Annabelle's Vacation

The year for a dairy cow on a small farm is usually fairly predictable. Most of the cows calve in March or April, get milked for ten months, and then get a well-deserved two month break. This break allows them to devote their energy to producing a healthy calf while also getting themselves in peak condition for the coming year.

Annabelle just began her two months off, but she still comes into the milking barn every morning. By keeping her in the habit of coming into the barn each day, it will make it a lot easier to get her into the barn when she calves and is ready to be milked again. She has no complaints about this arrangement because the best hay gets fed out in the barn. Here she is chowing down:

Most of the other cows were bred earlier than Annabelle, so they are nearing the end of their break. Their break comes to an abrupt end when they calve and start producing milk again. Within a few weeks, the barn will be filled with calves, and who doesn’t love coming to work when it means being surrounded by lil’ baby cows who enjoy a good neck scratch? It also means that there will be a lot more milk to sell which is great news since we sell out almost immediately every time we bottle!

Here’s Lesley cleaning Peaches to get her ready for milking: