my new cud chewing beauty queen

[seedcorn]

Sounds like you had better get another one so that when your calf goes to market, she doesn't decide to go looking for friends,

 

[Smart Red]

Sounds like you had better get another one so that when your calf goes to market, she doesn't decide to go looking for friends,

Enabler, enabler, enaabler! Shame on you, seedcorn!

Fact is, seedcorn is right. She will be happier with one constant 'friend'. Cow, horse, I don't think it matters so much as long as she's not alone.

 

[canesisters]

I know. I'm trying REAL HARD to talk myself out of a brown swiss bottle baby down in NC that is the same age as Carter. The farm she's on is downsizing and is selling off all but a couple of 'house cows'.
... excellent household dual purpose breed
...could almost guarantee that Eva would 'adopt' and raise her with Carter since she had no problem with Mya nursing..
... is from a farm tested for A2/A2 and disease free

Instant Gratification Me says "GO GET HER THIS WEEKEND!!! "
Wisdom Me says "Whoa there.. spend this summer rebuilding those damaged pastures.. Eva will have another calf by the time Carter leaves. And if not, we can look into either another calf or a pasture friend then."

I hate Wisdom Me...

 

[Nyboy]

Bottle baby bottle baby even if Eva does have a calf you want to keep, you done 3 cows for a year so know you can handle it

 

[Smart Red]

If there will be a little one by then she should be just fine. I'd go with less work, less cost, and time to get your fences the way you want them.

 

[baymule]

Brown Swiss!!!! Bottle baby that Eva would raise for you? What in HE!! are you waiting on?? You mean you're not GONE YET??

 

[baymule]

I don't like "wisdom you" either!

 

[Nyboy]

If there will be a little one by then she should be just fine. I'd go with less work, less cost, and time to get your fences the way you want them.

Red thats not very enabling

 

[canesisters]

thanks @Smart Red. As much as I'd LOVE to run and get that baby, Wisdom Me is right. There is work to do before I can expect my land to support 'extra' animals.

It's not the fences themselves - although there ARE some areas I will be re-doing to make more secure. Once the pasture was grazed down to almost nothing, all 3 cows and both calves pretty much lived in the small area between the round bale feeder and the water trough.... they had no reason to go anywhere else. So - besides having had the grass damaged from overgrazing - I have large areas where any grass/roots no longer exist. They churned the ground into a 5" deep soupy mudhole.
Yesterday I picked up 30# of a mix of rye, barley, oats & german peas. I've never heard of german peas... but the guy at the feed store said that lots of folks plant them as ground cover and feed. I've been reading about 'alternative' pasture and how I may be shortchanging my girls by simply sowing acres of Kentucky 31, fescue, orchard grass when there are SO MANY other options that will provide so much more nutrition - for the cows AND for the land.
This weekend, with rain/snow expected, I'll be sowing this mix.
Soon - beets and radishes mixed in with the grasses in the larger fields.

 

[seedcorn]

Cows love turnips.