Update On The Red Poll Girls

What's new with the cows? Well, they shed their muddy brown, winter coats and began looking red again, glistening in the sun:

They've spent time in the north field and the south field. They're now being kept out of the north field, though, so the grass can grow as much as possible before haying:

The five of them are drinking as much as 300 gallons of water a day:

And they fraternize with the chickens:

I included this "rear end" photo to illustrate the whitish tail switch, a Red Poll breed characteristic and a quick way to tell them from Red Angus:

They have been nicer to each other this summer, with much less quibbling and struggling for dominance. Maybe that's because they finally settled the social hierarchy or maybe that's because they're so very well fed:

"Wanna see what's in my mouth? It's a grass soufflé, and I'll bet you wish you had some:"

The biting flies (of several kinds) became problematic and I felt so sorry for the cows that I got a pour-on fly repellent which helped a great deal:

The girls still get a bowl of grain every day. They don't need it, but it helps keep them tame and gives me a way to call them into the barn for the vet or artificial insemination technician:

Some cows prefer the shade on a summer afternoon:

But other cows prefer to bake in the sun:

They all like to graze in the lush, green fields. They apparently don't eat the buttercups, though. That's a good thing, if I can trust what I read on the internet, as buttercups are not good for them: