Kelvin Fletcher was forced to take drastic action after the heartbreaking setback.

Kelvin Fletcher hope the newborn calf would pull through (Image: ITV)

Kelvin Fletcher expressed his worries in the latest instalment of Fletcher’s Family Farm, which broadcasts on Sunday, following the arrival of a newborn on the farm.

When the former soap actor went to inspect his cow Ruby, he discovered she had delivered a calf during the night, though matters quickly took an unforeseen direction.

He told the camera, “So a nice surprise his morning, saw Ruby on top of the field with something hanging out the backside, and I was a little bit alarmed at first, because what I thought… my first instinct was, it’s a calf, and how long has it been there?

“As I got closer, I realised it was kind of just the afterbirth, and she’s calm this morning. We don’t know when, but I got here at about eight o’clock this morning, and it looked like she had only just calved, as it was still wet.

“And what was a little bit concerning was that she’d kind of wandered off and left it. She was actually getting a drink. So I managed to coax her back over, and she started licking the calf,” reports the Mirror.

Kelvin Fletcher (Image: ITV)

“So I’ve allowed for an hour or so for that bonding process. She’s been licking it. She’s licked it dry. It’s a heifer calf. Our first heifer calf.”

Kelvin continued, “That first six hours are crucial, really. Within about five or 10 minutes, it should be kind of lifting its head up, and then hopefully within half an hour, an hour, you want it to be stood up, really, and taking that first milk. That colostrum, that’s the golden window.”

However, upon noticing Ruby was kicking her calf as it tried to feed, Kelvin had no choice but to take drastic measures and relocate them both to the barn to encourage bonding.

Kelvin Fletcher and his family will be back on screen (Image: ITV)

He confessed, “This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen. She’s just not letting the calf feed. Every time the calf gets close to the teat, she’s just kicking her away.”

Kelvin also managed to borrow some colostrum from his neighbour to nourish the calf before moving her to the barn.

After relocating both Ruby and her newborn to the barn, Kelvin voiced his concerns, “So, without sounding too dramatic, it’s a massive danger that the calf has not had the colostrum in the time that it needed, and over the next 24 hours, you can just nose-dive and, you know, we lose the calf. That’s how serious it is, really.”

Despite this disheartening setback, Kelvin remained resolute, declaring, “I will not be defeated.”

The summary for this week’s episode states, “A new arrival on the farm keeps everyone on their toes, while the sheep are due their regular health checks. Kelvin and Liz head off to a ploughing show to celebrate farming skills, machinery and rural life.”

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