First Taste

Quiet, our senior cow that had been hobbled by a broken back hoof has been slowly on the mend. Along with her calf, Uproar, the pair had been quarantined away from the rest of the critters that reside in the show barn (the last year of life on this planet knows exactly how your feel old girl).

Quiet has been slowly and steadily getting better and just barely walks with a limp now. Her calf is a frolicking, furry ball of energy, going at full tilt until he runs out of steam and plops in a heap for a nap.

Last week we moved the oldest heifer from the show barn and transported her across the river to be in with the main herd. She is old enough to be bred and our new herd sire is ready to accommodate. With only three heifers and my complainer cow in the barn and on the far pasture side of the show barn, it was time to reintroduce Quiet back to the group with her baby in tow.

Uproar is loving all the attention of the bigger critters. He chases them around the big fir trees at the far end of the pasture, he comes running to the barn when he hears me begin the twice daily chores. He nibbles on bits of hay just like the grown-ups. In the last couple of days, he has taken to tasting grain.

Our grain is made from grass seed screenings mixed with molasses and extruded into pellets.

Uproar is dainty with his new meal options and eats only a pellet or two before taking his leave from the dinner manger to lay down and chew his cud for an hour or so. He seems to like the new addition to his culinary choices.

The little guy is growing up quickly. His three ‘big sisters’ have been showing him all the fun things to do around the big trees at the far end of the pasture and he rarely finds time to make it back to the barn unless everyone else is going to get fed at the same time.