Rita the Ayrshire (L) and Buttercream the Brown Swiss (R) walk across the pasture at feeding time. Rita usually looks at us with the sclera (whites) of her eye showing ... which in cows and horses, usually means the animal is about to act wild. But for Rita, that's her default! More funny Rita looks in the thread. #CowsOfMastodon#FarmPhotography
I think this is Spunky the Ayrshire, edging in on Sassy's photo. Sassy looks appalled, but really she is just chewing her cud and flapping her ears against flies.
Betty the Ayrshire, with Buttercream the Brown Swiss and Helena the Holstein in the background. We showed Betty as a dry cow, she milked over 100lb.s a day at points during her first lactation. That's really good for an Ayrshire. #CowsOfMastodon#FarmPhotography
Spunky (R) licks Rita (L) in the pasture. Rita looks like she's LOVING it ... which she probably is! Article below on why bovines lick each other. Both critters are Ayrshire dairy animals.
Sore feet after a 12-mile walk this afternoon to a location known as World's End. These three pictures were of the destination, but the stars of the show were cows. Hairy cows. You'd better like cows for the pictures I have to follow 😊
Dolly the Ayrshire, running around her newly expanded pen at Mom's. She has her tail held parallel to the ground. A particular challenge of photographing this calf is her almost all-white fur -- the get the exposure right such that she is not overexposed and when there is snow, differentiate her from he background. Still working on it!
New calf infant! Rita's first calf is about 5 days old in this photo. This calf is almost all white and has very, very long eyelashes.
Nikon D600, 62 mm, 1/160s, f/4.5, ISO 1250, handheld. #CowsOfMastodon#FarmPhotography
Dolly the calf infant showing off ears out and ears back looks. Young dairy calves frequently stand like this, they are all bony body and legs and very uncoordinated, whereas beef calves are ready to run early and more compact.
Mom pets her cow, Cream Puff, at a neighbor's farm where the Puffster is boarded. Cream Puff is a very friendly cow, she was a pasture pet as a calf as well and would come to the fence to lick us.
We visited the cows at Arana Gulch (Santa Cruz CA) this morning on our 24 mile bike ride. There are four cows grazing which is apparently good for habitat restoration in this city park open space.
73 Cows is the BAFTA-winning story of Jay & Katja Wilde, beef farmers who battle with their conscience every time they take their cows to slaughter. Feeling trapped within an industry he no longer believes in, Jay knows he must make a change and do what no other farmer from the UK has ever done before.
Our neighbourhood is giving good farmy vibes at the moment. Two gentle-looking coos in a field at the end of the road…and sheeps…and lambs in another! I can hear the sheep when I’m in the garden. It’s rather lovely.