Part of yesterday was devoted to Hetty who being our house cow takes this title seriously by hanging around the front door when not leaping fences. The plan is that she will go to the bull, another mid leg Dexter, have a calf and provide us with much amusement and injury as we try to claim our share of milk for their bed and board. If she is anything like the goats she will have an acute aversion to sharing and will kick the bucket over or attempt to maim the milk thief.
But we have faith, and in an exercise of optimism over experience are persevering and have embarked on the journey that will hopefully lead to home made beefburgers and ice cream. Step one is halter train your cow, this is essential as Vets are sometimes timid and will not venture into cows range without having a rope around cows head while they fiddle with its nether parts. Hetty's training has gone well. She took to the halter like a fish to a bike and after the rope burns and gravel rash healed I was ready for step two. Get Vet to TB test the belligerent bovine. This involves sticking a sharp object into cow, twice, she second time is harder than the first as cow is usually airborne or in stable rafters, but after second jab they measure the lumps made by sharp object. The Vet then comes back in three days to see if cow is a "reactor" if she is then cow is summarily executed and thrown away, the smallholder receives a gold leaf embossed scroll from HRH or big Dave saying thanks for service to cowhood, supreme sacrifice etc and heres a tenner to getting another one.
Needless to say both Hetty and yours truly are a bit concerned, especially given our run of bad luck over the weekend. The thought of our pet cow being put down because she has TB is not an easy one to come to terms with.
So meantime she is chomping through the green stuff and I am emailing pics of naughty motorcyclists to the Police. We will know Hetty's fate Thursday, meanwhile cross everything!
Part of yesterday was devoted to Hetty who being our house cow takes this title seriously by hanging around the front door when not leaping fences. The plan is that she will go to the bull, another mid leg Dexter, have a calf and provide us with much amusement and injury as we try to claim our share of milk for their bed and board. If she is anything like the goats she will have an acute aversion to sharing and will kick the bucket over or attempt to maim the milk thief.
But we have faith, and in an exercise of optimism over experience are persevering and have embarked on the journey that will hopefully lead to home made beefburgers and ice cream. Step one is halter train your cow, this is essential as Vets are sometimes timid and will not venture into cows range without having a rope around cows head while they fiddle with its nether parts. Hetty's training has gone well. She took to the halter like a fish to a bike and after the rope burns and gravel rash healed I was ready for step two. Get Vet to TB test the belligerent bovine. This involves sticking a sharp object into cow, twice, she second time is harder than the first as cow is usually airborne or in stable rafters, but after second jab they measure the lumps made by sharp object. The Vet then comes back in three days to see if cow is a "reactor" if she is then cow is summarily executed and thrown away, the smallholder receives a gold leaf embossed scroll from HRH or big Dave saying thanks for service to cowhood, supreme sacrifice etc and heres a tenner to getting another one. 
Needless to say both Hetty and yours truly are a bit concerned, especially given our run of bad luck over the weekend. The thought of our pet cow being put down because she has TB is not an easy one to come to terms with.
So meantime she is chomping through the green stuff and I am emailing pics of naughty motorcyclists to the Police. We will know Hetty's fate Thursday, meanwhile cross everything!
1 comment:
I hope you will be able get the a$$hole motorcyclists where it really hurts in their wallets !!!
Kit
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