PHOTO: Skittles the calf shows off her ear tag with her name. Other cows at Southern Arkansas University only have a number, but Skittles is special because she was bottle fed after her mom died.
By BECKY BELL | Special to magnoliareporter.com
When Skittles the calf was born at the Southern Arkansas University farm her future didn’t look bright as the rainbow-colored candies which inspired her name.
Skittles’ mother died while birthing her calf.
But devotion and special care from several people means Skittles will develop properly — fitting for a calf born on March 17, 2025: St. Patrick’s Day.
Ty Alford, farm operations manager/specialist at the SAU Farm, said that without a mother, Skittles would need to be bottle-fed three times daily, at around 7 a.m., noon and in the evening.
At first, Ty and his wife Hannah Alford were taking care of Skittles, who Hannah named after her husband’s favorite kind of candy.
However, one day, while SAU President Dr. Bruno Hicks and his wife Linda Hicks were walking the Farm Road, the first lady of SAU noticed Skittles being kept in a pen next to Ty’s two horses, Kitty and Tito. Ty said Linda Hicks came to talk to them about Skittles. After hearing about Skittle and her situation, she offered to help bottle feed her every day. So, the Alford’s agreed to feed her at night if Linda would feed her twice during the day. A partnership was born.
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