Seventeen months ago, our first Dexter grandchild was born right outside our back door.
We named her "ZH Siobhan's Macree" because Macree is an Irish term of endearment meaning "my heart." Siobhan obviously adored her, and we did, too.
She was lively and fun . . .
. . . and oh-so-sweet. On my birthday that July Macree and I had a bonding session where she melted all over my lap while I caressed her for 20 minutes. I will always treasure that memory.
Macree's new owner wanted her bred so when she was 15 months old, she met our bull, Mrald Crown Royal. This past weekend I brought Macree up near the barn to be ready for the vet to draw blood for biotracking, a non-invasive pregnancy check. She missed being with Royal, Siobhan and Wellie, and Sir Loin the steer, but she hung out with them across the fence and even shared their hay. When they wandered off she would go up and eat hay with Romeo. She hung around the barn a lot, too, wanting our company. That's when I got this photo of her scratching what itches.
This photo just cracks me up! Macree says, "See how Dexter-ous I am?" Silly girl!
On Thursday the biotracking came back positive--she was pregnant, and she was ready to go to her new home.
Here's Macree coming up to meet her new owner, not quite sure what's going on.
Macree showed what a good girl she is, walking right into the stanchion to eat her bit of grain. She has been easy to train, having gotten used to being tied next to the stanchion while her mama was milked since she was two months old. It was an easy step up into the stanchion itself, and even fastening the neck catch didn't faze her. She lets me touch her udder and teats without so much as twitching a foot.
Finally it was time for one last hug and kiss.
Macree found something yummy on the trailer door.
A sweetheart to the last, she stepped right up into the trailer. I don't know why I felt like a traitor--probably because I couldn't explain to her what was happening. She took it perfectly in stride, though, and started eating her bedding. The trailer disappeared down the road on the way to pick up a new steer buddy before heading to her new home, a very good one where she'll be very well cared for.
A couple hours after the trailer disappear down the road, I got a text: "Happy cows! :)" And that made me a happy grandma!
Macree's new owner wanted her bred so when she was 15 months old, she met our bull, Mrald Crown Royal. This past weekend I brought Macree up near the barn to be ready for the vet to draw blood for biotracking, a non-invasive pregnancy check. She missed being with Royal, Siobhan and Wellie, and Sir Loin the steer, but she hung out with them across the fence and even shared their hay. When they wandered off she would go up and eat hay with Romeo. She hung around the barn a lot, too, wanting our company. That's when I got this photo of her scratching what itches.
On Thursday the biotracking came back positive--she was pregnant, and she was ready to go to her new home.
Here's Macree coming up to meet her new owner, not quite sure what's going on.A couple hours after the trailer disappear down the road, I got a text: "Happy cows! :)" And that made me a happy grandma!
I know it must be hard to let go of animals that were raised on your farm and it must feel like children that you are giving away and the trust you so much. This is one part of farming that will be tough for me too.
ReplyDeleteIt's a little easier to let the heifers go to a great home than it is to take a steer to be butchered, Gordon. We have yet to butcher a steer that was born and raised here; that's about 18 months away, and I don't know how I'll deal with that. I've heard some sad stories about heifers or cows whose new home didn't turn out to be what the seller thought it would be. That's one thing I'm not worried about at ALL! Macree will live in the lap of IRG luxury, and her new owner has years of experience with cattle and really cares about her animals. Macree has landed on her feet!
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