The Red Poll Ladies

Our previously mild winter turned frigid and severe, but the Red Poll girls handled it all with aplomb:

Amy continues to come into heat, inspiring some of her herd mates to mount her, but I can't allow her to get pregnant because her udder problems require her calves be hand fed, a mighty job which costs far, far more than the calf would sell for. I also don't think her genes should be perpetuated:

The bale feeder and consequently the herd are permanently on the east side of the barn until the weather warms up. This protects them from westerly winds, which is primarily what we get:

And I continue to move the bale feeder each time I bring them a new hay bale. This not only saves the feeder from ruin (as I learned the hard way) from becoming frozen in waste hay, but gives the cows some hay to sleep on:

I am amazed at how much protection the barn provides on windy days:

The cows (and horses too) are so well insulated that the snow builds up on their backs without melting:

Sometimes on mild days, they do a bit of exploring, but they don't go far. Their life in the winter centers around the bale feeder:

We had a freezing rain which covered the herd with ice. They didn't seem to mind:

They looked as if they had crystalline threads all over their bodies:

I wish I could say that they knew enough to get out of the way of the tractor, but they don't. I have to be very careful:

Moving the bale feeder before putting in a new bale helps, as the animals are still concentrating on the former site:

Jasmine is often the first cow to the bale feeder:

The Red Poll Ladies

The cattle have fared well so far this winter despite a few dangerous ice storms and four of them being on diets. The two heifer calves are growing rapidly:

A hay bale lasts only two days, so on the evening of the second day I roll the bale feeder to a new location (to receive a new bale in the morning). That leaves a circle of hay where the feeder had been, making it easier for them to get what's left and also a soft, dry bed on which to spend the night:

There isn't much hay left at the end of the second day:

I don't generally let them into the barn at night, except when a really bad storm is coming:

This is Gracie. Her facial expression often looks crabby, but she is always sweet and gentle with me and doesn't seem to bother the horses at all:

A new bale, the morning after an ice storm. Scarlett and her calf were the first cattle brave (or hungry) enough to cross the ice to get to it. I spread salty sand over as much ice as I could. I also drove the tractor along an ice filled drainage ditch so the wheels would crush the ice at the bottom of it:

But it didn't take too long before the other cattle found a safe way to get to their hay. By afternoon, some of them were lounging around, chewing their cuds:

Scarlett, my most productive cow:

Did someone ring the dinner bell?

A warmer scene, during one of our snow melts:

But soon it was snowing again and little Maggie looked cold:

Tending the Red Poll girls at daybreak is an especially nice time for me. The sky often turns mixed shades of baby pink and baby blue:

The Red Poll Cattle

I tend to the cattle early each morning, just as the sun is rising in the eastern sky. It is often a beautiful time of day:

I try to keep the hay bale feeder on the east side of the barn to give the cattle shelter from the westerly winds. If we have a stretch of milder weather, I move it away from the barn to help prevent too much buildup of waste hay:

Early mornings are my time to spend with cattle and horses, observe them and evaluate how they are doing:

Little Tabitha often comes up to me to check me out. She now realizes that I am the source of her morning grain:

We had two days of freezing rain, followed by a hard freeze and light snowfall. It left extremely hazardous walking conditions. I spread salty sand (from the town highway garage) on as much as I could and also some bedding hay from cleaning the barn. This is where some animal slipped:


One morning the cows wouldn't come in the barn for grain and I later realized it was because they were afraid to walk on the ice. Worse, two of them were limping, apparently from slipping. They recovered in a couple of days, but I learned to be quicker to spread sand and bedding hay to help with traction:

Tabitha and Maggie came to the stock tank for a drink of water after they'd been playing:

A picturesque scene, one of the reasons I love farm life:

The herd with a new hay bale:

It occurs to me that I have too many pictures of the cattle standing around their "salad bar." Alas, that's about all they do in the wintertime, alternating with cud chewing:

This is Maggie. I've gotten quite attached to these two calves and will miss them when they're gone. I'll also want to be sure they go to a good home:

Tabitha, looking at me as if to ask why the bale feeder is empty:

Around The Farm In January

Winter arrived in the north country as usual, with cold, snow and ice:

 This year we've had more than the usual amount of treacherous ice, such as this slippery patch beneath the apple trees. I drove to the town highway garage and filled buckets full of sand/salt mix which I sprinkled on the ice to help keep me from falling. I also spread it where the cattle or horses might slip and fall. I sure don't want any animals with broken legs or unable to stand back up:

 The pigeons have seemed happy inside their sheltered room. The water in their automatic waterer froze a couple of times, but usually the heater underneath it is sufficient to keep it flowing and drinkable:

 The 13 little hens all get along and seem happy:

 They sometimes collect by the door, probably wishing they could go outside - but they don't realize how bad the weather is out there (or that there are foxes prowling):

 Two of the new Easter Egger bantams. They all have fluffy "beards:"

 The new Easter Eggers have begun laying eggs, even in this cold. Some are pink:

 And some are green. I don't yet know how many of the little hens are laying, but they are just getting started. Their eggs, though small, will get bigger with time:

 And lest it seem like all misery here, take a look at the sunrise here one morning, when it seemed the sky was on fire as I did the chores. Such spectacular beauty helps beat the winter doldrums:

Around The Farm - Part 2

One day we had a big freezing rain storm. The next morning, I found everything covered with about a half inch of crystalline ice. The apple trees glistened in the sun:

The brush along the edge of the road was crystal covered also. Notice the Chickadee in the bottom of the photo:

The neighbors' barn and horses shimmered in the reflected sunlight:

  My old fashioned lilac was especially heavily laden, and a very popular landing spot for many of the birds who frequented the bird feeders:

Especially the Chickadees:

They have been both numerous and quite tame this year:

Sparrows were also common at both the bird feeders and in the lilac bush:

And, of course, Blue Jays. I've also gotten Redpolls, Goldfinches, Mourning Doves, Cowbirds, Starlings, Harry Woodpeckers and Downy Woodpeckers. There have been a number of other species but I haven't been able to identify them all:

The cattails and brush along the edge of my north field glistened like fine crystal:

And everywhere the beauty of winter was evident:

My tenant has moved out and, with the apartment empty, his side door has gone unshoveled. The Flowering Crab trees, all covered with ice, watched over it: