Into the hayfield

With this hot and dry weather things are accelerated.  Last year the cattle didn't go into the neighbor's field until the middle of July.  Then the first week of August the cattle went into the hayfield.  This year...  Friday night, July 10, after finishing another fence rebuild along the west hayfield fence, I moved the cattle from the neighbor's field to my hayfield, just short of a month earlier than last year.  The neighbor's field was already partially eaten down and partially dried up.

The cattle were happy to get into the hayfield.  They got right down to munching on the grass and alfalfa.  As I walked back to the house I occasionally stopped and gathered some of the goatsbeard seed balls.  While the cattle ate they also made their way back to the house/barn end of the hayfield and reached it before I did.  Pretty much the rest of the evening they hung around this end of the hayfield and didn't do their usual walk the boundaries of a new field.  Right now they are resting on the other side of the fence from the house and occasionally I hear them sigh or belch.

Initially Buddy the bull was so happy to eat the hayfield grass he wasn't hanging around any cows.  The three heifers across the fence in the north pasture made a ruckus (mainly Rose did).  Buddy walked over to chat with and sniff them.  Later I saw Buddy and Dan's one horned cow 'bother' my cow #60.  My cow looks to be in standing heat.  Dan's cow is in pre-heat.  I believe my cow will be bred tonight or tomorrow.  That will make an April 18 or 19 calf birth.  Buddy tolerates the one horned cow sniffing and trying to mount cow 60, but not the cow's calf getting too close.


From the neighbor's field I brought back my bloat blocks and water trough.  Daisy was happy to see the water trough back as she prefers to drink from it than her water dish.   She didn't even wait until it was completely filled.

The calves are fascinated by Daisy.

After the water trough was filled I put the hose under my walnut tree.  Daisy can put two and two together and realizes there will be water there.  She was drinking from the tires until I came with the camera.

Bonus photos.... the neighbor got a couple goats Friday afternoon to eat his backyard down, and later the leafy splurge weeds in his pasture.   That explains why the cattle were hanging around the neighbor's backyard fence earlier Friday.