The Red Poll Apple Girls

For a while I fed the cattle grain twice each day. It was not necessary for their health, but it helped me keep them close and observe them. But it got expensive and time consuming - and besides, it was autumn and much of my lawn was covered with apples. So I began collecting apples in pails and bringing them out to feed the girls:

I started gradually so as not to give them diarrhea, but soon was giving them a five gallon pail of apples each day:

I got some of them to eat apples from my hand but they were so big and boisterous that I gave up that idea lest I get hurt:

So I began just dumping the bucket of apples out onto the ground, fanning them out as much as possible so all the cattle got some - even the calves. I was also careful to avoid landing apples too close to manure. The cows would refuse them if they were too close to stinky poop:


Here, Gracie was chomping on a big, red apple. They are not dainty eaters:

I can see the cows lift their heads and watch me every time I walk out the back door. They are hoping I'll be bringing them some apples:

It's a happy bunch of well fed cattle as they munch on apples:

And a great opportunity for me to take pictures:

Mom, I wanted that apple!

Every afternoon apple feeding has been a fun, rowdy occasion:

With pleasant autumn weather, lovely friendly cattle, cool breezes and geese honking by overhead - what more could a person ask?:

The apples were plentiful for weeks, but of course they will eventually run out and the cattle will have to be content with grass and/or hay: