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December 2006
An Uncommon Day on the Farm
By Brian Murray
As I awoke to the sound of wet snow hitting the window I knew this was not to be just another day at the farm. After four hours of sleep and awaking to the early days of the winter solstice, I found sleep hard to wipe from my eyes. I would do the morning ritual of feeding and cleaning the cattle, alone, as my daughter Emma, was temporarily preoccupied. As I trudged through the now heavy/wet snow on my way to the barn, I had to stop a few times to catch my breath. The knee-high snow was taking its toll-and the anticipation of arriving at the barn was growing.
As I was within 30 feet of the barn I heard the unusual sound of multiple cows bawling [mooing]. This is usually a sound associated with something out of the ordinary. Upon entering the barn it was apparent that one of the cows was untied and running loose - farming is one of most dangerous jobs in Canada. I have a great respect for my animals due to their large [1200-1500 lbs] size, and the ability to hurt you without trying.
My first attempt at securing the loose animal was to turn on the water supply, and hope she would go in her stall for a drink. This was not to happen on this morning, as freedom was just too enjoyable. My second attempt was to get the grain from the storage container, and try to put a small amount in her stall and hope food would seem better than freedom. After a couple of minutes she decided to take me up on my offer. Now all that was required was to snap her neck halter to the wall. This was usually a pretty simple job due to her being preoccupied with the feed- (just a second too long in hooking the snap could cause “another” deep gash in my finger). On this morning it would be a day of compliance.
The twice daily job of looking after the cattle in the barn, from November -June is well under way. Although the shoveling of the manure is heavy back breaking work, it usually goes pretty quick. After the feeding shutters are open-the hay and grain are fed in appropriate amounts-all the cattle have their own stalls, so this is easily accomplished. The order in which they are fed is important as cows have a good memory, contrary to popular belief. When feeding grain to the cattle you have to use discretion in giving the appropriate amount or unpleasant results will occur for the animal and yourself.
On this morning after all the cattle were fed and shutters closed I decided to feed them one more time. As I opened the shutters I was greeted by a nervous/ready to run look- (Anything out of the normal routine is seen as a reason to invoke the first defense mechanism, which is to run away). Once they saw I was reaching into the grain bin the nervousness became anticipation, with all heads trying to get first in line. The doubling of the grain and hay is not a common occurrence-but much appreciated by the herd. Somehow I think they might have remembered the last time this happened, as I was closing the shutters I quietly said “Merry Christmas” .
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