Kentucky Family Welcomes Newborn Calf Into the House During Freezing Weather

Last weekend, the impending arrival of Winter Storm Fern had most of us rushing to the grocery store, turning on all the faucets to drip, and ensuring our pets were safe, among other precautionary measures. Others of us had additional concerns. The Sorrell family of Mount Sterling, Kentucky, is a good example.

A Kentucky Calf at Risk From the Bitter Cold

I spoke with Macey Sorrell, who shared an amazing story with me about the birth of a calf at what she calls (and we all agree, right?) "the worst possible time." Her husband Tanner had been monitoring the situation.

"Tanner had been keeping a close eye on the mama cow, so when the calf was born, only a few hours old, he checked on them right away. What he found was a little concerning...the baby was already chilled to the bone, and her umbilical cord had frozen in the cold air."

Newborn calves come equipped with  "brown adipose tissue," which helps them deal with the cold air. But if it's too cold, and, well, the umbilical cord freezes, you have to act fast. The Sorrells did just that.

Newborn Calf Welcomed Into Kentucky Family's Home

Imagine being a kid and getting to tell your friends that a calf spent the night in your house. During childhood, stories like that are hard to come by. Here's what Macey told me about her temporary bovine Airbnb...

"We brought her into the house to warm up while her mama stayed behind to eat corn and hay and regain her strength. Inside, we carefully warmed her with a blow dryer, wrapped her up, and gave her plenty of cuddles. We fed her a bottle of colostrum to make sure she got the nutrients she needed. By morning, she was feeling much stronger."

Ah, word of the day...colostrum. It is the first milk produced by a mammal immediately after birth. It's loaded with nutrients.

The Kentucky Calf Returns to Mama

So, when Macey says "by morning," she means "crazy early." Well, for those of us who don't live on a farm anyway.

"At first light, we carried her back out to the barn. As soon as her mama heard Sally moo, she came running. It was a sweet reunion — the calf went straight to nursing and hasn’t slowed down since. We set them up with their own cozy space filled with hay, straw, sweet feed, and fresh water, and even placed a camera so we can keep a close watch. Thankfully, both mama and baby are doing great and thriving."

Oh, I almost forgot, the Sorrells' 3-year-old son, Gregory, named the calf Sally after the Sally Carrera character from the movie Cars.

(In the big photo, sleeping alongside Gregory and Sally, that's the Sorrells daughter, Charlee Jo.)

Macey told me that most people laugh when they hear there was a calf in the house, but she says that's par for the course with farm families. And after the passing of her father-in-law just a week prior, Macey says it was nice to have this little(?) bundle of joy to focus on.

"It was a small, sweet moment we really needed."

I'll let her sum up this experience, which is nothing out of the ordinary for her and her family...

"We work hard, we take care of our animals, and we take care of each other. If something needs help, we help it. That’s how we were raised. We never expected to get any attention from this. To us, it was just another farm night. We never thought twice about it. It’s funny that something so normal for us means so much to other people."