G is for Gestation

Just like humans, a cow must have a baby before producing milk.

It takes 283 days from conception to calf. Humans gestation period is about 280 days. Very similar!

Two to three months before a calf is born we stop milking the mama. This gives her body the opportunity to rest and to put all her efforts into growing a strong and healthy baby.

After, the calf is born she or he is removed from the mom. We are not doing this to be mean; just the opposite. We do this for the protection of the calf. The calf is closely monitored, and receives colostrum (mom's first milk) to get baby's immune system up and running. Also, not all mom's are cut out to be good mothers. It is not uncommon for some cows to ignore their calves.

The newborn calves on Bremer farms are bottle fed twice each day. We can observe how and also how much each calf is drinking. Just like people, a loss of appetite is a sign something isn't quite right.

For the first three months, our calves live in individual pens. They move around freely, we can monitor their health and eating, and they stay warm and dry in the winter, and cool in the shade during the summer. Some farms have outdoor, dome shaped calf hutches for each calf. Our farm has a solar building that houses 30 individual calf pens.

Judging by the kisses Sara is getting, I feel confident our calves are happy and well cared for!