"Lucky..."

I am a member of a Facebook group that deals with local livestock. People buy and sell animals and farm equipment. I don't look at it all that often, but the other day I happened to see a post where someone was in search of goat milk. The persons name seemed familiar, and I realized it was a woman that lives near me, whose farm I had been to when I bought some antique chicken water dispensers. I had liked her so much, and she had shown me around her farm. Her animals were beautifully cared for and clearly well-loved. After I met her I hoped we would cross paths again.

It turns out this sweet lady had been given a newborn calf from a large local dairy. The little cow's mother had died after calving. The woman that now has the calf was feeding her formula made for livestock,but the baby was having trouble digesting the stuff. She didn't want to move, and was grinding her teeth, a sure sign of discomfort in many farm animals. So her caregiver was looking for goat milk to see if she could digest it more easily. I happened to have several gallons of fresh goat milk that I was planning to make cheese with, but I messaged the lady that she could have it if she wanted.



The original farmer had named this calf "Lucky." Clearly, she was not. She was terribly thin, and sick, and an orphan. Her start in life was far from lucky.



The woman took the goat milk home, and heated some up for the sick calf. She later told me that when she offered her the bottle the calf took it with great hesitation. Then, after she'd swallowed a bit and tasted it,she perked up and drank with gusto. A few days and six or so gallons of goat milk later, the calf is up, exploring the world, nibbling on hay and grain, and hopping and running about like a healthy baby should. Her name has been changed to "Windy," taken from the sign at our house that says, "Fair Winds Farm."

It makes me so happy to think that our little goats can help another animal. Grow well, little Windy!