Everyone gets a little Cabin Fever

This past week, we loaded up the boys for a late afternoon cruise through the dairy, to check on things. The first thing to catch my attention, was the cloud of dust - the Big cloud of dust - coming from behind one of the barns. At first, I wasn't sure what was causing it. The air was nearly still and the dust seemed to be limited to only one pen. Then... it hit me. Cabin Fever!

As we drove through the first barn, Clayton asked where all the cows were! For the first time in Months, the barn was empty... and not because the girls were making their one of two daily visits to the milking parlor... but because they were Finally outside! During the late fall, winter and early spring, our "dry lots" are not so dry. To prevent illness or infection, our girls are locked inside the freestall barns, out of the weather. They are free to get up and eat or lay down to rest as they choose, but their exercise is pretty much limited to laps up and down the barn.

Well, the day had finally come! Following their afternoon visit to the milking parlor, the girls were greeted with an Open Gate! There is nothing like the first 30 minutes cows spend outside after being in the barn all winter! They run, kick up their heels, head but each other, scratch their head in the dirt... almost like our boys when they've been inside for too long! The two girls in the photo above pushed each other back and forth across the lot with their heads, and kept going back for more!

There was a rush of curiousity as they came crowding over to the fence to check me out... all huffing and puffing and panting, out of breath! The look in their eyes almost seemed like an invitation to come and run with them...

of course I would not be able to keep up with them... or hold my tail out behind me, or up in the air like they do! :)

More head butting...

And pushing each other around on the dirt pile...

The nearly all black cow in the background almost dug her head into a hole after scratching around in the pile...

Welcome to the great outdoors, ladies! Enjoy the sunshine... and go easy each other!