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26147 aka: Abby Over the next few months we want to introduce you to our little herd. Today is going to be all about 26147.
26147, affectionately known as Abby was born in July of 2011, making her a shy 4.5 years old. That may seem young to you but in cow time she is leaning toward middle aged and it’s probably safe to say that her first calf has made her a grandmother by now.
With that said, Abby is undisputedly the boss here at Brun Ko Farm. She is quick to put the heifers in their place at the feed bunk and is the only bovine on the farm that Piper, our cattle dog, is afraid of. I don’t even think the horse would stand a chance at bossing Abby around. And we may not like to admit it, but Abby even dictates NP’s and I’s schedule and influences much of our activities and decision making. Milking time is the number 1 thing we have to consider when making plans because if we are a half an hour late for chores, she lets us know about it!!
26147, affectionately known as Abby was born in July of 2011, making her a shy 4.5 years old. That may seem young to you but in cow time she is leaning toward middle aged and it’s probably safe to say that her first calf has made her a grandmother by now.
With that said, Abby is undisputedly the boss here at Brun Ko Farm. She is quick to put the heifers in their place at the feed bunk and is the only bovine on the farm that Piper, our cattle dog, is afraid of. I don’t even think the horse would stand a chance at bossing Abby around. And we may not like to admit it, but Abby even dictates NP’s and I’s schedule and influences much of our activities and decision making. Milking time is the number 1 thing we have to consider when making plans because if we are a half an hour late for chores, she lets us know about it!!
Abby had her 3rd calf in the wee hours of the morning last Friday! As many of you know Abby had a calf this past Friday, making her our only currently lactating cow. She has one other calf at the farm that you will meet in a later blog post. Abby is the founder of our milking herd, 50% of the reason we are planning a creamery and 99% of the reason that NP and I met and fell in love. You see Abby used to me ‘my’ cow. She was a part of my small herd that was housed within the larger herd at the farm I worked for. Abby was a normal looking heifer for the first 15 or so months of her life. But at some point after she was confirmed pregnant my boss and I began to notice that one of her front legs appeared twisted. Upon further inspection it was clear that it was in fact deformed but not broken and was causing her no pain. She ran and jumped and played just like all the other heifers. The heavier she got with calf, the more twisted her leg became. However, it never seemed to pain her and she milked just fine after having a healthy calf. So, she became a part of the herd. However, I was always concerned that someday she would get pushed just a little too hard by a more dominant cow or fall on a slick spot or due to rough terrain on the few occasions that the slats in the barn froze during the winter months.
| So when NP began looking for a nurse cow, specifically a Jersey nurse cow, to feed a few bottle calves, a mutual friend pointed him my way. And I was more than happy to send Abby (at that time known strictly as 26147) to a home where she would face little to no competition from other cows and would have footing and care better suited to her unique needs. And that is how Abby found her way to Brun Ko Farm. And became the connection between NP and I. I guess we owe a lot to our bossy Abby cow! |  Abby even gets bossy with the wheel barrow! |
In this photo you can see that Abby's front right leg is twisted. It doesn't slow her down though!
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