Monday, June 24, 2013

Double dipping

Maybe it's because we had so many calves born so close together, or maybe it's because we had turned our corral into a close-knit nursery for a few weeks, but it seemed to me that there was a lot of milk-sharing among the cows and the calves. While obviously each cow tended to nurse her own offspring the most, the babies weren't above sneaking a drink from whatever udder was available.

Here Dusty (whose mother is Sparky) is sneaking a drink from Lily (whose calf is Leto).


Here Rosy (whose mother is Victoria) sneaks a drink from Sparky (whose calf is Dusty).


And on and on it went.

So on Saturday, I was amused to step outside and see little Chester (whose mom is Raven) sneaking a drink from Polly, along with Polly's calf Petunia. A little double dipping!





Polly just stood patiently and chewed her cud while the youngsters took advantage of her tolerance.


From the cheeky expression on Chester's face, he seems to know exactly how sly he's being...


...before diving in for more.


We call Matilda our Universal Donor because of her willingness to nurse any calf. Now it seems Polly has the same penchant. I wonder if that's a Jersey trait? Either way, Polly's continued transition from carefree heifer to mature and patient milk cow is going beautifully.

6 comments:

  1. A lovely little community you have on your farm :)

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  2. I love the photos and your commentary. I enjoy your blog so much. I live just north of Hayden, so not too far from you. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. Having kept jerseys for most of my life I can say it is not a trait particular just to them. It is more an indicator of a happy stress free herd. When they feel threatened or uneasy cows automatically prioritise, favouring thier own offspring in everything from feeding to protection. To quote Phil from Duck Dynasty your cows must be happy happy happy!

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  4. It's great to see all of the work you put into Polly paying off. How is the milk?

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  5. Very sweet! Hey, how's it going for Ruby?

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  6. Thanks for the chuckle of the day!! You sure know how to capture the pictures thanks for sharing! I enjoy seeing those beautiful calves all of your farm animals!
    I enjoyed your pictures of your garden with all the hard work it is informative with the way your doing it!
    Looking forward to seeing your bountiful harvest!

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