Cowgirl has been caring for her twin daughters since they arrived a couple of days ago. Katie calls her a fantastic mother. Still, the girls are small, Cowgirl’s udder is large, and both babies need a little help finding their way to a full meal.
Katie and her team have been offering bottles. In this update, she wanted to give the calves time to nurse directly from Cowgirl. They guided their mother into a chute where she could stand still while each daughter searched for milk.
The session brought encouraging moments: a calf getting onto a teat, another moving around well, and Katie wondering whether one girl had already been nursing more on her own than they realized. The calf born with knuckled-over ankles was also doing better, though Katie said her splints would go back on later.
## From a Difficult Birth to an Ordinary Feeding
The twins’ arrival had demanded quick thinking. After the first heifer was born, Katie realized a second calf was coming backward and upside down. Once both girls were delivered, the family moved Cowgirl and her daughters where they could watch the babies feed. One calf needed a bottle of colostrum and support for her legs.
A couple of days later, Katie was still helping, but she could spend more time observing the important everyday work of two newborns learning to eat beside their mother.
Katie walked Cowgirl through the farm’s working system and into the chute. She opened side doors so the calves could reach their mother’s udder while Cowgirl stood still.
The girls did not immediately know where to go. They wandered, searched, and sometimes investigated Katie’s hand instead of the milk they were looking for. Katie redirected them and encouraged them to keep trying. One calf found a teat, and Katie praised her. Later, she saw both babies positioned at Cowgirl’s udder.
That was the purpose of the session: Katie could watch each girl feed instead of assuming that standing near their mother meant they had eaten.
## Progress for the Calf With Splints
One twin has needed extra attention since birth. Her ankles were knuckled over, and Katie has been using splints or wraps while monitoring how she moves. Katie suspects the calf may have been cramped beside her sister before they were born.
In this update, Katie said the little girl was doing much better. The team had taken off her splints for a while and planned to put them back on in an hour or two. Katie continued watching how she moved and how both calves managed at feeding time.
The sisters behaved differently at the udder. One stayed and drank for a longer stretch. Another wandered and seemed less interested in settling to nurse. When that calf had enough energy to move around and even headbutt Katie, Katie wondered whether she had already found milk from Cowgirl at other times.
It was a possibility Katie was considering, not a reason to stop watching her. She said they would still offer bottles here and there while checking what the twins could manage on their own.
## Cowgirl Stands for Her Girls
Throughout the feeding, Katie spoke warmly to Cowgirl. She called her gorgeous, caring, and a fantastic mama. Katie’s help was focused on the small calves learning to nurse from their much larger mother.
There were messy and funny moments alongside the careful watching. A calf tried Katie’s hand as if it might offer milk. Another worked her way under Cowgirl to reach a teat. Katie admired the babies’ teeth and eyelashes, laughed at their feisty behavior, and kept coaxing them toward the udder.
By the end of the session, Katie had seen one calf stay and feed while the other appeared active and may have been less hungry than she first thought. Cowgirl had stood for both daughters, giving them time to try.
Katie planned to return later, check the girls again, and replace the splints. The bottles were still available when needed. For now, the twins had taken another step toward nursing from the mother Katie is so proud of.
**What would you most like to see in the next update: both girls nursing, more progress with the calf’s legs, or a quiet moment with Cowgirl and her daughters?**
