Why did the cow jump over the moon?
Every night when we separate the calf we check Faith’s udder. If you have a normal cow with a normal calf, you will probably not need to palpate your cow’s udder in the evenings. If you have my cow (who likes to get mastitis) and my calf (who may or may not have emptied all 4 quarters) you will want to check out the udder situation.
Checking Faith’s udder involves feeling each quarter to make sure it is flaccid (flabby, squishy and without milk). If an udder is full of milk it is bulging, round and firm. If it is empty it is squishy, soft and relaxed (flaccid).
You can easily tell if one of the quarters is still full of milk by simply feeling it. We check Faith’s udder each night to be sure Crumple (the calf) got all the milk out. Since he thinks there are 3 teats, we sometimes have to milk out the last one by hand.
My oldest daughter went up to the cow field to “check” Faith’s udder. My daughter was alone. She walked up to the cow field. Usually, there are 2, or 3, or 4, or 6 of us going to visit the cows……. so they know we are coming. We often take a 4-wheeler up to the field, so the cows hear us coming. On this day, my daughter went up to see the cow – alone……… on foot……… quietly.
Apparently, Faith (the cow) had NO CLUE someone had entered her field to visit her…… or was about to check her udder.
When my daughter reached down and palpitated Faith’s udder the cow had a heart attack. She jumped, she kicked, she mooed. She knocked my child flat on her butt.
If our cow could talk I’m pretty sure she would have mooed, “SOMETHING TOUCHED MY UDDER!!!!”
Then the cow looked at my child laying on the ground, happily perked her ears and looked around for the sweet feed bucket.
“Hi Shelby! Do you have any sweet feed?” Slurp.
So, first the cow had a heart attack. Then my daughter had a heart attack. Don’t worry. They are both fine. Now, my daughter announces her presence and makes sure the cow knows she is there before she touches the udder.
Why did the cow jump over the moon?
Because, “SOMETHING TOUCHED MY UDDER!!”
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XO,
Candi
