Red Poll Reverie

Livin' is easy for the red haired gals of Windswept farm this time of year. Grass is plentiful and most of the weather is pleasant:

Gracie may look crabby but she's really a well mannered lady:

Rosella is taking good care of her boy, Winston, and has begun to come into heat again so it's time for me to get her bred for next year:

Winston ran across the field to greet me the other evening. I momentarily wondered if he was showing some early aggression but it turned out that he was just curious and friendly:

Jasmine is my friendliest cow and one who shows the most dairy type body shape:

No worries, no hassles except for the flies. Life is good:

Last winter's spots of waste hay are still favorite spots for lounging:

And Jasmine certainly knows how to make herself comfortable:

Nap time:

Violet and Scarlet are friends:

A trio of bovine beauties:

Jasmine again:

The Red Poll Update

Life is peaceful, and contentment reigns in the south field:

There is now plenty of grass, more than they can eat, so the girls spend most of each day lounging in the sun:

Rosella's little bull calf spends even more time snoozing than his mom:

And all the cows are looking good as they live the good life:

Violet and Amy seem to like to hang out together:

The little bull calf regards me as a curiosity, a mystery creature. He isn't yet sure if he should be afraid of me or not:

I caught Rosella and her boy lying in the grass by the fence. The bull calf looked dead, but he was only sleeping:

And one day I visited Rosella's rejected heifer calf, now living just down the road from me. Her new owner and I walked into the barn and she started to run out to greet her new dad, then stopped in alarm because she didn't know me any more:

But she soon decided I was safe and relaxed. I asked her dad to go in with her so I could take some pictures:

She was both playful and affectionate with him:

And also hungry, wanting some warm milk. She's always hungry, a veritable bottomless pit. She now lives an enviable life, with a nephew and uncle who spoil her and four yearling heifers who seem to have accepted her already. The uncle takes her out into the field to play each morning:

And while I was visiting, I said hello to his free range roosters. They are all friendly (the mean ones get eaten) and the hens, who are kept locked up safely:

The Red Haired Ladies

Our weather continues to present us with spring one minute, then return to winter the next. I am running low on hay and wondering if the grass will begin growing by the time I run out. The cows' appetites are enormous:

Amy was resting on some waste hay. The frozen drainage ditch on the other side of her was a concern to me because the cows often try to cross it. Sometimes the ice supports them and sometimes their foot crashes through it to the bottom of the ditch. So far, though, there have been no injuries;

I moved the bale feeder away from the east side of the barn and out into the pasture:

Though we still got snow and wind, the weather was not as severe as it was in the winter:

The girls are looking healthy and spend their time eating and digesting hay:

Rosella is due to calve in May, Scarlett is due in August:

Sadly, Jasmine no longer comes into heat. That may be a blessing, though, as I'd be sorely tempted to keep any heifer calf she produced:

Though the bale feeder has been moved, the cows sometimes come back to the east side of the barn to sleep on the accumulated waste hay:

Sweet Jasmine, the only cow who loves attention:

Napping by the road:

And napping in the field:

We have had a number of late snowstorms, but all is well - at least until I run out of hay:

The Red Poll Ladies

I began the season with 77 big, round hay bales but only have 18 left. I am wondering if there will be enough to get the girls through to pasture time. Of course I have small bales in the barn's hay loft, so I can extend their hay supply with those if I need to. They are big, hungry animals, whose main activity is eating and processing food:

They haven't received much grain this winter, but it is clear that none of them are losing weight. In fact, I fear they may have gained weight!

They stand mostly to eat, then lie down to chew their cuds and nap. They don't burn many calories except perhaps to keep warm in the cold:

Life is good, and I wonder if they had the choice, would they choose winter with its cold or summer with its biting flies. I'm sure they'd prefer green grass to hay, but the heat and flies must surely be uncomfortable:

They seldom move from the east side of the barn, and if the winds are especially biting, they get right up next to the barn wall:

The pasture became covered with a slick layer of thick, dangerous ice, so I was happy to see the cows staying on the east side of the barn, where there is lots of waste hay to give them traction:

When the neighbor sheep farmers dumped two loads of stemmy hay, the girls ate their fill and then used the remainder for a soft, comfy bed:

Cow number five is Rosella, and she was sound asleep. The bald spot on her spine is from enthusiastic eating and rubbing on the top of the bale feeder:

Cud chewing is a necessary part of digestion:

But always they need more hay:

And then they snooze:

I don't remember if I put the bale feeder this close to the barn or they pushed it there - but I'm guessing it was the latter. I usually try to keep it away from the barn wall so snow and ice falling from the roof don't hit it or the cows:

Little Snow Horses

Blue and Remy hang out with their much bigger cow friends, even sleeping outdoors with them most nights even though they could sleep in the barn:

Blue is not afraid of the cows at the bale feeder:

And neither is Remy:

Both little guys do come into the barn sometimes, though, and I make sure to give them lots of attention when they are in there:

One day I found Remy, standing still and surrounded by ice and cold water. I recognized his panting as a sign of stress, so I walked to him, took him by the halter and led him back to the barn via the safest route I could find. I think he wandered out there and then realized how dangerous it was - but didn't know how to extricate himself:

The east side of the barn only gets morning sun, so all the herd luxuriates for half a day, at least when the clouds have dissipated:

The horsey boys don't get much grain anymore, but Blue's belly is still pretty big:

Remy is in fine shape, and he seems to know it. He's less playful now than he used to be, but more lovable:

Remy even loves his cow friends:

And how could I not pet and kiss a face like this?

Both Blue and Remy stick together most of the time:

And even when they're apart, they usually don't go too far: