The Franklin County Fair - Part 1

On the second day of my sister's visit, we took a drive to Malone, New York in order to see the Franklin County Fair. We began in the goat barn and with this friendly face:

I used to have dairy goats and still think they're one of the best animals there is. They're certainly about the friendliest:

  This sign was on a pen full of youngsters. It was clever and I got a chuckle out of it:

  Goats love people and they begged for attention:

We walked across the lane to visit the horse barn, stopping along the way to greet this friendly cat with giant feet and extra toes:

This warning caused me to be careful. I think this horse was like Remy - friendly, but inclined to explore with his mouth:

Next stop was the cow barn. It was all dairy cattle on that day. Beef cattle would be exhibited later in the week:

Lots of people stayed right there with their livestock:

And they kept them immaculately clean. I figured they must have to pick up manure every 15 minutes or so to keep them so clean. Cleaning up urine soaked bedding might be more difficult:

These cows are obviously well cared for and accustomed to much handling:

We walked over to the arena and saw what at first appeared to be children showing their goats in front of a judge. We watched for awhile and learned that the actual competition was the next day but the judge was giving pointers to the children, explaining what to do and what not to do. It was fun to watch:

Next was the poultry barn, where we found these Guinea Fowl:

And Buff Laced Polish chickens:

And quite a few Peacocks. But there was still much to see at the fair. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

St. Lawrence County Fair - Part 1

It was a lovely Friday and I was in no mood to be doing chores, so I drove to the village of Gouverneur to see the St. Lawrence County Fair. It was a fifty mile drive to Gouverneur, where I turned down a pleasant neighborhood road and and continued on it until I saw the fairgrounds:

I paid my admission, parked my car and walked toward the action. When I saw the words, "Free Petting Zoo," however, I made it my first stop:

There were Ring-Tailed Lemurs and screeching parrots:

Camels, sheep and goats:

A kangaroo:

And spotted Llamas:

Zebu miniature cattle:

Miniature horses and these partial albino, miniature donkeys. Unsurprisingly, the donkeys were the friendliest of all the animals:

This is dairy country and I toured several barns filled with cattle of various breeds:

And, of course, lots of Holsteins:

I arrived early, before the big crowds arrived, so the barns were busy with people cleaning their animals and stalls:

This woman was washing her Holstein heifer. But I still had lots to see at the fair, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Smith And Reagan Flats Roads, Town Of Bombay

I'd just finished getting my yearly auto safety inspection and there I was, far out in the countryside, on a county road on a beautiful June day. What's a guy to do? I took a driving tour through northeastern St. Lawrence County and into Franklyn County. I particularly enjoyed the scenery along Smith Road and Reagan Flats Road, in the town of Bombay. This old barn, silo, elevator, grain bin, snow plow blade and tractors, for example:

Not every home was a farm house, but they were all attractive on that fine day:

This amazing old home looked as if it might have been two homes, built at right angles near each other and then, at some later date, connected:

A mobile home with an addition, set way back into the trees. I liked the bear and pine tree decorations. Also, there was an old, yellow school bus parked out back, which you just barely see to the right of the home:

A rather elegant country home in a park-like setting:

An Amish barn raising:

On the same Amish farm, on the other side of the house, Amish women were tending to some of the horses:

A dairy herd stopped their grazing to look at me with curiosity when I pulled up to snap their picture:

The houses were sparse and I didn't take too many photos, but the last one, just before I turned onto the county road, was of this place with Adirondack siding and an amazing display of colorful flowers. That red "tree" in front was a frame, covered with pots of red flowers. I learned, after I turned the corner, that this was a business which sold flowers. Nonetheless, it was a beauty. I did a lot more driving that day and investigated some new parts of the Brasher State Forest. I hope to take the dogs there soon:

It's A Girl!

The chart I was given by the Artificial Insemination man used 280 days as the gestation period for cattle, and by that reckoning, Amy was a week late. Her udder was swollen and sore looking, and she seemed uncomfortable. A Google search informed me that up to 291 days is "normal" and for Red Polls, the average is 285 days. So I just waited and watched her as she looked miserable:

But nothing happened, so on day 287, I drove to Walmart to do some shopping. When I arrived  home, I found Amy and her brand new heifer calf:

Amy's teats were swollen so big that I feared the baby couldn't drink from them. She was unable to do so when I took this photo. But even as I snapped the picture, I could see milky froth in the calf's mouth - so I knew she had already managed to find a way:

Amy, like Scarlett - but unlike Violet and Gracie, left her new baby hiding in the grass for most of the day in the manner of deer. That got me wondering if the calf's genetics or the mother's genetics determined which mothering style they'd use. Then it occurred to me that both Violet and Gracie calved when the grass was too short for hiding. Scarlett and Amy calved when the grass was tall enough. I still don't know the origins of mothering style:

It's very unusual to have three heifer calves in a row, and even more unusual to have four in a row (by adding Rosella into the count). That raised yet another question - Do bulls determine the gender of the offspring in the same manner as humans? I found no answer on the internet although I found other people wondering the same thing. If so, that should prove a powerful advertisement for bulls whose semen produces a preponderance of heifers:

I named the new girl Loretta but didn't see much of her for the first several days. Amy kept her hidden and, if I walked too close, they'd trot off across the field to keep away from me:

One day I walked right up to the two of them, sleeping in the grass. Neither one moved as I talked to them and brushed off the pesky flies. I think they were trying to avoid biting flies and considered me less of a threat than the insects:

Amy refused any grain for the first few days, as did Gracie and Violet before her. That got me speculating also. Was it just to avoid human contact right after calving or was it a survival behavior because their udders were painfully swollen? A retired dairyman neighbor stopped by to warm me that Amy's udder looked to be in danger of mastitis. I shared his concern but had watched the other cows swell up similarly and then gradually return to normal as their calves' appetites grew. Red Polls are beef cattle but have a great deal of dairy genetics. They produce much more milk than most beef breeds:

After a couple of days, Amy began bringing Loretta over to the barn and with her as the herd grazed:

And she began letting me get closer - but not too close:

All has gone well with Amy and Loretta, though I've been keeping a close eye on her swollen udder. I've been so very happy with the three calves produced by this bull that I plan to buy more of his semen for next year:

Sayles Road In Moira, New York - Part 2

I was touring Sayles Road in the town of Moira (see also Part 1, yesterday) and snapping pictures of picturesque old farms and barns:

A few beef cows munched hay next to a stock trailer:

And this classic farm house sat up on a rise:

A double barn, set right next to the road:

And a herd of dairy cattle:

Perfectly neat and tidy, with a modern barn and two tall silos:

Unusual barns:

A family farm of great beauty. But I had come to the end of Sayles Road and it was time for me to return home. I put my camera away and began driving back to where my own animals were waiting: