Category Archives: Cows Mini Herefords

Cow manure and compost for home and for the pasture

The cows are great at producing manure. I remembered to bring some home for some new beds we are going to put in this spring.  I used to scoop a lot of horse manure growing up since we had 21 horses.  I’m now scooping up after the cows.  Some of it I’m palcing on the Swales and others in piles for composting in the spring.  I think the asparagus is going to benefit as well.  asparagus likes a soil food web with extra bacteria so the manure should help there.

I’m now giving the cows bales of hay out in the pasture in different areas each time so as the part they don’t eat is providing ground cover.  I’m glad I heard Greg Judy recommend this.  He said they unrolled all their hay at once.  I’ve not been that brave but I did put four or five bales out this week.

As part of my friendship practice I fed the cows alfalfa from my hand and fed them some organic feed treat.

Cow manure for compost from the mini herefords at RegenFarms.com
Cow manure for compost from the mini herefords at RegenFarms.com.
Hay feed in the pasture where we want to add more ground cover/litter.
Hay feed in the pasture where we want to add more ground cover/litter.

 

The cows are back and I have a mess of wires

The cows decided to go exploring last week.  They were fine until I decided to come back and check the fence before leaving for the day.  I must of surprised them because they took off like I was the big bad wolf trying to eat them.  They jumped the electric fence, ran through a barbed wire fence and then when the one came back she ran about half a mile away.  Through the gate I left open, DOH.  After two hours of trying to get her back I have up since I was heading out of town.


Aluminum and tape mess
image

When I came back my neighbor said the smaller heifer made her way to his pasture with his cows but he had not seen the other one.   He suggested I head south and look since that is where his cows once went. I found her in a pasture to the south with two other cows.  Then my neighbor helped me get her all the way back to his pasture.  He was in his truck and after a few minutes I was on foot crossing the creek trying to convince her to head north.  Finally with food to bribe her we got here to the his pasture with the other cows.  The cows then started working on a pecking order.

The next day I had to take down some wire and tape to put up a temporary fence to get them back to Regen Farms.  In the process I created a huge mess of wires.  I will never take down fence again without a handheld reel to keep it contained.

 

Cows were excited for a new area

Cows in a new mob grazing paddock
Cows in a new mob grazing paddock
Hay rack for cows
Hay rack for cowsr

Cows were excited for a new area.  They ran back and forth once they crossed the old fence line.  Then they jumped the fence and ran around for a while.  I was happy they came back around and walked in rather than having me chase them.  I also made a test hay holder since they are wasting a lot of hay on the ground in their shed.

 
A few days later the cows got out of the electric fence and the barb wire fence that surrounds the 20 acres. Lucky I found them when I drove up just after dusk. They followed me for a bit. Then I needed some food to get them the rest of the way back in. I wonder if a short in the electic fence near the water trough scared them enough to keep them from getting to the water andthus they felt it necessary to jump the fence. The electric fence and barbed wire fence are now fixed.

 

We are offering the cows sea minerals

Lets see if the cows would like some sea minerals.  I read that many cows and other animals like sea minerals.  Some people mix it in the water for animals like chickens.  Once I get a free choice feeder made the cows will have a choice of over 14 minerals.

Minerals can help the cows and should benefit the life in the soil which can then benefit the plants via the soul food web.

Sea minerals for the cows
Sea minerals for the cows

Mini Herefords are here and the bee hive was destroyed

Mini Herefords are here and the bee hive was destroyed.  Great morning getting the two Herefords out and on the property. The plan is to do mob grazing on the micro scale with these two girls. They are 7 and 11 months old. The thought is they can help the soil an soil life a lot. Oh and it looks like they will eat some tree leaves which we usually have a lot of 🙂

Mini Herefords on eastern plains of Colorado
Mini Herefords on eastern plains of Colorado