It seems fitting that I share with you Norma Jean being weaned because the last round of Alphabe-Thursday had me sharing my Wild Women, her and her mom as they went out to pasture.
She’s not quite so happy to be weaned.
Norma Jean
For now, she still has her mom and new friend, the bull, next to her. Maxine is still keeping a close eye on her little girl.
Soon Maxine will return home though to be a companion to MJ and wait for her baby to arrive next spring. Now that Norma Jean is not nursing her, Maxine’s udder is looking a bit full.
I’m not sure how long Norma Jean will stay where she’s at or where she’ll stay when she moves, but our cattle plan is progressing nicely.
I know MJ will be happy to have Maxine home, and so will I.
Linking to Jenny Matlock’s Alphabe-Thursday for the wonderful letter W.
I’m also linking to Thankful Thursday, This and That Thursday, and Thursday Favorite Things.
Teresa
Oct 24, 2012 @ 18:04:41
Wonderful photos of your cattle and very interesting post about them for ‘W’ ~ (A Creative Harbor) ^_^
Oct 24, 2012 @ 18:50:26
It’s amazing how many farm related things I can find for each letter.
Oct 24, 2012 @ 18:07:18
Not a happy camper.
Oct 24, 2012 @ 18:51:03
I just tell them that everybody has to be weaned eventually. That doesn’t seem to help though.
Oct 24, 2012 @ 18:41:08
gorgeous cattle. always great to visit your site and see what’s doing.
Oct 24, 2012 @ 18:52:03
I love the Gelbvieh cattle. They are very pretty (even the bull).
Oct 24, 2012 @ 18:56:24
I am impressed that you have a cattle plan, not having one myself. Take care of that poor girl’s udder, please. I’m having flashbacks
Oct 24, 2012 @ 19:07:15
It doesn’t seem to bother her at all. Well, only if I touch it, and then it’s me touching her that is bothersome, not the udder. That is an older picture, so it looks better now, but they are still completely uneven.
Oct 24, 2012 @ 19:22:28
poor little girl. time to grow up.
Oct 24, 2012 @ 19:27:55
It’s never easy to grow up.
Oct 24, 2012 @ 20:50:27
She’s still cute, even though she’s getting so big! Won’t it be something to see her as a mom some day?!
Oct 24, 2012 @ 20:55:04
That’s a ways off yet, but it is nice to see them from birth to maturity and even retirement.
Oct 25, 2012 @ 04:06:55
Do you have milking stantions on your farm? They might be under hay or something in the barn. Most farms back in the intensive farming days had them.
Cows will milk very close to their next breeding time if you milk them every morning and every evening. Maxine really needs to be milked.
Our cows were not really all milk cows by breed. We had holsteins and mixes as we bred them to shorthorns and herfords mostly, angus once in a while. Then we kept the females for breeding and milking.
We also found out that it was cheaper to use artificial rather than to keep a useless bull around all year. My grandfather had a stud horse that he took around but people didn’t seem to be sharing bulls back then. We did share boar hogs. That was nice because then all the pigs were born at about the same time.
..
Oct 25, 2012 @ 06:53:04
Maxine is visiting my brother-in-law’s bull. It’s nice not to have to have a bull around for one. I did try to AI her the first year, but it didn’t take. Her udder is about as full as it is going to get, so she will dry off okay. Muffin is the one I feel bad for because someone (probably me) would have gotten hurt if I had tried milking her. I do have some old cattle stanchions in the barn from when they originally milked here. I have a training stanchion for the goats. All the girls I’m milking now, are good at just standing. I don’t need a stanchion with them.
Oct 25, 2012 @ 06:14:43
Gods, but they are beautiful!
I have developed a Bovine Obsession since Lizzie!
Their personalities are from Heaven!
And those eyes……… *sigh*
Oct 25, 2012 @ 06:54:49
For me it’s those big soft liquid eyes and the fuzzy ears.
Oct 25, 2012 @ 07:58:43
Poor little (well NOT so little anmymore) Norma Jean!
It’s always hard to listen to the babies crying for mom and the moms crying for the babies. We can hear the cattle in the neighbor’s pasture come weaning time.
Oct 25, 2012 @ 08:12:38
Luckily, they are right next to each other, so that makes it a little easier.
Oct 25, 2012 @ 09:02:55
Growing up’s never easy!
Thanks for stopping by – have a great Alphabe-Thursday and weekend too.
Oct 25, 2012 @ 09:04:52
Thanks. It is hard on them to start with, but it is necessary.
Oct 25, 2012 @ 09:40:27
Great photos! I love cows. Thanks for sharing
Oct 25, 2012 @ 11:20:52
I love my cows too. They are so sweet!
Oct 25, 2012 @ 10:21:21
I think “weaning” can be just as tough on humans sometimes! LOL!
Oct 25, 2012 @ 11:21:07
Sometimes. They are doing well though.
Oct 25, 2012 @ 14:30:29
What a perfect “W” post! My guy was ready for weaning long before I was.
Oct 25, 2012 @ 16:31:56
I don’t think Norma Jean would ever be ready.
Oct 25, 2012 @ 16:12:19
So will Norma Jean stay on your farm? Or will it just be Maxine and MJ?
Oct 25, 2012 @ 16:32:46
I can’t have Norma Jean around MJ when she starts coming into heat. He would hurt her, so she’ll be elsewhere until she’s big enough to be with the bull next summer and then return home next fall after she’s bred.
Oct 25, 2012 @ 18:05:45
Weaning around here usually involves lots of whinnying and running about frantically!
Oct 25, 2012 @ 18:09:58
I’m lucky that they are where they can still be close or there’d be a lot of bawling here.
Oct 25, 2012 @ 19:42:32
Weaning is a hard task…for man or beast.
=)
Oct 25, 2012 @ 19:43:24
It really is. It’s our first real step to growing up. I guess it’s a good thing though.
Oct 25, 2012 @ 19:43:12
(I guess I should say woman or beast…)
Oct 25, 2012 @ 19:44:45
Oct 26, 2012 @ 02:34:09
Geez what a love life ! lol !
Oct 26, 2012 @ 07:03:33
That’s the way it works on the farm.
Oct 26, 2012 @ 10:05:38
Aww, Norma Jean does look a bit forlorn! She is a cutie though! I just read your cattle plan and that’s quite a bit of work! Necessary of course, but work just the same.
Oct 26, 2012 @ 11:49:38
Luckily, I believe Maxine got bred, so she’ll be coming home soon now that Norma Jean has been weaned.
Oct 27, 2012 @ 10:48:15
Thank you for joining in the fun at the Thursday Favorite Things hop. Happy weekend wishes xo
Oct 27, 2012 @ 11:49:09
Glad you stopped by. I do love your wonderful meme.
Oct 28, 2012 @ 01:33:48
The cows are so adorable!
Oct 28, 2012 @ 07:39:50
I do love my Gelbviehs with their fuzzy ears and baggy briskets.
Nov 05, 2012 @ 13:17:39
Oh man.
Look at those sad eyes.
I love reading all your wonderful stories about rural life!
Thanks for sharing them.
A+
Nov 05, 2012 @ 13:23:10
I love sharing them! I’m sure Norma Jean will get over it. I’ve not lost one yet due to weaning.