Pasture Gift # 1

Busy day today so I went to see the cows late in the day.  It's been cold and there has been a very brisk wind all day.  I needed to wear a jacket..    The farmer had rolled the hay out to the herd early this morning as I am recovering from a nasty UTI and bladder infection and am a bit "under the weather."

By the time I drove down to the herd it was just a few minutes before the gate would be locked by the quarry workers at the end of their shift. The herd is presently on a secondary road by a quarry business and our chore schedule evolves around their work schedule. On weekends when they are closed we have to walk a good distance out to the field to feed and water the herd.   As soon as the grass grows a few more inches we will stop feeding hay, but for now this is what we do.

Since I was in a rush to check the herd before the gate closed, I did not bother to drive to the barn and shut the electric fence off.     Remember this, as the fence has been a rather hot issue with me and my brain. I have so many things to think about that I have forgotten to shut the darn thing off at least 4 times this year when I needed to.

I drive down the road and see the herd laying down on their carpet of hay that was rolled out this morning.  Most of the girls are laying down and chewing their cud. All seems fine, all seems quiet and normal

I pulled off the road and turn my vehicle around to leave and then...........

 

I see this.......

 

Do YOU see what I see ???

First calf of the season.

I got out of my vehicle and was about to jump the 4 strand high tensile fence on the roadside when I remembered that I DID NOT SHUT IT OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grrrrrr.

 

I had to be satisfied with looking at a distance, as the clock ticked and I heard the quarry truck coming up the road to shut the gate for the night.

Gwen is the mom and a good mom she is. She also had the first calf of the season last year as well.

This calf looks like a beautiful heifer to me.  What do you think ?

Gwen produces a lot of milk and always weans a heavy calf in the fall. 

Look at that udder.

Gwen is 1/2 Simmental and 1/2 Hereford.  I call this combination of breeds (SimHerf) a Smurf.

Her calf is sired by a polled Hereford so this new fancy heifer is 3/4 Hereford and 1/4 Simmental.

As the 2 men in the quarry truck admired the new calf, they said they saw it in the field this morning.

They always look for calves in the field on their way to work...and.... their boss owns the good bull that we are lucky to be able to borrow the past several years.    
Up here we are all related through our cows.
 

We all agreed that calving season is the best holiday around here.

Tomorrow I hope I have the energy to catch, hold and ear tag the new calf.

 I absolutely LOVE finding gifts like these in the field.  It makes all the craziness of feeding hay all winter in horrible weather and in mud season, so worth it.

Have you found any gifts in your field lately ?

Oh and now I need some "G" names again.....  Or should I deviate from the G's since I do not think there are any left.....

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