It was the day after it had rained, and the ground was covered in ice. Just a typical winter morning in Vermont. Most people would be inside watching a movie with hot chocolate. Not my family!
Since we own a small dairy farm, most of our time goes into caring for the cows. This day in particular we had to bring a first calf heifer into the barn. This is usually a simple task, but not this day. Milking was done, the cows were fed, and the barn was cleaned, everything was going fine, until … Kayley!
We were used to bringing pregnant heifers into the barn, but Kayley was different. Kayley was born half blind. However, being half blind wasn't the biggest problem in bringing her in.
My dad is usually the one who brings the cows to and from the free-stall. Once he put that rope on Kayley, it was like a switch flipped. One second she was just a normal cow and the next she was a bulldozer!
Getting her out of the free-stall wasn’t a problem but once we started up the barnyard it got really interesting. Since it was icy, Kayley instantly started to skid across the barnyard. Meanwhile, my dad was still hanging on while being dragged along by Kayley, trying to get her under control.
Finally after being unable to stop Kayley, he let go and she ran off, headed towards the barn – which is where we wanted her – but she didn’t stop there! After going past the barn, she decided to take an adventure down the road. Thankfully, our road isn’t busy so we didn't have to worry about cars. But still, we didn’t want to lose her!
Luckily we were able to get her heading back towards the barn. Again, she didn’t stop at the barn! She decided to go on another adventure – this time, to the top of the silo! The silo is where we store some of the cows’ food for the winter. The protective plastic that covers the food isn’t meant for cows to go on. We were able to quickly get her off the covering, and headed back to the barn. After what felt like forever we got Kayley in the barn – and hooked.
For me, winter means lots of time in the barn with my family and cows. For others, it might mean going sledding and building a snowman. The most important thing is all the memories that you make. One thing is for certain: I will never forget the day when Kayley got loose.
Since we own a small dairy farm, most of our time goes into caring for the cows. This day in particular we had to bring a first calf heifer into the barn. This is usually a simple task, but not this day. Milking was done, the cows were fed, and the barn was cleaned, everything was going fine, until … Kayley!
We were used to bringing pregnant heifers into the barn, but Kayley was different. Kayley was born half blind. However, being half blind wasn't the biggest problem in bringing her in.
My dad is usually the one who brings the cows to and from the free-stall. Once he put that rope on Kayley, it was like a switch flipped. One second she was just a normal cow and the next she was a bulldozer!
Getting her out of the free-stall wasn’t a problem but once we started up the barnyard it got really interesting. Since it was icy, Kayley instantly started to skid across the barnyard. Meanwhile, my dad was still hanging on while being dragged along by Kayley, trying to get her under control.
Finally after being unable to stop Kayley, he let go and she ran off, headed towards the barn – which is where we wanted her – but she didn’t stop there! After going past the barn, she decided to take an adventure down the road. Thankfully, our road isn’t busy so we didn't have to worry about cars. But still, we didn’t want to lose her!
Luckily we were able to get her heading back towards the barn. Again, she didn’t stop at the barn! She decided to go on another adventure – this time, to the top of the silo! The silo is where we store some of the cows’ food for the winter. The protective plastic that covers the food isn’t meant for cows to go on. We were able to quickly get her off the covering, and headed back to the barn. After what felt like forever we got Kayley in the barn – and hooked.
For me, winter means lots of time in the barn with my family and cows. For others, it might mean going sledding and building a snowman. The most important thing is all the memories that you make. One thing is for certain: I will never forget the day when Kayley got loose.
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