We have a small sign at the entrance to our ranch that says a good rain and a new calf are always welcome. Since calves are the mainstay of cow/calf operations and rain makes the grass grow, the sign makes sense.Well the other night to our amazement we received a couple of inches of snow. This is rare around Fredericksburg. As our cows seem to always wait until the weather is at its absolute worst , the next morning I predictably found one of our mama cows with a brand new bull calf. What a night to deliver a calf. Somehow the little fella came through the cold night just fine. Calves are really hardy.

The calf appropriately is all white- unusual since we cross black baldy mamas with a Charolois bull. The calves usually turn out brown or gray. Nevertheless, this one was white which seemed appropriate enough as he was born during a snowstorm. So now when we refer to this little bull calf , we call him Snowy Calf.

I have a not very good picture of Snowy Calf below. This was taken over a barbed wire fence preventing me from getting very close (probably good as mama cow might not have been in a very good mood. They are notoriously protective of new calves.

Maybe I need to modify the sign to read a good rain or a good snow and a new calf…

Tagged: Snowy Calf