Franklin County Fair - Goats And Cattle

It had been several years since I attended the Franklin County Fair in Malone, New York, so one morning I drove there to take a look. I began in the Goat Barn, which pleased me greatly because when I used to raise goats, few fairs showed them at all. Now they've become so popular that there is a designated Goat Barn:

Alpine goats, the kind I used to raise:

Nubian goats, with the floppy ears. Goats are so friendly that it was difficult to snap photos. They were quickly up in my face, begging for attention and I had to take my pictures quickly, before they got to me:

I was a little late snapping this photo of the friendly Nubians:

Happy youngsters:

Next I went into the cattle barns. I had read that the barns had been emptied on Wednesday and they'd begun showing "Colored Breeds" on Thursday. Since there were no Holsteins in sight, I decided that "colored breeds" meant any dairy cattle but Holsteins. Apparently beef cattle were shown previously, at the same time as the Holsteins:

There were lots of heifers:

Beautiful animals, which at first I thought were smallish Brown Swiss. Later I decided they were more likely dark colored Jerseys:

And an army of young people was busy keeping everything spotless:

A cow pie scarcely hit the floor before someone forked it up:

Outside, people were bathing their cows. The animals seemed to enjoy it:

This was such a nice scene that I asked if I could take her picture: a girl and the Jersey she had raised:

This girl heard me talking to the other girl and ran over to her special cow so I could take her picture too. But we were just getting started, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Cemetery Road In The Town Of Lawrence - Part 2

I continued my driving tour of Cemetery Road, stopping to snap a photo of this attractive home with a lilac out front and a wraparound porch:

This small herd of Jerseys was not confined in this pen. They could have walked out at any time and one, as you can see, did just that. But apparently they felt safe and comfy in there:

A mobile home, set back in the trees:

There were long stretches of woodlands along Cemetery Road, with occasional lanes leading back into the unknown. I always wish I could follow them and find out where they lead:

A small, brown house with a picnic table, all nearly hidden behind the trees:

And another mobile home:

This home had a smaller building next to it and I wondered if it was used as a guest house:

There were fields and woodlands in alternating patches, sometimes in odd shapes. The combinations created an enticing, welcoming scene:

This home, set way back off the road, had a sort of bordering fence made of realty sign posts:

A large, modern home with an American flag:

And a home and sheds in classic red. This home had an impressive porch:

This home was the last place on the road. I snapped one final picture, put my camera away and continued on to the feed store:

A Neighbors' Dairy Barn - Part 3

The brothers had been busy feeding hay to their charges and would begin milking at any minute. So I once again walked down to where the weaned calves were tethered:

This little calf looked happy and comfy, completely undisturbed by my presence:

There was a whole row of weaned calves of varying ages, but they were difficult to photograph because of the light streaming through the windows:

But then it was time to turn our attention to the cows. Their udders looked full:

The brothers prepared things in the milk room, where everything had been sanitized:

Then they began carrying equipment out to the main barn:

The equipment was hung in strategic locations where it wouldn't touch any unclean surface:

And then they both began milking their cows:

The cows didn't balk, didn't fidget. This was routine for them:

I thanked the brothers for their kindness and began to walk back out to my car, passing these two dry cows once again as I went:

I looked back at the barn, with its grain bin, silo and many extensions. That's when I noticed more cattle out behind one of the extensions and decided to walk over to take a look:

There were three young males, eating hay. I didn't notice if they were bulls or steers, but that brown and white one on the left trotted over to stare me down and I decided it was time for me to make a wise retreat to the safety of my car:

A Neighbors' Dairy Barn - Part 2

I didn't ask how many cows they were milking, but I suppose it might have been about 50. It was a peaceful scene, with all the cows well fed and cared for, and similarly contented barn cats lounging about everywhere:

This little fellow wandered out from another room, found his mom and had a meal:

He was still a bit wobbly when he disconnected, but happy and with a full stomach:

The Holsteins were quite large:

The brothers were feeding hay to their cows when I arrived:

And the cows were eating it with enthusiasm, even kneeling for better access. You may notice that they also had soft, clean hay for bedding:

Another little Jersey calf:

I walked down the middle aisle to where the younger, weaned animals were tethered:

Such as this calf:

And then I headed back up the middle aisle to see if there was anything I'd missed:

The brothers continued to feed hay to their charges. They would begin milking soon:

This Jersey knelt to munch her hay. I might have left for home just about this time, but I knew they'd begin milking at any time - so I stayed. I'll post Part 3 tomorrow:

A Neighbors' Dairy Barn - Part 1

The two brothers who cut and baled my hay last summer have become friends and I sometimes stop by their dairy barn to say hello and shoot the breeze. One day I took note of all the cute calves in the barn and asked if they'd let me come take photos of the whole operation for this blog. They said OK, so one day I drove up to their barn, parked my car and asked, "How about today?:

Several colorful cows were lounging about outside the barn and I guessed that these were currently not being milked, probably soon to calve:

I walked into the milk room just as a bit of milk was poured for these two barn cats:

I walked out into the main barn to see the brothers and their cows, but my first "Hello" was to this calico barn cat:

I jumped to the side to avoid this forceful stream of urine and snapped a photo with which to make the point that this many giant animals in a barn is not always picturesque and pleasant. There's an awful lot of urine and manure being produced and deposited at all times. The brothers spend much of their day dealing with the accumulation of it all:

I chatted with the brothers for a bit and then began walking around the barn. Both the cows and the cats were friendly and seemed quite OK with me being there:

These cows spend most of their lives in the barn. Most of them are housed in double stalls, but this cow had a single stall all to herself. She seemed quite content with it:

It was almost milking time and all these bovine ladies were standing in line, waiting to be milked:

The very small calves were allowed to roam freely and would walk over to their mom every so often to say hello and drink a bit of milk:

This little fellow was just about to poop, but it was the best photo I got of him:

There was a variety of breeds, but mostly Holsteins and Jerseys. This little golden Jersey with soft eyes was as tame as a puppy dog:

The brothers are kind to their animals and, as a result, they are friendly cows. Many of them greeted me as I walked by. But there was more to see, so I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: