Pics of Fawn and Buttercup

Fawn is starting to get big now and is still so darn cute!  We are going to need to castrate him soon before he gets unmanageable.  We just use the rubber band way because its easy and almost foolproof.  Fawn is already getting some meat on him.  I can't wait for fall and lots of steaks (we usually can't afford steak)!  Is it horrible that I can think he is adorable but at the same time cant wait to eat him?

Doesn't he look like a little fawn deer?

 

Checking out the hose I turned on, both of them were very curious.

Buttercup interested in my camera

I milk Buttercup in the evenings and it is so soothing after a long day with the children.  The barn is quiet except for the sound of the milk pinging in the pail. Sometimes I hear a bird call or hawk screech.  Or sometimes even the coyotes yipping but other than that its just me and the cow.  Cows are very understanding listeners.  They ruminate on what you say and generally don't think they know better than you.  It's very calming milking a cow.  Leaning your head against her warm flank while you rhythmically work.  Not to say it isn't hard work at times.  Your hands get tired and sore, and sometimes the cow gets frisky and tries to kick the bucket.  But most days it's nice and you have a reward at the end of the endeavor.

Pics of Fawn and Buttercup

We have started separating Fawn and Buttercup at night so we can get the full milking in the morning.  As you can imagine Buttercup wasn't thrilled at this idea.  Fawn however seemed to take the whole thing as a matter of course. 

Mamma watching Fawn

Settling down for the night

Sniffing each other for a little comfort

Fawn is the sweetest little calf!  He is as tame as a little dog and loves to come up and be petted and scratched.  The kids just love him, but they know that he is destined for the freezer this fall.  This is a good thing for children to understand.  That the animals we eat should have happy good lives before we eat them.  As eldest daughter said to my mom one day

 "These are not my pets, they are for us to eat.  I would never eat Colby (her pet rabbit).  I like to pet and play with these animals but I know that we are going to eat them."  age 11

My children know what animals they eat are like.  To them eggs come from our chickens, not the store.  They love to pick grass and dandylion greens to feed them and collect eggs (and try to catch the chickens for petting when mommys not looking).  Once they saw a show about chicken egg farming with the chickens crammed in the cages.  Both of them (ages 5 and 6) couldn't understand it and thought it was sad. This is because they see our chickens as living feeling animals.  They have a purpose but we give them happy little chicken lives until butcher day.  Compare that to the kids that think eggs come from the store.  Do they care that the chickens who produced those eggs have very sad lives?  As most children they don't even think about it bcause they have never been exposed to the reality of farm animals.