Absolutely nothing is wrong!
Jan 26, 2023 8:06:32 GMT -5
simplynaturalfarm, Shawn, and 27 more like this
Post by Lannie on Jan 26, 2023 8:06:32 GMT -5
What a boring post this will be. There is NO Jersey drama in it whatsoever, LOL!
I am having such a good time with my girls. Stinky (formerly Sweet Pea, or #912) is just the nicest big ol' heifer... she reminds me of Miss Bandit. She'd climb in my lap if I'd sit down and let her. And Molly has finally settled into the sweet girl I knew she would be when I looked in her eyes.
Both of them get along REALLY well with Horus, and they all eat together out of the same hay pile every morning and evening, when I feed them outside. Which is most days, so the inside of the barns don't get so gooey, if you know what I mean. Horus is so happy to have cow-friends again, it's nice to see him "smiling" again.
When I come outside, the girls are usually lying down somewhere chewing their cud. If the weather is nasty, they'll be in one of the barns, but if there's no snow or wind, chances are they'll be out in the pasture. When they see me, they get up and stretch (and poop) and I call them and they come in for chow. Yesterday morning, they were in the horse barn, because it was snowing and "breezy," but I wanted them to have their breakfast inside the cow barn, which is cleaner at the moment. Everybody hangs out in the horse barn together when the weather is inclement, and the floor is rather wet. I pick up the plops, but it still gets muddy in there with the pee and thawing ice/snow. So I slapped them on their butts and said, "Let's go, girls" and started walking around to the other barn. They followed, not quite sure what was going on, but they followed. They stopped once at the end of the chicken coop and peeked around at me like, "You really want us in there?" So I said, "C'mon girls! Molly! Stinky! Let's go!" and they marched the rest of the way to the cow barn and parked themselves where they eat. I brought them their hay and topped up the water and all was well. Then I fed Horus over in his barn, in a dry spot, but they all switch back and forth, so I'm sure the girls went and ate his hay after I left, while he came around and ate some of theirs. Before I left the cow barn, Stinky had gone into the stall with Molly to eat her hay (because the "other" hay is always better, you know) and they were both in the same 11' x 11' stall, side by side, eating. Like I said, they love each other.
Anyway, life with the critters has been wonderful these past couple of months since the cows came home, and I love it when everything goes right. Most people only post when there's a problem that needs help, and I do that, too, but I thought I'd post a good report for once, just because I can!
I am having such a good time with my girls. Stinky (formerly Sweet Pea, or #912) is just the nicest big ol' heifer... she reminds me of Miss Bandit. She'd climb in my lap if I'd sit down and let her. And Molly has finally settled into the sweet girl I knew she would be when I looked in her eyes.
They come when I call them (Stinky knows her name is Stinky now, LOL!), they're calm and I can touch both of them anywhere with no problem, and they love each other. A LOT. I don't think there's a square inch of Molly that doesn't have lick-swirls in her hair. It's hard to tell with Stinky, because she's curly to start with, but I'm sure Molly has been doing her fair share of grooming her, as well.
I'm now able to touch Molly on her face without her freaking out, and I've even started holding her horns. She waves her head back and forth a bit when I have a hand on one of her horns, like, "Eh! Let go!" but if I just hold on, she stops after a few seconds. When she's calm for 5 or 10 seconds, I let go. I want her used to that, because I always hold a horn when I'm going around the front of a horned cow so I don't get accidentally bumped with one. Anyway, she's a completely different cow than she was before she got pregnant. Very calm now, and not spooky anymore. I think Stinky is helping with that, though. Stinky kind of looks out for Molly (Molly is subordinate to her), and it's comforting to Molly to have a cow friend that's always with her. Gives her confidence and she's not so afraid of every little thing that happens. Even empty shavings bags being flapped around (by me) doesn't faze her now!
Both of them get along REALLY well with Horus, and they all eat together out of the same hay pile every morning and evening, when I feed them outside. Which is most days, so the inside of the barns don't get so gooey, if you know what I mean. Horus is so happy to have cow-friends again, it's nice to see him "smiling" again.
When I come outside, the girls are usually lying down somewhere chewing their cud. If the weather is nasty, they'll be in one of the barns, but if there's no snow or wind, chances are they'll be out in the pasture. When they see me, they get up and stretch (and poop) and I call them and they come in for chow. Yesterday morning, they were in the horse barn, because it was snowing and "breezy," but I wanted them to have their breakfast inside the cow barn, which is cleaner at the moment. Everybody hangs out in the horse barn together when the weather is inclement, and the floor is rather wet. I pick up the plops, but it still gets muddy in there with the pee and thawing ice/snow. So I slapped them on their butts and said, "Let's go, girls" and started walking around to the other barn. They followed, not quite sure what was going on, but they followed. They stopped once at the end of the chicken coop and peeked around at me like, "You really want us in there?" So I said, "C'mon girls! Molly! Stinky! Let's go!" and they marched the rest of the way to the cow barn and parked themselves where they eat. I brought them their hay and topped up the water and all was well. Then I fed Horus over in his barn, in a dry spot, but they all switch back and forth, so I'm sure the girls went and ate his hay after I left, while he came around and ate some of theirs. Before I left the cow barn, Stinky had gone into the stall with Molly to eat her hay (because the "other" hay is always better, you know) and they were both in the same 11' x 11' stall, side by side, eating. Like I said, they love each other.
Anyway, life with the critters has been wonderful these past couple of months since the cows came home, and I love it when everything goes right. Most people only post when there's a problem that needs help, and I do that, too, but I thought I'd post a good report for once, just because I can!