The Summer Adventures Of Remy And Blue

Blue and Remy spent several weeks across the road with the cows in the north field. They weren't happy about it at first but quickly adapted. When they were eating their grain in the barn, I noticed their love for tipping over their bowls and eating off the floor. So I started bringing them grain in wide, flat bottomed bowls. They did seem to prefer eating that way, though they sometimes tipped them over also, apparently just for fun:

The cows would gobble up their grain quickly and then move over to steal the horses' grain. So I began standing guard while the little fellows ate. I often had to separate the horses too. It seems no one gets along well when there is grain:

All went well for a few weeks:

And then I moved them all, both cows and horses, back across the road into the south field:

Remy was happy and alternated running with grazing:

Blue generally follows Remy's example and the two of them love to play. Their play mostly consists of running, with whichever horse is in the lead trying to kick the one behind him:

But then they settle down to graze:

I carried out their Jolly-Ball once again and tried to get them interested:

Blue wouldn't even look at it. Remy made a half hearted attempt at play and then returned to grazing, so I put the Jolly-Ball away in the barn, hoping it will be a fun novelty the next time I bring it out:

Rosella is especially fond of the little horses and often hangs out with them instead of with her fellow cows:

Blue is not very good at coming when called, but Remy usually doesn't even wait to be called. I took this picture while rapidly backing up to keep from being too close:

But then Remy stopped for another bite of grass and I got an easy shot. It seems that all is well with the miniature horses:

Summertime Red Poll Girls

The cows spent several weeks in the north field, where they ate lots of lush grass but still seemed very hungry for the bowl of grain I carried over to them twice each day:

The little horses stayed with them, their first time in that field and without a barn to sleep in at night. They handled the change well:

In fact, it was all quite peaceful although the grass in the north field got shorter and shorter:

But they never went hungry:

I especially enjoyed the early morning feeding time, when the rising sun began to turn the eastern clouds pink:

But of course the cows ate down the grass while the broadleaf weeds grew taller:

So one day I moved all the animals back to the south field and bush hogged the north field to mow down the broadleaf weeds. It should be ready to produce a hay crop in September:

The south field is bigger and more interesting. Furthermore, there is the barn in which to eat their breakfasts. The cows were happy and Amy gave Scarlett a little ear nibble:

One day I opened the side door and caught Gracie eating the grape vine leaves which grow on top of the old silo base. I've seen them eating grape leaves before. I know they're edible because people eat them too:

With the winter's hay supply in place and the south field grass recovered, it seemed an idyllic life for the cows:

Scarlett nibbled the short grass close to the barn. They often do that and I wonder why they don't go for the taller grass farther out. Perhaps they just nibble grass wherever they happen to be:

Still awaiting Jasmine's calf (if indeed she is pregnant), everything seemed peaceful. At this writing, Jasmine is three days beyond her due date and showing no sign of a calf about to be born. At this point, all I can do is wait and see:

The Red Poll Apple Girls

For a while I fed the cattle grain twice each day. It was not necessary for their health, but it helped me keep them close and observe them. But it got expensive and time consuming - and besides, it was autumn and much of my lawn was covered with apples. So I began collecting apples in pails and bringing them out to feed the girls:

I started gradually so as not to give them diarrhea, but soon was giving them a five gallon pail of apples each day:

I got some of them to eat apples from my hand but they were so big and boisterous that I gave up that idea lest I get hurt:

So I began just dumping the bucket of apples out onto the ground, fanning them out as much as possible so all the cattle got some - even the calves. I was also careful to avoid landing apples too close to manure. The cows would refuse them if they were too close to stinky poop:


Here, Gracie was chomping on a big, red apple. They are not dainty eaters:

I can see the cows lift their heads and watch me every time I walk out the back door. They are hoping I'll be bringing them some apples:

It's a happy bunch of well fed cattle as they munch on apples:

And a great opportunity for me to take pictures:

Mom, I wanted that apple!

Every afternoon apple feeding has been a fun, rowdy occasion:

With pleasant autumn weather, lovely friendly cattle, cool breezes and geese honking by overhead - what more could a person ask?:

The apples were plentiful for weeks, but of course they will eventually run out and the cattle will have to be content with grass and/or hay:

Making Hay While The Sun Shines

It was two weeks later than last year's hay making, but we finally got good hay weather. Two neighboring farmer brothers arrived to cut my hay one fine day:

The mower is an exceptional piece of equipment, handily making tight turns and piling the hay neatly into windrows to begin drying:

The standing hay had looked too weedy to be useable, but they assured me it would look better, which is to say grassier, once cut. They were right:

They began in the small south field and then proceeded to the north field. The biggest portion of the south field is now a pasture for the cattle and does not produce hay for the winter:

They began raking the hay on the following day:

The windrows were turned over to allow it all to dry in the sun:

The cut and drying acres of fresh hay filled the air with a wonderful aroma:

And I found it fascinating to watch the ingeniously designed farm equipment at work:

On the third day, they brought over the hay baler:

They drove along the windrows and the baler picked up the cut hay, spinning it inside that big, red box:

When the spinning mass of hay reached the correct size, they stopped and the baler wrapped everything in orange twine:

Once the bale was collected, spun into a five foot diameter bale (about 1000 pounds) and wrapped in twine, the baler opened up and out rolled the bale. It reminded me of a giant, mechanical chicken, laying an egg. Here's a brief video:

Rosella, My First Red Poll Calf

Brace yourself. There are going to be a lot of "baby pictures" in the future, beginning with today's post. This is Rosella, my first calf, just after I'd tattooed her ears:

She spent most of every day during her first week hiding in the grass. There were many nights when I had to go searching for her because even her mother didn't seem able to find her:

But when they found each other, they were inseparable:

Scarlett, the mom, has showed no signs of hostility toward me, though she has certainly been anxious about her new baby:

And Rosella, for her part, runs like the wind when she isn't sleeping:

When I walked out into the field to rouse her, she looked at me irritably. I guess no one likes to be awakened:

Sometimes she hangs out behind the barn with the big girls:

The green tattoo ink in her ears is beginning to fade:

And she sleeps at night with the herd. I find them in the morning, bathed in the light of the rising sun:

Cow-rillas In The Mist:

She has no tassel on her tail yet and I'll keep watching it to see when the white hairs begin to grow:

Scarlett and Rosella, mother and daughter: