Baby needs to fight

The weather forecast for Friday was for a chance of partly cloudy skies and warmer.  Oppps... we had snow flurries in the afternoon.  Yet another forecast down in flames.


The new cattle ("The 4 little pigs") have taken to pushing Baby around more during feeding time.   Friday I had to intervene several times as one or another of them would push Baby out of her spot by the barn door.  Baby then backed off and went somewhere else waiting for the rest of the cattle to finish eating.  She then misses out on the best hay and gets the leftovers.

I shouted at the other cattle a few times to stop it.  Sometimes all it takes is for me to walk to the corral gate and tell them to move and let Baby eat and the offending heifer or steer will move away.  The hard part is getting Baby back to the feeder.  Sometimes she comes over to me thinking I am giving her some apple treats.  Other times she continues checking out a fence or some object occupying her time.  Later when I did bring her some apple cores Baby was more interested in checking out and scratching on a fence post.

Then when the hay started getting lower Momma wanted to climb partway into the feeder to hog the rest of the hay.  I told her several times to stop and keep her feet out.  She listened several times then when she realized I wasn't coming into the corral she ignored me.  So I had to go into the corral.

I stood around a while watching that Baby wasn't run off from the feeder.  Everyone was on their best behavior when I stood there.

Momma gets busy eating and expects Baby to fend for herself.  She is definitely not a "helicopter parent".

Tammy thinks Baby should toughen up and fight back.  I would like that too but it is hard to do when she is so much smaller than the other cattle.

Here is one of the offending cattle in Baby's spot.   When I entered the corral she took off.