Feeding Heifers-Part I

The heifers, or cows giving birth for the first time, are kept in a separate area close to my brother-in-law's house so he can keep an eye on them and help them out if they run into any problems. Every afternoon they are fed at about the same time with the idea that the late feeding will encourage more of them to give birth during the day. (It's easier to see if they're having trouble during the day than night.) This late afternoon feeding often allows the cousins to do this chore.

Here three of them are waiting in the blue tractor for their older sister to load a third bale of oat hay on to the trailer. Their dog, Jan, is sitting on a bale of alfalfa hay, patiently waiting.

Henry got excited seeing her and ran over to say hi. The only problem is he has a fear of jumping and wouldn't get on the trailer. And Jan thought it was pretty funny to be queen of the hay trailer and have it all to herself, so she didn't want to get down. Henry moved all around the trailer, trying to find an easy way to get on, but with no success.

Henry eventually convinced Jan to get off the hay trailer and they had a great time chasing each other around in the mud. Sometimes it looks like being a dog is a fun life!

Meanwhile, up in the tractor the kids take a break from fighting to smile for the camera. Their mom takes lots of pictures of them so they know how to pose. They also know how to fight quite well, too, especially when they're a little tired and want to get moving. 

Their big sister is using the squeeze to pinch a bale of hay between two big metal arms. On this day it was extra hard because it was so muddy, and the wheels kept spinning, so it took longer than usual.

Finally, though, she got the hay and was on her way over to the trailer. Tomorrow we'll follow the trailer and go see the heifers and some of the new calves.