Checking In On The Twins

Nyad with her twins, Little and Piddle, have been quite spoiled over the last couple weeks. The trio has had the barn with free access to across the whole side of bedded areas for the first couple of days while the twins got used to the idea of nursing at the same time and laying together as Nyad moved around the barn. Then we opened up the gate so the family could have the barnyard to have extra space to learn running and napping in the sunshine. At first the barnyard was only opened for the daytime and securing the cow with the twins in at night but that only lasted a couple of days before we had the gate open day and night.

With the main herd across the river in the far, far field, Nyad and her babies were isolated from the community of other calves and big mamas. Nyad would watch the main herd from across the fields but most of the time she was too busy with her twins to miss being out of the group.

When the twins were a week old, we opened up the small barnyard so the trio could have a small, fenced field of grass. The twins figured out electric fences and boundaries quickly while Nyad enjoyed the larger grazing and lounging space. As with the small barnyard, the first few days the larger space was only accessible an hour or two at a time but before long we had the pens opened up so the family could meander at will from the barn to the barnyard to the fenced field.

At two weeks old, the twins had strengthened and stabilized. It was at this time we also moved the main herd from way across the way to the large field by the barn.

The twins got to watch the main herd from their fenced pasture for 24 hours before we ear-tagged the two and turned the family out with the rest of the cows and calves. Little, the heifer, is officially #4 and her brother Piddle is #11. We wanted the identification tags clipped in before we mixed them with the main herd so it would be easier to monitor their acceptance into the main herd.

It was very exciting for the calves as we opened up the pen and the calves ran to meet the other critters. Nyad was close behind keeping them together and protected.

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I am so pleased to announce that MaryJane Nordgren has made her new book available to the public! Click here for your copy of Nandria’s War.