Friday, July 4, 2014

Summer Red Poll Update

I am waiting for the Artificial Insemination technician to arrive as I type this, so some time soon I hope to have more news on that score. The cows have put on weight, developed glossy red coats and become tamer:

They have so much grass to eat that they have been ignoring the weeds. This has caused the quality of hay to decline and I've closed them out of two small fields and am in the process of dividing the bigger field in half:

Yes, they've grown fat and lazy. I have pampered cows:

"Pampered? Who, me? Bring me over some treats, would ya?"

I have been using fly spray on them to help ease the irritation of biting flies. I think it has helped:

And I call them into the barn once a day to give them grain. This is to keep them tame, not because they need the nutrition:

In fact, they often refuse to come into the barn when I call. They just lounge about in the grass, chewing their cuds and ignoring me:

Last winter's hay feeder spot makes for a nice, soft bed:

Though they were full grown when I bought them, they've put on so much weight that I've had to loosen their collars. So far I've loosened all their collars from the first hole to the fourth. That's significant weight gain for adult cows since November:

And they are a magnificent sight, grazing in the buttercups:

Our weather has been a nice mixture of nourishing rain and warm, breezy days:

And I've learned a lot since the Red Poll girls first arrived. I imagine I'll keep learning more as long as I own them. Or do they own me?:

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