Post by catherine on Feb 5, 2009 16:52:47 GMT -5
Well, Liz's Hattie is in heat (with a bit of pharmaceutical help) and has come visiting. We put her (and her adopted calf, Missy) into the upper pasture with our herd, and sat back to see how things worked out. When our Devons spied someone new in the pasture, they all came running to sniff and be sniffed. I think it kinda freaked Hattie and little Missy a bit to see this thundering herd heading in their direction, so they took off across the pasture, with everyone else in hot pursuit! Lol. THEN the boys caught a whiff of Hattie's perfume, and started chasing in earnest! We threw some hay, and that helped calm things down as...well...you know...good food IS the quickest way to a guy's heart! Liz's DH saw that Red Boy (our senior bull) had had an initial sniff and had declined to participate in the general craziness, and commented on how he was obviously more experienced than the younger bulls, and knew she wasn't quite ready enough to be chasing. Well, he was right! What a difference a day or two makes! This morning, I was out early and saw this pair pitching and wooing all over the place! It was quite funny and more than a bit endearing. I saw them coming through the early morning fog together, shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, closely followed by two VERY interested junior bulls. Red Boy kept turning from Hattie to chase the little pests away. He tried to mount her several times, but she just walked a few steps away from him each time, only to be harassed by "the boys". Then, when little Missy tried to nurse, too, well, that just seemed to put Hattie over the edge. Too many cows, too little privacy! So, I let the courting couple into the lower pasture and gave them some peace. They wandered around to the other side of the hay yard for their wedding breakfast, sharing their pile of hay just like a pair of teenagers sharing a malt. It was very cute. They've been "dancing" together a lot, almost waltzing, nose to tail, going around and around in circles, each leaning their chins on the other's hips. What a sweet pair. Ah...romance is definitely in the air! Whether there's been any consumation of the deal, I can't yet confirm, though. When I told Liz all of this, she laughed and said that explained why Hattie didn't take to AI, as she obviously missed the courtship phase, A LOT! What girl wouldn't?! LOL I'll post photos when I get some good clear ones.