Winter Red Poll Ladies

The Red Poll girls are all fat and happy, enjoying their hay now that winter has fully arrived:

I roll the bale feeder to a new location with each new bale, leaving a bed of old hay which they use for lying down. This is Rosella, luxuriating in the soft hay:

And I sometimes carry their grain out to them if they won't come into the barn. It's part of my effort to get them used to coming into the barn each day once again. Notice the mackerel sky in this photo:

Their coats have become less red and more brown, something which happens each winter:

Scarlett, long one of the least friendly cows, has decided I'm not such a bad guy after all:

Rosella got too fat for her LG cow collar, so I took it off of her and bought an XL collar. It took nearly a week to get her to allow me to put it on her, but she now looks spiffy in her new blue collar and red ear tag. Sadly, I discovered that she too has a crack in a hoof claw. I am giving them all grain and extra minerals now in an attempt to stop their hooves from cracking:

They are a peaceful group, and don't bat an eyelash as I walk among them:

Some mornings when I ring the bell to call them in for grain,they will walk almost to the barn and then stop, refusing to go any farther. If I continue ringing the bell, a few of them will usually (not always) come in for grain. I carry out a bowl for each of the others. I don't give them much because they're already fat, but a little grain with minerals seems wise, both for their health and to get them used to coming into the barn when called like they used to do:

Jasmine seems to be feeling much better. She stands as much as the other cows, keeps up with the herd, and eats with gusto. That's her with a mouthful of hay:

Like the horses, they are not phased by the snow and cold. When the cold winds begin, however, they won't like it and will move to the east side of the barn for protection. Of course I'll then move the bale feeder there too:

Rosella, chewing her cud in the morning sun:

A happy herd: