And then there were twelve...

We decided when we came here to start with 6 cows a year. We love raising cows, they are fun to watch and move and they add a tremendous bit of manure and "animal impact" to the farm. Our first two years we got cows in the spring when the grass greened up. This year we got the cows in February, we wanted them earlier so that they would cost less and we could put more of their weight on ourselves.

We have the cows for about 2 years, a little less. So by getting them early we are ensuring that the majority of their lifetime they are eating simply grass and hay. This brings me to my point... hay. Because we got them in February we assed them to the number of mouths we are feeding as winter winds up. It is one of the never ending assessments I make around here all the time. How many bales a day? How many more days? How much will I need to buy? etc. I get these big round bales from a farmer in Brunswick when I need to supplement... they are fine and give me a nice break from the daily haul of hay out to the cows.... most often to the tune of 4 bales Am and PM... but our goal is to make enough hay to cover our needs each year. Chalk this year up to the learning curve as I will be buying round bales once a week from now till green grass. Lots of mouths out there.

Lots of mouths out there.... about 20 lbs a day each!

ps.... no lambs yet!