Welcome to GlenHaven! I thought it would be fun to introduce you to some of our critters so you can feel more at home on the farm.
Alphabetical order is always a good place to start so meet our bull, Abelour, affectionally known as Bully.
Abelour is a Jersey cross bull (cross unknown) and at first I totally did not want to mess with a bull. My plan was to use artificial insemination for our dairy cow to reproduce. In case you didn’t know, dairy cows do not just automatically produce milk, they have to have babies (calves) just like any other mammal. Unfortunately, our attempts at AI were an epic fail (not to mention very expensive). Therefore, we had to institute plan B.
Want milk? Get a bull.
Now, for those of you unfamiliar with bulls let me fill you in. Bulls are not generally known for being gentle or friendly (Ferdinand excepted). They work in the reproduction department; it’s their job to make babies. If they don’t make babies they go in the freezer.
Abelour is generally a well behaved guy. He does have some issues with the stock trailer and sometimes complains about fencing arrangements but for the most part, as long as he has his girls around him he’s happy.
Bulls are known to be territorial and grumpy. If anything or anyone: tractors, other bulls, people, whatever moves into their territory and into the vicinity of their cows they will bellow, charge and butt with their head the offending object. Many a hapless farm kid has been chased by a bull and grown men have been severely injured, even killed by an angry bull. No one wants to be the target of 2000 lbs of angry bull. Our friend had neighboring bull break through the fence and kill her bull not too long ago. Hence my reluctance to even deal with one!
Fortunately we found a gentle bull who sires low birth weight calves. We were able to purchase him and another little Jersey, Sweet Pea.
Upon arrival to our property Abelour majestically strode across the pasture as if he owned the place.
He paused.
He surveyed the area and released not just one but multiple high-pitched bellows!
An elephant. . . trumpeting fury . . . or so the neighbors thought!
This in turn caused the 4 pigs in the next pasture to believe Armageddon had arrived.
They ran squealing through the hot wire and into the woods.
Great.
Thanks Bully.
Chasing pigs was not on my agenda for today!
A few minutes after placing a round bale of hay (5′ tall x 5′ diameter) into the pasture, Bully stuck his head into the hay & began to unroll it. Little did we know he wanted to play kissy face with Camelia!
Our Bully enjoys having his head scratched and will eat alfalfa cubes out of your hand but we don’t take that for granted. We respect his position, his nature and his temperament.
And he makes beautiful babies!
You know, sometimes things don’t go as we planned and we end up with some bull. But when we trust God with the situation He gives us grace to make it through. (James 4:6)
And not only that, but a promise that it’s all going to work out (Romans 8:28).
So, all bull aside,
KEEP THE FAITH!