TKG Ten: Wednesday. Black Cows in the Winter Barn

There are two young cows in the barn. Steers. They are hard to see in the gloom of the winter barn, black cows are just shadows in a shot like this. But they are there and gentle and munching.

The wind is blowing and we are at 36F (2.22C) which is not too too cold but that wind made my ears ring as I hurried about while this video was made.

We had to spend the day in the city, a 90 minute drive away and so I am late starting chores and in a hurry to get the animals fed and their beds made and all the extra doors closed before it gets dark and I have to go to work off-site.

These barns are very old (this one is over 100 that I know of) and made with dry as tinder untreated timber. And the electrics are old too. Who knows where all the wires are and what they are attached to. Add tonnes of dry hay and straw and we have the potential for fire.

So I have a hard and fast rule that that ALL animals have an outside door that is always open. Only in extreme circumstances will I lock these big animals inside.

Even if it is cold. As soon as this is published I will go back out and shut the extra side doors and batten down the hatches. But I leave their main doors open.

If there is a fire I need them to be able to get out and run.

Plus generally I hate caging animals - even the birds are free range most of the year. I hate cages too - I have a tendency to rattle cages.

All we can hear today is the munching of cows - eating their hay from our fields. Maybe a few roosters! I think Quacker chimed in. The cows come and go from the barn as they have two big fields out the back that they spend the day in.

Tomorrow I have to drive back to the city super early so all that noise is me preparing the pig and chicken breakfasts to be served FAST - early.

Have a lovely evening! I will talk to you in the comments later on tonight!

Whew - what a day!

Celi

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