The Red Poll Girls

Jasmine (on the left) and all the red haired ladies move to the east side of the barn when cold westerly winds are blowing uncomfortably:

But it is winter and they live in the north country, so being out in the cold is part of life:

A highlight of their existence is any time I bring out a new hay bale and drop it into the feeder:

I move the bale feeder each time so that frozen waste hay can't build up inside and cement the feeder to the ground. It also leaves a patch of scattered hay, providing a new place for the cows to bed down at night:

On some mornings, the girls come into the barn for a bit of sweet grain, sometimes with added mineral supplements. But most mornings, they are not interested:

After a breakfast of grain, they walk back out to the bale feeder and continue to munch on hay:

But a bovine has four stomach compartments and has to spend time chewing her cud, so they also spend time relaxing and digesting:

If it is unusually cold, the cows sometimes collect at the barn door, apparently hoping I'll let them in. I used to do so, but they just pooped all over everything and then went back outside in the cold to sleep anyway, so now I leave them outdoors:

Eating hay is their main interest, their main activity. It provides nourishment and keeps their bodies warm:

They can get pretty intense when scarfing down the hay. If I want to move in front of them, I have to push them out of the way (they don't seem to mind):

Amy has the biggest udder and I worry sometimes that it will freeze, but apparently cattle have evolved with enough blood circulation there to keep their udders warm:

And when the little horses join them at the bale feeder, it seems that all is right with the world. Life is good, the animals all get along, and my own little peaceable kingdom is functioning properly: