Are These Ladies Pregnant?

Those of you who have been following this blog know that four of my cows have not gotten pregnant via artificial insemination this year, and two of those four have not calved in two years. The remaining two cows, due in October and January, may or may not be pregnant, but given the track record so far, I couldn't count on it. I rented a neighbor's bull for two months and now can only wait and see:

 I believe the problem has been that I let my cows become obese. I've heard of others who have had the same problem. Apparently there is a downside to cattle with great feed efficiency:

 Cows, especially obese cows, seldom show their pregnancy and I can now only wait nine and a half months to find out. Of course if any should come into heat, I'll know they aren't pregnant - but they weren't showing when they came into heat either, which was part of the problem with using artificial insemination. This cow, by the way, is Jasmine. She is the sweetest girl in the herd and a real beauty:

 I believe they have lost some weight this summer - not enough, but they do make a striking scene as they grace the south field:

 Violet is the cow who we think had been carrying a mummified fetus. The vet gave her a hormone injection to get her to expel it but I never found anything. I also never saw her flirting with the bull when he was here, so she remains the biggest potential problem. That's Blue in the background:

 Amy and Scarlett:

 Rosella is tame and gentle, but also young enough to be frisky and not want to hold still:

 It's a peaceful scene as we move into autumn, with contented cows and mini-horses:

 Gracie still looks quite obese and I can only hope the bull was able to impregnate her. Producing milk for a calf will help trim her down:

 This is Jasmine again. Remember the previous picture where she looked so beautiful? This is her looking like a space alien:

 They've kept the grasses and weeds short since I bush hogged the field in July. I believe that was a side benefit of having the bull in the field - his large appetite. Otherwise, the south field might again be overgrown by now:

 Amy is due in late October and Scarlett is due in January. The rest of the ladies will probably remain a mystery until April and May: