Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Cows!!

Here are a couple photos for you to ponder. These cows are very close to calving, and the Bag Lady is not sure which one will be first. (Well, she thinks she knows, but she's been wrong before!)

Here is the first one. We call her Spooky, because she is.



And here is the second one. We call her the White Bitch, because she is!



Now, the Bag Lady could give you all kinds of instructions about what to look for, but because the photos aren't really very good, and not all of the things you need to look at are visible in the photos, she just wants you to guess.
Which cow do you think will be first? (Talk about scientific, eh? C'mon, gimme your best guess!)
Your prize? You get to name the calf when it arrives!! Woohoo!! Oh, wait, that wouldn't be fair, because what if you all guess correctly? Hmmm, the Bag Lady will have to ponder a little more on that point. Perhaps we'll have a little naming contest when the calf arrives...
(The Bag Lady's computer is still misbehaving, but she hasn't taken it to the hospital yet because she's addicted to blogging and can still do that...)

19 comments:

Geosomin said...

The white one...she looks grumpier...I figure she'll want it out first :)

Leah J. Utas said...

WB is one mean-looking bovine mama. She looks determined to be the first, but Spooky looks rather deceptive so she's my guess.

Sarah said...

I say White Bitch too.

My reasoning is that Spooky is eating, so if she's comfortable enough to eat, she's probably not to the point of discomfort where she'll want to force a miniature cow out of herself.

Whereas White Bitch looks pretty pissed off with the situation, and probably wants to have it over and done with.

the Bag Lady said...

Geosomin - you certainly pegged her personality! She is one cranky cow.
dfLeah - Spooky is rather deceptive. She likes to hide her babies - she doesn't like humans near her calves.

the Bag Lady said...

Sarah - White Bitch really hates humans, so she was watching me very closely!
You are right to a certain degree - when cows are in labour, they don't eat much. They generally eat a whole bunch right at the beginning, then spend a lot of time wandering around, looking for the right spot to have their calf, getting up and lying down, slapping at their sides with their tails, or reaching around, licking at their sides.
Neither one is doing any of that yet, though.

Scrumpy said...

Well, I wanted to vote for White Bitch because it is absolutely the best cow name I have ever heard.

But, being a Bitch, she will probably hold out because being pregnant gives her something to really bitch about.

Therefore, my vote is for Spooky.

the Bag Lady said...

SB - we used to be quite creative about naming our cows. We had one who had a huge set of horns and looked like a longhorn (which she wasn't), so we called her Texas.
In the last few years, when we had quite a large (by our standards) herd, we resorted to just calling them by the number on their ear-tag.
My own personal favourite cow was named Babe. She was a really pretty cow...if there is such a thing.

Hilary said...

My guess is that they'll both give birth at the same time. So will I get to name both of them if I'm right? ;)

the Bag Lady said...

Hil - of course you can name both of them!
And you could be right about them calving at the same time. It's been known to happen. In fact, we had two cows in the corral who calved at the same time, and one cow decided both calves must be hers! We had a hell of a time convincing her that only one was hers.

Reb said...

I love the name White Bitch! I would say she will drop first, but then I don't know nuthing 'bout birthin' no calves!

Anonymous said...

I vote for Spooky...because...because...well, I don't know why. Can't wait for the baby cow pics! Any other critters giving birth?

Missicat

Dawn said...

At last - a competiton where I actually know something about the topic!

Damn! Can't see the bits I need to see.

I'm going with Spooky. I base this on the fact that she is housed indoors and MAYBE that's where you bring them to calve. You've obviously had a close look at her udder so MAYBE that's your pick. On the other hand, MAYBE the photos were taken two years ago and that isn't a clue at all!

Love the names! Spooky will calve first.

Terrie Farley Moran said...

df Bag Lady,

Well, I am certainly not even going to guess--what do I know about cows. I'll just follow along behind Dawn. But not behind the cows, even I know better than that.

Terrie

the Bag Lady said...

Reb - if I can learn, you could, too!!
Missicat - only cows giving birth around here nowadays. All our other critters (horses, cats, dog, Bag Lady) are neutered!! (Oops, was that TMI?)
Dawn - the photos were taken Monday morning when I went out to feed. They look like they are in different places because I took the photo of the White Bitch when I got out of the loader to take the strings off the bales, but Spooky wasn't close enough, so I got her (really poor photo) after I fed. None of them are housed indoors. Of course, Spooky moved her leg right before I took the photo, so you can't see her udder. If you had been able to, you might have changed your mind. (Or if I had taken a photo of the other indicator, I know you would have a better idea (I was pretty sure you would know what to look for, but didn't want to gross anyone else out!!)
Terrie, glad you are playing along!

I posted this in the morning, then went out to check cows around noon and, lo and behold...there was a calf!! But you'll all have to wait until I post tomorrow to find out who! I promise there will be photos...

Crabby McSlacker said...

What a tease! So you know now and won't tell us? Dang.

I go with Spooky, because like Terrie, I'm going to go with Dawn's guess.

But I love White Bitch's attitude. If I were a cow I'd hate humans too.

elasticwaistbandlady said...

Geosomin took my comment. :(

I don't know nothin but birthin no baby cows, Miss Scarlett!

JavaChick said...

I'm voting for Spooky because her belly looks bigger...

Cows can be pretty. I was at King's Landing last summer and they have this breed of cows there called Canadian. I had never seen this breed before, and they they were pretty cows. Their colouring was beautiful.

Ok, so that's the first time I've ever used the phrase "pretty cows", but saying it even once proves it can happen, right?

Emily said...

I have to go with Spooky...she looks huge.

But White Bitch wins for the best cow name.

You know, I don't think I've ever been as close to a cow as you had to be to take those pictures. Are they ever aggressive?

the Bag Lady said...

Crabby - sorry to be a tease, but didn't want to spoil the surprise!

EWBL - at least you can enter the naming competition - pretty sure geosomin won't steal your name idea!

Javachick - I have seen pictures of the Canadian breed, and I agree, they are pretty! (but what do you expect...they're Canadian!!)

Emily - most beef cattle (as opposed to dairy cattle) are cautious of humans. ANY cow can be aggressive when they have a calf, even a cow that is relatively docile without a calf. It pays to never let your guard down.
That said, the Bag Lady will go out and walk amongst them, but she tries to always pay attention to the signals the cows give off.