We have now begun to give the cows a bit of hay each day. The grass is definitely no longer growing and therefore, as well as being short, it is also nowhere near as nutritionally sound!! We have had various discussions (between ourslves and with fellow Dexter-keeper friends), as to how to feed the hay to them: in a movable rack, on the ground, in a fixed rack in the field shelter? We have opted (for the moment) for the later, mainly because we also need to get the cows a little more 'trained' when it comes to going ‘inside’/ being enclosed. The three girls are fabulously tame, as shown when we rattle a feed jug and they come flying and when we have visitors and they get to hand feed. (It’s amazing the number of friends and family who are utterly amazed at how gentle the cows are even when they virtually have an entire human hand in their mouths!!!). However, we need to start to prepare the cows for going inside the crush. The main reason for this is of course for TB testing when the vet will need each individual animal safe and secure in the crush and the rest equally safe and secure as they wait.
Our plan is to feed inside the field shelter on a daily basis now and to really get the cows used to us touching them all over. When they are back in the 4-acre field (at a time yet to be decided and probably weather dependent), we will do the same there. We have now decided we will place the crush in the collecting area within the 4-acre field and so at some stage we need to then get them into this area. At first we will simply get them to walk through the crush, rattling the feed bucket as encouragement, before eventually closing them in and so making them stand still.
All this will take a lot of time, weeks and months and we just hope we don't get the TB call before we are totally ready!! We do apparently get several months notice so we should be fine!!