm.
But then we rounded up the real mom and left the duo in the barn together overnight. That first-time mom needed a little encouragement to get the hang of this motherhood thing. I suppose there are some human parallels for that, too. You just have to hope that innate kicks in.
