As the weather gets more vile (Storm Doris on her way Wednesday/ Thursday) we are feeling a little bad that the cows don’t have access to a field shelter whereas the sheep and alpacas do. As it is VERY easy to think that animals have the same needs as us and to be anthropomorphic about them (assigning human characteristics), Jack went out at around 9pm tonight in order to hopefully discover that the cows (and indeed the sheep and alpacas) were absolutely fine. It was windy and wet out there but the rain was light and importantly, it was very mild!
The photographs show what we found: sheep and alpacas sat/stood in the middle of the field, looking pretty damp but obviously okay and choosing NOT to make use of their shelter. The cows were lying down (but then stood) in the lee of the hedge which with winds coming from the west was perfect. And indeed as Jack stood with them, the wind that had helped sweep her across the garden lawn was hardly perceptible. And the moral of this story: animals are very sensible and will not put themselves in situations that are uncomfortable or unsafe if there is a better alternative. The key of course is, that their human keepers may need to provide them with those 'better alternatives'. Cows do not have the thick woolly/fibrous fleeces of sheep and alpacas but their hair is nonetheless very thick and if the rain is not too heavy (which it is not), they will not get soaked through to the skin! It is a combination of wet, wind AND cold that is not so great for them as the danger here is that they will need to expend more energy than they are receiving in order to keep warm. A KEY factor for the cows is for them to be able to lie down on ground that is not saturated with rain or mud, nor contaminated with poo. Even if they have some rain falling on their backs, as long as underneath them is dry they will be able to keep warm. Staying dry is the key to staying warm: in that respect, livestock is no different to humans. We put coats on to keep dry, livestock carry their coats permanently!!
When Jack was a child she was told that when cows were laying down, that meant rain was due as the cows were protecting ‘their’ bit of grass, keeping it dry for later!! Nonetheless, we are keeping a close eye on the forecasts and our plans to have the Cow Pad back up and running are moving forward, so if needs be we CAN put the cows back in. PLUS, we have decided it would be a good idea to put another field shelter in the 4-acre field for next winter. That way we can use the whole field in as flexible a way as possible.