Here a Moo, There a Moo, Everywhere a Moo Moo

I always loved coming to the farm to visit my grandparents, when I was a kid.  There seemed to be so many cows.  This farm was a dairy farm for quite a long time.  I remember going into the milking room and being fascinated by the operation.  The cows walked into the milking room and went to the feeding troughs and got ready to go to work.  Well, I understand now, they just wanted the feed.  I also remember my granddaddy dipping an old plastic measuring cup into this huge refrigerated box thing, where the milk was stored until ready for delivery I guess, and sharing the most delicious milk on the planet with me.  I didn't drink much milk as a child, I didn't like store bought milk, but when I got to drink the milk from the farm out of that measuring cup, I was very happy.

The milking room.

We don't milk the cows anymore.  They aren't working cows, they have a great life, a very relaxed life. I enjoy watching them wonder through the pasture grazing.  Each morning as it begins to get hotter, the momma cows bring their babies to what we refer to as the "nursery."  There are a couple of different locations, but usually, they are right in front of the house under the small grove of oak trees.  They get comfortable and stay through the hot part of the day.  We have a pond where more of the cows spend the day, enjoying the coolness of the water instead of the shade.

Isn't that some beautiful grass?

Watching a new calf learn to walk or nurse is much like watching a child in the first few weeks of life.  A calf learns to walk very early in their life, usually in the first day.  We watched one of the new calves following behind her momma the other day.  She kept trying to figure out where the milk comes out.  She went from behind the back legs of the momma all the way up to her chest, right behind her front legs.  We saw her tonight and she had figured it out.

Anyway you can get to the milk!  You can still see the umbilical cord if you look closely.

We had an infiltrator the other day.  We woke to find some "presents" from the back end of our visitor. We have a fenced in yard protected by a cattle guard.  The cattle guard keeps the cows on the right side of the fence.  Well, most of them.  We have in the past had a couple of cows who have learned to walk across the cattle guard and come right in to the yard.  We took down one of the rails at the gate when we were moving in that has made it easier for the cows to get in the yard.  Don't get me wrong, I don't mind their "presents," I just don't want them in my yard.

One of the cows who knows how to walk to cattle guard is Holly.  My mom names all the female cows.  We keep them.  The male cows get sold after a year or two so they don't get names.  Only one bull is necessary.  For the most part the cows are all my mom's pets, but some, much more than others.  In comes Holly.  She hasn't had very many babies, though we think she might actually be pregnant now.  (We are very excited for her).  Mom said when they don't produce babies they really aren't useful.  But, Holly has a place here because she is really a pet.  She comes to the yard by herself and lets us know she wants some corn.  She also lets us pet her.  Yep.  She doesn't get scared when we get near her, she stands still and lets you rub her head and even let me rub her big belly last week.  When she was born, my parents were out of town so a friend who was watching the farm checked on her and pet the new baby.  The next day she let him pet her again.  And there it began.  She liked being pet.  She obviously wasn't obeying her momma.  She liked the attention from the humans.  She is a sweet cow.  It is fun having a cow as a pet.

Holly

We try to make sure she feels loved. 

Isn't she pretty?

I'll keep you posted on Holly and if she has a baby.

Until we meet again.