We arrived for mesquite pulling at Mason’s this morning to find Velma racing down the lane, pushing the rest of the herd out of her way like she was headed to the hospital at high speed to have a baby.  About 45 minutes later, there was a tremendous bellowing, and when we went to look, Papa Cobre was standing at the gate announcing his fatherhood to the world while Velma’s boy calf was just getting up and learning to walk. The calf was standing and nursing well when we left him an hour and a half later.

Candela was not with the herd, and she has had a big udder recently, so I suspected she was about ready to give birth, too.  I found her out by herself in the woods in pasture 3 at around noon, but there was no sign of a calf — born or unborn — just the huge udder full of milk.  That evening when I went back she had joined the herd with a very shiny, bright, short-haired black female calf.  I am not sure if she had her sometime during the day, or if she had already had her when I saw her this morning.

Cruella’s calf was running around in the herd being very independent this evening and checking out all the new-comer calves.

Konchita is still hanging out in the woods at El Potrero with her new boy calf.