Our First Spring Baby

It's a boy! 

Humo del Fuego, II

We had an excellent day at the farm on Saturday! We had one female that was due any day and when I came back in from the morning barn chores, I told my husband that Joy was probably going to go that day or the next. It was pouring rain and our grandchildren were coming for a visit so I was busily cleaning the house. We have a great view of the upper barn from my husband's studio and I was getting ready to vacuum and just happened to glance up the hill and I noticed all the other girls seemed really interest in something that was on the ground just inside the barn. I looked and blinked and looked again and then I saw it. A little black form standing up with a shocking white patch on its head.

Joy had just given birth and this little one stood up almost immediately! We have never had one get up that fast and that strong and I called out to my husband that we had a new baby. We quickly headed up to the barn because he had walked just outside and fallen into the mess where the others go to the bathroom and we set about getting him checked over wiped off, temperature taken and into a cria coat fro warmth. He was a feisty and fought the coat but once on he quickly set about exploring. It was an amazing day!

We named him Humo del Fuego, II in honor of his father, our deceased gentle giant herdsire.  He came out strong, jet black, 17.8 lbs. and up and walking around within minutes.

This is little Humo at about an hour old. From the first, he was very curious about his surroundings.

Sticking close by his Momma.

Already curious about the water bucket.

He looks like he is thinking "What's out there and can we go?"

Finally stopping to take a rest and all this activity was before nursing for the first time.






We left Mom and cria alone for a several hours and after the grandchildren arrived went back up to the barn to check in. It had been raining quite heavily that day, so immediately after Joy delivered the afterbirth, we put her and the cria into a stall in the barn to allow them time to settle in and bond. Joy is one of our VAOBA Blue Ribbon winners, but she is particularly stand-offish, so she doesn't like to be confined or touched. Every time he went to nurse, she would kick at him and we were very close to delivering his first does of colostrum via tube when we decided maybe we should just let them out. As soon as they went out into the rain, Joy did her business, little Humo went for a little run in the rain and mud and then he nursed and nursed! It was a very joyous event and the best part about it was that our grandchildren who are 6 and 4 were there to witness the whole thing and they fully understood just how special it was.