Hurries and anticipation
The past weeks have gone at high speed, as the sowing in the fields has taken most of the time. We have now broadbean, oats and barley coming. Jus a smaal advertisement in favour of the Finnish broadbean: this is something really worth trying if you have no earlier experience of the product. Replacing meat with alternative plant proteins is always an act in favour of the environment, but the better if it is also of domestic produce!
But back to the cows now. We are expecting a great event with Skanda Mata giving birth shortly. The hot summer days have quitened down the lady, who is now in the final stage of pregnancy. Wonderful the grazing has begun and Skanda has been able to graze in the larger field and enjoy the fresh grass. Good muscular condition is always an advantage for an easy labor.
A cow expects nine months just like humans. From a cow giving birth you can feel the power of Mother Earth radiate, and a cow's maternal instincts are at least as powerful as with humans. In stall stables cows have to give birth while tethered from the head. In such cases the dam might even start to hate its calf, because of the too stressful circumstances. In ideal situations the mother cow would seek an isolated spot in peace away from others. It should have a clean, dry setting where she would spend the first days together with her newborn, to bond. This bonding is so strong that in the first day a dam may protect her newborn even against her familiar caretaker.
The coming calf, like the other calves born to us, have been started with artificial insemination. I have read on animal protection sites harsh criticism against artificial insemination, and I do not really understand how this issue has been made so terrible. A cow can only seed when she is ready for it. The cow's rutting season repeats every three weeks and the fertile time usually takes less than 24 hours. Nobody casually "rapes" cows as the seed dose is so precious that no one puts them in the cows other than at the right time. The act is quickly done and does not hurt.
In nature, cows live in cows' herds and bulls, herds. As far as I understand the cows are not suffering from the fact that there is no bull among them. Also, the bull boy would be welcomed to our herd. In the next few days we will know which one it will be.
