Cows Out

Yesterday was the day. The girls went to pasture for the first time this year. It was peaceful compared to some years. Instead of keeping them in the barnyard while we let them all out of the barn, one by one, we opened the gate to the temporary field before we started.

At first they congregated in the barnyard, fighting off their grudges and wandering around. Then they saw that gate and all but the dumbest young ones were gone.

They didn't mess around with their usual running up and down the hill either, but just fell to grazing like it was their job....oh wait ...

When time came to put them back in the barn all that petting and fussing and calling them Boo Boo all winter paid off. Although we never did get wild and crazy Gracie back in the barn (she will probably come in on her own this morning and be glad of the opportunity), the other youngsters came in real well and let us talk them into their stalls without fuss.

Even Egypt (Boo Boo) and Carlene, who stand side by side, went right to each other's stalls and waited to be locked up. A little talking and pushing and they went back where they belonged. Lucky gets the gold star though. She ran right to her stall and started eating. I couldn't believe it.

For a few weeks it will take a crew to bring them in, as we stall train all those youngsters, but they sure did have a nice time yesterday and came in all fat with green grass and shiny with sun polish.

Here's hoping the grass in the other pastures gets going so we can start rotating and turning out yearlings...the temporary field has only single strand electric and the babies aren't fence broke. Thus we prefer to turn them out in the big heifer pasture, where there is both barbed wire and electric, for the first few weeks. Then they are sure to see the fence before they crash through.