The first thing, I'm sure, is that I've taken the photo facing into the morning sun. You're not supposed to do that. It gives the picture a hazy appearance. The second thing is likely the muddy ground. The cows are standing in ankle deep mud to eat their hay. They slosh through the mud and walk around the hay ring to eat. What a mess! The goats absolutely hate walking through water and mud, but they'll eventually get there. As you can see, they are small enough to fit through the hay ring and they stand on the pallet I place underneath the bale to keep it out of the mud and water. Behind the hay you can see the remnants of the water oak tree we took down this summer. I'll eventually get that cut up and stacked.
What may be less evident from the photo is Rosie's girth. She is very pregnant. I think her due date is in four days. We can feel her baby kicking in her belly every day. Rosie's vulva is becoming 'flabby,' which is a sure sign of imminent calving. We've also begun to see mucous discharge, but her bag hasn't really begun to 'bloom' yet. We'll be keeping a sharp eye on her. As usual we are praying for a heifer. Our freezer is full of meat, so we don't really need a bull calf right now. A heifer would be ideal. We could either use her as a replacement or we could sell her and make some rare farm income. One thing I'm a little concerned with is the deep mud due to all the rain we've had. If it doesn't dry up soon (and that doesn't seem likely), a little calf will have its work cut out for her/him walking in all the mud. We may have to keep them in the barn for a while until things dry out.
Anyway, we'll keep you posted when Rosie goes into labor and delivers the newest arrival at Our Maker's Acres Family Farm.
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