Checking Out The Ladies

Everyday my husband works with over 500 other ladies.  But I don’t mind sharing him with these girls. Many of our cows are friendly, however one is particularly fond of Lad and the feelings are mutual. 

The cows are lined up and ready for vet check

Every Monday Lad and Taylor check the cows for pregnancy status. The headlocks contain the cows so they’ll stay in place which makes it easier to check them. During the check, the cows enjoy some food. 

Lad with his special cow following him

Lad’s admirer, Cow #5570, follows him through the barn as he checked the cows. 

#5570 watches Lad closely

Taylor operates the clip board using a computer-generated list to advise Lad which cows need to be checked. Lad pregnancy checks the cows to determine how many days pregnant they are or if they are open and need the be bred. He uses paint sticks to mark cows according to their status – pregnant, open, or need to be bred.

Taylor advises Lad which cows to check

These cows relax on their sand beds while the others are checked. If one of them is on the list to be checked, Taylor will identify her and Lad can check her in the stall so she doesn’t have to move.

Cow #5851 relaxes on her sand bed

Comfortable in their freestall beds filled with sand

The freestall beds are just the right length so cows don’t poop inside the bed, but instead in the alley. The alley way is scraped several times each day to remove manure.

The environment in the barn is calm and relaxed

Lad's special girl loves attention!

After checking the cows, it is determined that five cows need to be bred in that barn. So Lad takes five straws of frozen semen out of the tank, quickly thaws them and heads back to the barn. 

The white tank stores semen

His favorite cow is waiting for him.

Lad breeds the cows. All the cows on our farm are bred via artificial insemination.

Breeding the cow

When vet check and the breeding are done, the headlocks are released so the cows can wander around. Some will continue eating, others will relax on the sand beds and some will get a drink of water. The headlocks are open all day so cows can wander back to eat whenever they get hungry.

#5625 is another favorite

Taylor and Lad are done with vet check for the week. These girls are lucky to have such good men looking after them!

Taylor and Lad heading out of the barn