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At Hillside Farms, quick thinking saves a little newborn calf

February 2, 2010

Breath of life for Lily

By Bill O'Boyle boboyle@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer
Bill O'Boyle on Facebook   |   @TLBillOboyle on Twitter

KINGSTON TWP. – For Amy Deome it was just another day on the farm.

For Lily, a brand new heifer calf born last Wednesday, it was anything but.

Deome was aiding Buttercup, the 2-year-old Jersey cow and mother-to-be. Lilac was the first calf to be born, and to Deome, at 15 pounds Lilac looked a little small. That’s because her twin sister, Lily, 22 pounds, was about to follow her into the world at The Lands at Hillside Farms.

But there was a problem – Lily wasn’t breathing. Deome acted quickly; she called for her husband, Chuck, the farm manager.

They went into action, turning Lily upside down to drain the fluid from the calf’s lungs. Amy then covered Lily’s mouth and one nostril and blew into the newborn’s other nostril.

In a span of five or six minutes, Lily took her first breath and hasn’t stopped since.

Lily and Lilac, now almost a week old, share a stall in the barn. They have matching blue coats to keep them warm and heat lamps placed over them. They welcome attention from workers and visitors.

“First of all, it’s extremely rare to have twin heifers,” Deome said. “When a cow has twins, one is usually a bull.”

Buttercup delivered her two little females almost two weeks early. Hillside has 10 pregnant heifers due this month.

“When Lily took that first breath, it was awesome,” Deome said. “We then got her sneezing to help her get all of the mucus out of her.”

Deome, 38, has done this sort of thing before; she said she learned what to do from a veterinarian several years ago.

“I never get tired of calving,” Deome said. “Seeing a new life come into the world is probably the best part of my job. Really, everyone should witness it at least once in their lives.”

Deome, the farm’s teamster, said there are about 100 cows at Hillside of varying ages. She said the heifers start producing milk at age 2 and can live 15 years or longer.

The herd stays inside the barn during the winter months. Each cow has a stall and they are fed regularly and drink water whenever they want.

Deome knows each cow by name: Mystery, Poodle, Fern, Big Bird, Krispin, Goofy and Hoss, to name just a few. Deome calls to them and they respond to their names – indicative of the close interaction between the cows and their caretakers. An occasional “moo” lets Deome know they are looking for some attention.

Hillside has Jerseys, Holsteins, Brown Swiss and Lineback cows. Fully grown, they average 800 pounds. The Hillside farm family also includes draft horses, ponies, miniature donkeys, sheep, goats and pigs.

The Lands at Hillside Farms, at 65 Hillside Road, Shavertown, is a nonprofit, regional educational center and historic farm estate.

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