The Magnolia Ridge

Turn your sound up for full enjoyment 😭

The donkeys got a few treats today and Bonnie was determined to make sure Libby knew they weren’t for her… despite Libby not even trying to eat them! 🤦🏼‍♀️😂

What happened next had us in stitches. Turn your sound up — you can actually hear the crop dusting! 💨🐴🐮

Bonnie, your manners need some work, mate.

Croaky voice and all, I’m sounding more like a fella than myself right now, but gee I’m chuffed with these efforts!

If you’ve ever had to graft a calf onto a cow, I take my hat off to you. Taking the hide from a 3-day-old calf definitely brought out my inner Dexter. Don’t worry though, I’m not in a hurry to do it again, so you can all sleep easy tonight. 😅

The last five days have been nothing short of hectic, and today was no exception. But we’re making progress. Libby is talking to her new baby, sniffing him, and showing interest. It’s still early days, but we’re moving in the right direction.

One step at a time. We’re winning. 💪🏼🤎

Day 3, and we had a surprise for Libby.

After losing her calf, we made the decision to try and find her another one. Not just for the calf’s sake, but for hers too. Her maternal instincts are still incredibly strong, and she was searching for a baby to care for.

The plan sounded simple enough. We put Libby in the crush and waited for her to wee so we could use her scent on the new calf. Normally she’d oblige straight away… but of course, the one day I was standing there with a bucket, she had other ideas. Two hours later, we were still waiting!

We introduced the new calf (no wee!) and let it have a feed from her left quarters while she was still in the crush. When we let Libby out, she wasn’t overly convinced. She wasn’t aggressive, but she certainly wasn’t claiming this little one as her own.

That left us with one final option. We used the hide from Libby’s calf and fitted it to the new calf. It wasn’t an easy thing to do, but if it gives this calf a chance and helps Libby heal, it’s worth trying.

This evening, we’re seeing some encouraging signs. Libby is talking to the calf, smelling it and showing interest. She’s not allowing it to feed freely yet, but tonight they were resting together in the yard.

It’s still early days, and grafting calves can be a slow process, but tonight feels a little more hopeful than yesterday.

Fingers crossed for more progress tomorrow. 🤎

🤎 Libby update 🤎

It’s been a tough day for our girl, but she’s doing her best. She’s spent most of today resting, eating well, and slowly moving around when needed. She’s still quite uncomfortable and has a long recovery ahead of her, but we’re thankful for every small step forward. Thank you all for your kind messages, support and concern for Libby. She is very loved.

We know so many of you have been checking in and asking for updates. Unfortunately, this isn’t the one we were hoping to share.

Last night and into this morning, Libby faced one of the most challenging calvings we’ve experienced at Magnolia Ridge. She was carrying a beautiful silver dun bull calf that presented in a true breech position.

For four long hours, Libby pushed with everything she had while we assisted with every contraction. Despite our best efforts we were unable to save this little boy.

We’re incredibly grateful that Libby came through the ordeal safely. She’s up and on her feet (just), but understandably very sore, stiff and exhausted. She has a long road to recovery ahead, and we’ll be doing everything we can to support her.

A huge thank you to my husband and son, who were at my beck and call throughout the night, and to my neighbour and dear friend Hayley, who answered her phone at 4:30am and came straight over when I had nothing left in the tank.

Being an animal custodian is a privilege and it brings incredible joy, but sometimes it also brings heartbreak. Today we’re mourning the loss of a beautiful little calf while being thankful that Libby is still with us. 🤎

Libby 🐮🤎

Due in just over 2 weeks… and if you know Libby, you know she’s not just “one of the cows” around here. She’s the girl who follows us everywhere for a scratch, leans in for pats like an oversized puppy, and somehow always ends up right beside you no matter where you are on the farm.

She truly is part of the family here at Magnolia Ridge, and I already know there will be tears the day her new baby arrives 🥹

This little one has some BIG shoes to fill after Maggie — Libby’s last calf and the only baby we kept from last season. Maggie stole our hearts from day one, so safe to say the anticipation for this next calf is very real around here 🤍

Not long now, Libby girl…