Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 8 PM MST Monday... * impacts/timing: Arctic air will pour across the Continental Divide late Sunday into early Monday. Gusty winds, blowing snow and additional heavy snow will lead to dangerous travel conditions, especially during the overnight and early morning hours Monday. * Snow accumulations: an additional 3 to 7 inches throughout the valleys with up to another foot throughout the higher terrain. * Winds: north to east winds of 15 to 30 mph winds will be developing and cause wind chills of 20 -to 30 -degrees.
In the afternoon some of the cattle were eating and some were standing around chewing their cud. I shoveled a path through the snow to where I wanted the new feeder, shoveled the area clear of snow, and laid a wooden pallet down for the hay bale. Buddy just stood there chewing his chew and watching me, even when I shoveled a path through the snow a few feet in front of him. When I carried the wooden pallet I had to detour around him as he now stood on my shoveled path.
I put some hay out in the corral's wooden feeder and all the cattle came in to check it out. I closed the gate locking the cattle in the corral so I could bring out the new bale undisturbed.
After I was done with the bale I let the cattle out of the corral. With two feeders now was the time to let Sugar and Spice join the herd. Sugar ran out of her part of the corral immediately with Spice right behind. A quick stand and look around and then these two went for the feeder with the eaten hay.
Big Red was not happy with the newbies. She pushed the Spice all the way over to the new bale. Sugar and Spice wanted to eat as all they had today was to finish off yesterday's bale.
Even though the cattle evenly split between the two feeders, and there was plenty of room at each feeder, there was some jostling around their feeder.. Sugar and Spice were excited and they tended to run and not walk when they moved. A few times they kicked up their rear heels.
Then Spice went by Buddy and he got interested. Spice wasn't comfortable with Buddy sniffing her and these two walked and ran at times around the pasture. Buddy didn't give up. Sugar then came over and for a bit was pushing heads against Buddy. "Leave my daughter alone!" Buddy didn't move. After a bit Sugar went over to another tree and rubbed her neck vigorously against it until another cow walked over and introduced herself.
Sugar then ran around the east half of the pasture with her head held high and looking around. She can run fast! The snow flew as she ran. And her big udder with the white streak flopped from side to side. Some of the other cattle initially followed her then just stood and watched her. "She's crazy." After a short time Sugar ran back to the herd and the hay.
It was a good idea to keep Sugar and Spice in the corral for a while until they adjusted to their new home. If I had let them out when they first got here they may have headed for the high hills in order to get back where they had come from.
Eventually Buddy finished his sniff test of Spice and quit following her.
Judging from how Sugar acts and watches she is an intelligent cow. Time will tell how she fits in the pecking order with my other two intelligent cows: Mama and Beulah. From the start Mama stood back from the bales and watched Sugar and Spice and the commotion. Beulah was distracted by the new bale for a while before she stood and watched the new cattle.
That is how they sort out: Mama is smarter from the get-go but Beulah is much bigger and quickly catches on.
Donna always informs me when she visits about how Mama watches her and gives her the evil eye. Donna is now trying to get Dan on her side in convincing me to sell Mama. That ain't gonna happen as Mama is my favorite cow even if sometimes she can be a pain.
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| New bale |
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| Two bales |
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