Don't look in her eyes!!!

Yesterday, I did the only natural thing I could think of. I bribed a neighbor to drive 50 miles, load up a 900 pound jersey cow, drive home, then rodeo that sweet little thing into my barn. You may think you have great neighbors...mine are better. The next natural thing for me to do was to position myself under her rear end and squeeze for a half hour. It was AWESOME!

Miss Minnie is our new 2 year old Jersey cow. She's a first freshener (ooooh I get to use my new-found farm lingo!) Which means she has had one calf. And she's bred back (more lingo!) Which means that she is pregnant. She will have another calf in April. 

So here's some educational material, cows have to keep having babies to keep making milk. Funny huh? You'd think I'd figure out that pattern after four of my own, but no, that was news to me. Cows still produce milk while pregnant. Although her production will drop off as her pregnancy progresses. (I'm omitting lingo) We will dry her up the last two months of her pregnancy, so mom and calf have enough energy to grow. 

More education...cows can poop really high. Like let's say, on top of a fence. And this is while her face is tied to the other side of the barn. 

Cows have the potential to be really difficult. Because you know....she weighs 900 pounds...she can do whatever she wants right? And Jerseys are popular because they are small cows. All morning long I kept telling my neighbor "I can't believe how big she is! Her eyes are this far apart!" (I'd spread my arms dramatically). My neighbor would reply "But she's just a little thing!"

And you know, she is sweet too. She let me milk her with minimal fuss. She didn't spill any milk. And I took forever to milk her out all the way. She was so patient and sweet. 

There was some excitement when I changed her halter. We have her haltered and tied to the barn to halter train her. I need her to lead on a halter, and come when I call, because, well, she's 900 pounds. So we tied her to the barn to learn about halters. She fought the barn a little, and then settled right down to it. The catch was, we only had an adjustable sheep halter. By the time we put it over her head, there was a ridiculously short lead to hold onto. I bought a good halter and then had to switch them. When I saw my neighbor put the halter on it was a serious rodeo. Serious. So I was a little nervous. I went slow and calm, and it was very smooth. The trouble came when she realized her lead was longer and she had some freedom to move around. That girl can spin on a dime! In no time, she'd whirled around in the stall, headed for the door, and I became trapped between the rope and her belly. The more she pulled for the door, the tighter it got on me. The mistake was we left the door open. So she thought she could go there. I just gave her a hug until she calmed down enough to give slack on the rope and let me out. 

She needed a bath before I was going to get under her. She had a little spa. We use the same shampoo. I wouldn't say she smells good now, but she smells better. When I was done, I smelled like cow. Next time you turn your nose up because someone smells like cow, give them some credit for all the hard work they did to get smelling that way. It's exhausting!

While I was at the dairy picking up Miss Minnie, I saw this sweet little guy. He's another bull that we're going to bottle feed. Miss Minnie could make enough milk to feed all three of our calves. Isn't she amazing? He looks just like Bambi, but I wouldn't let the kids name him that. I think Mr. Brown is a suitable companion for Mr. Black and Mr. White. Although Suvi has named him David, and persists in correcting me when I call him the wrong name. 

Mr. Brown has the most beautiful brown eyes. Dangerously beautiful. If you saw them, you would want to take him home. When I was going to the dairy just to check out Miss Minnie, my mom told me "Don't look in her eyes. If you do, you'll fall in love!" Well, she was right (again). I fell in love. Wouldn't you?