I took the weekend off to travel to see friends, so of course the cows took this opportunity to pop out two more calves. I was informed by astute observers that Harmony and DJ (the cow formally known as Little Red Heifer, now better known as Red Mama) both had black male calves. So Alex and I showed up last night to band them, and found a calf sleeping alone by the drinker. He was not inclined to let us close, but after chasing him through the bosque for a bit we were able to send him into the little corral. He still had a lot of energy for escaping, though, and it was a struggle to get him cornered and held down on the ground. Finally Alex had him in a big bear hug and I had the banding tool all ready and lifted up the back leg to find………four little teats instead of two testicles!! I couldn’t believe it at first, and kept searching around as though the items I was expecting might be hidden somewhere, but as she was getting up she confirmed her gender by peeing on us both. Good grief!

So…..our job half done, we were off to find calf number 2. The rest of the herd was in the pasture, so we walked out to find Harmony grazing contentedly by herself, with no calf to be seen. Myj and Fluniper came GALLOPING to greet us, though–either they just missed Alex and me a LOT, or SOMEONE had been bringing them treats over the weekend. We walked over the whole pasture–no calf. But now the whole herd thinks that we must have something good to eat somewhere and they ALL follow us out of the pasture and up and down the lane as we continue to search. We finally find the calf in that dead-end fenced area behind the corral and start walking it out along the fence. While we have been searching, Red Mama has been running everywhere looking, too, and she is now bellowing at this calf from about four inches away on the other side of the fence. Harmony is there, too, though, also nosing at the calf through the fencing. The two mamas are so distracted at arguing over whose baby this is, that we are able to walk the calf into the corral before they know what is happening. Unlike calf number one, he stands so quietly that I am able to rub him all over his back and head before Alex takes him into his arms. Testicles located, banding goes very easily and he is back up again in a matter of minutes.

Harmony has been worrying the corral fence the whole time we are on the ground, and Red Mama has left still searching for her calf, so it is pretty clear that the male calf is Harmony’s. But Red Mama is still out there bellowing up and down the lane, calfless. We leave Harmony vigorously licking her son, to look for calf number one, which Alex finds out hiding in the bosque. We send her back toward the corral, where she first tries to butt in with the other calf on Harmony’s udder, but there is no room at the inn. She is wandering around bleating while Red Mama is lowing about out in the lane, until finally Red Mama hears her, and comes pounding in at top speed, practically skidding to a halt next to the calf. If she had arms, she would have snatched her up to her heaving breast, but as she doesn’t, she contents herself with pushing Harmony around and sniffing her calf, too, as though she still isn’t really sure which is hers. In the end, everyone was happy with the calf they got, and both calves were nursing heartily.