I've Learned A Few Things

I picked up our four new yak yesterday. They appear to be settling in well, although they seemed a bit surprised to see more yak when they arrived. They've been on a farm with beef cattle and a water buffalo, so they looked a bit surprised to be greeted by a small herd of critters that looked and talked like them! 

I went out this morning to check on them and since the previous owners told me they enjoy a few slices of bread as a treat, I figured I'd give it a try. This girl, the "mother" of the bunch, is quite friendly and was very interested in eating out of my hand. The others are a bit more shy. The little golden cow, well... I'm going to have to watch her. She's charged at me a few times through the fence already, so I'm really going to have to be careful around her for now.

While I was out there, I suddenly heard a bunch of noisy slurping and turned to see what the heck was going on and was greeted with this sight: 

Ummm. OK. So, mama has not weaned her "little" bull calf yet? Goodness! When he bunted while nursing, that poor cow's hind end was lifted a foot off the ground! Needless to say, after their quarantine/get used to the new place time is over, they will be separated. Sheesh!

I was initially told that the herd was a mama cow and three of her calves, but I'm actually starting to think that isn't quite the case. When I picked them up, I noticed this little golden cow has a bag on her (is "in" milk) but she is supposed to only be a two year old. When I ran them through the squeeze yesterday and weighed them, she is a full sized cow (weighs as much as the two cows I already have) and she is very tight with this little heifer calf. I'm starting to think that maybe this is her calf! I'll have to watch them. Maybe I'll see her nurse and can confirm. 

In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really matter, but inquiring minds like to know!!

As I was out there, suddenly, I realized that there was another yak in with the newbies - that little baby just walks right under the gates, the little stinker! So much for a quarantine!!

I had to remove her TWICE! I finally decided to rearrange some gates as I was concerned about her getting in with them and not figuring out how to get back to her mama. I'm going to give the newbies a few days to get used to the place and used to saying "hi" to the other yak through the fence before introducing them into the herd, but it should be interesting to see. Never a dull moment on the farm!!