Springtime Red Polls

Our wintry storms in springtime finally stopped, and the pasture began taking on some green color. The cattle then started to walk out into the pasture and apparently found some grass to eat. They continued eating hay, so they couldn't have been finding much grass. This is Amy, the first cow to begin filling her udder with milk. She began a month ago, though, so I am unsure when she will calve:

 The grass continued to green up and cows began ranging farther out, making a pretty picture for people driving by on the county road:

 They are all friendly (except Violet, who is still afraid of me) when I walk among them. This is Gracie, always one of the friendliest, though she often acts like she sees ghosts in the barn:

 Little Rocket sometimes regards me with suspicion - or maybe it's just curiosity:

 Perhaps he thinks I'm the strangest looking cow he ever saw - or maybe he remembers the day we wrestled him down and tattooed and tagged his ears:

 He is already developing the long look of a bull. He will grow into a beauty. I hope I can find someone to buy him as a herd sire:

 The adult cows are a dark red, much darker than Rocket's coat, but I know from experience that is just because he is a calf:

 Jasmine is very sweet and docile but still has hoof problems and doesn't come into the barn for grain. She needs the supplemental feed, though, so I carry a bowl out to her. She is looking very big in the belly but her udder has not swollen one bit:

 Violet, like Gracie, sometimes balks at coming into the barn and may stand in the doorway and act like she sees ghosts. I've made progress, though, by gradually moving the bowl into the barn. It's been more difficult with Rocket because when I put his bowl inside, the big cows eat it and he gets none:

 But he does like grain. It's a treat for him and he clearly looks forward to it each morning:

 One morning Amy's teats were extra swollen with milk and I figured a calf must be due at any time. Her udder has since swollen to twice this size, yet still I wait for her to calve:

 Our snow and ice may have stopped, but we began getting soaking rain with cool temperatures (40 degrees F). The cattle have accepted it all without a problem. I've never had to provide hay before in May, but this year they required two bales: