Baby Birth Story x2

Birth stories of two Highland calves at Black Rock Farm in Myersville, Maryland.

Are you ready for a birth story, times two!?! We are not talking twins, but we are talking the arrival of two out of five of our spring calves for 2025!

First things first, they are incredibly cute and we are so excited for their arrival. More importantly, everyone is happy, healthy and thriving as newborns and as cow calf pairs. Here we are going to share their birth stories and the importance of why we keep such a close eye on our herd when it is calving time!

First things first, here’s a little lingo you might need before we dive in:

• Cow = a female bovine that has previously given birth

• Heifer = a female bovine that has never given birth (can be pregnant)

• Bull calf = Intact male baby cow

• Heifer calf = Female baby cow

• Bull = Male bovine that is able to reproduce

• Steer = Male bovine that has been castrated (cannot reproduce)

— BRF Bruno

First born in 2025 was baby Bruno, a red bull calf out of a heifer named Bert! With Bert being a first time mom, we wanted to pay extra close attention to her just incase of any birthing complications. On March 13th Bert was giving us all the signs that she was getting close to going into labor. Of course she can’t just come out and tell us, but we were able to tell as she developed an udder, began to loosen in her hind and started to have a little discharge.

On the night of March 13th we moved her into our barn over night where we have cameras. Checking them every two hours she gave us no indication that she was in labor but was happily snoozing and munching on hay.

We let her back out into the field around 8:00am on March 14th, left the farm to run an errand and when I got back around 10:00am baby Bruno was already birthed, wobbling around and beginning to nurse.

This was a textbook delivery on a beautiful day and we honestly couldn’t have asked for it to go smoother! She needed no assistance, had a fast labor and Bruno was up and eating super fast. They certainly don’t all go this smooth but it was a GREAT start to our 2025 calving season!

— BRF Chip

Our next mom to calve was a big dun cow named Lillian! We purchased her when she was about 30 days pregnant and she has always been a little on the shy side for us. Knowing she has had babies before, I was less worried about her calving, but when she separated herself from the entire herd on March 24th I knew she was getting ready to have her baby!

We moved her into the same field as Bert and baby Bruno and checked her every couple of hours! Another textbook delivery that Julie (Jacob’s Mom) was actually able to catch on camera!

We watched them for the first hour or two and Chip had no problems getting up on his feet and finding the udder, but he didn’t look like he was actually getting any milk. I hate having to get in-between mom and baby, but it is critical that the baby gets the first milk (colostrum) within the first 4-5 hours of being born. Time was ticking.

So that everyone was safe we brought Lillian into our chute and determined that she actually was not letting down any milk. When Chip was trying to nurse, he was not getting anything, thus he thought he was doing something wrong. She had a huge udder so we knew she had milk to give, we just had to get her to release it. Over the course of the next 30-45 minutes we milked her by hand to help stimulate her hormones', got the milk flowing, taught Bruno where to find milk and sent them on their way!

A little more hands on effort to get them started but a huge reminder to me to always trust my gut and be willing to step in to make sure everyone thrives.

Baby Highland Calves born at Black Rock Farm in Myersville, Maryland.

Calving season is one of the most stressful because you never know what to expect and you are completely on the cows timelines. Every birth is a little different but gives you the opportunity to learn something new, and enjoy the first baby moos and wobbly steps!

We will be sharing a lot more in depth to our “Coo Close Friends Club", our Instagram Subscription! If you want access to more in the moment and behind the scenes content, you are officially invited to join the subscription!

From the farm,

Victoria