Cow Happenings

Lately a few things have been happening with the cows that bears mentioning, and since this is a homestead blog, here goes!

DW came up with a great idea to feed our cows. We bought 5 big round bales and have been hauling in arm fulls of hay from the overhang connected to our barn, into the barn and dumping it in the hay feeder. This has caused more than a little to be wasted as it falls to the ground while we're walking, not to mention our clothes get covered in hay. The whole point of feeding the cows this way was to keep them from wasting the hay, so that problem wasn't solved. I thought about buying a round bale feeder (at least $100), but I'd have to find a way to haul the round bales into their pen so they can eat it. Then DW had a "apostrophe" (you have to have seen the movie Hook to understand). The pasture fence borders one end of the overhang where we store our hay. Why not replace the fence in that section with an old gate we have laying in the junk pile, cut holes in it for them to stick their heads through, and let them just eat right off of the round bales? Ingenius! Not only is the hay protected from the rain, but it doesn't require us to move the bales to the pen. When they finish a bale we just slide a new one in place, like a coke machine.

Secondly, we tried drawing blood on Chloe again to send in for a preg test. We must have stuck that poor cow 10 times and couldn't get enough to send in. We'll try again this weekend and if it doesn't work, I'll have to have the vet palpate her.

Thirdly, Pumpkin and I seem to be doing this weird dance every morning now. For some reason, about halfway through milking, she gets it in her head that she doesn't want to be in the stanchion any more. She starts trying to pull her head out and poops, pees and dances all over the place. I don't get it. She has plenty of grain left, and it's not like I'm taking forever. I just have to stand back and let her calm down. The rest of the milking consists of me trying to milk the rest of the way and stopping to let her dance some more. So far she has not kicked, which I'm extermely thankful for. She has stepped in the bucket once, but that wasn't her fault. I don't know what gets into her, but it makes milking twice as long as it has to be. The other thing I can't figure out is why she doesn't do it with Regina. Not even once. Go figure. From experience I know it could be much worse, which helps me keep perspective. Oh well. I'll just smile each morning now as I know I'm going out to the barn to dance with my cow.