Alma and Martin
Hello - here I am! - MARTIN, Alma's bull calf
Martin, a newborn Jersey-Dahomey mix bull calf, is his mum Alma’s greatest joy. Our Alma gave birth to little Martin at Gut Aiderbichl all by herself and without any problems. Her own life story is a particularly mysterious one.
Alma's story
Alma and her young son Emil, a Dahomey hermaphrodite, became Aiderbichlers around eight months ago. Some time before being admitted to Gut Aiderbichl in Henndorf, Alma was rescued from the slaughterhouse by the owner of an organic farm after she was no longer profitable for conventional dairy cow husbandry. The stud bull at the organic farm fell in love with Alma and 280 days later Emil was born. Unfortunately, neither of them were able to spend the rest of their lives at the organic farm for legal reasons.
Cow for a Dahomey cow
The organic farmer had brought Alma as a nurse cow for his Dahomey cattle, which would not have survived the winter without Alma’s support.
At some point, Alma was covered by the Dahomey bull at the organic farm and gave birth to her jet-black son Emil. Mother and son were doing well, but the organic farmer was faced with a problem: for legal reasons, certified organic farmers cannot keep cattle from a conventional farm.
Alma’s life was hanging by a thread
The organic farmer did not want to sell Alma under any circumstances, as he feared that she would end up in meat production sooner or later. He thought about how he could help Alma and her Emil, because under no circumstances should Alma’s last destination be the slaughterhouse.
I have heard about your wonderful work …
The organic farmer had found the solution. He contacted Gut Aiderbichl’s animal emergency centre and asked them to take in mother Alma and her son Emil. He lovingly described the cattle as gentle, close-knit animals. In their new home, Emil in particular was very curious and trusting right from the start and quickly became the Aiderbichlers’ favourite.
The vet revealed Alma's secret
We do not breed animals at Gut Aiderbichl, so only neutered animals live on our farms. During the routine veterinary examination of Alma and her son Emil, it turned out that Alma was “in good spirits” again. So she didn’t just bring Emil with her, but also a little secret in her belly.The Aiderbichler keepers have been waiting months for the offspring. Over the last few weeks, Alma’s udder has been getting bigger and bigger and it seemed likely that the time would soon come and Alma’s calf would be born.
Both are in good health
On 23 August, Alma’s second son Martin, a Jersey-Dahomey mix, was born at Gut Aiderbichl in Henndorf. Immediately after the birth, Alma licked her Martin dry, who also sought out the udder a short time later to get his important milk. Alma is a loving mum and her dark, big eyes shine like the sun.
We wish Alma and her Martin wonderful years at Gut Aiderbichl in Henndorf.
By: Gisela Pschenitschnig, Gut Aiderbichl
