Friday, April 2, 2010

Dude, what the hay?

We belittle animals way too often. As much as I think I get my cows, and understand what they want- I can't help but realize how often I just get it wrong. I went up overhead to the hay loft for a bale. I had been grabbing nice big bales, but the cows have been picking through them. They hay was pretty good. I grabbed a smaller bale that had a lot of fine grass in it, and the cows started inhaling the new hay.

Well Duh! If you sat down for dinner what would you prefer? A small plate of something delectable or a large bowl of something acceptable? Why the heck would we think any different for our animals?

Now with that said, we're feeding our animals what they should eat. Rabbits get hay, and grains (without distiller's biproducts mind you!) pigs get whey, soured milk, grain and whatever, chickens get grain, compost pile and 15 acres of field, but why are we farmers stuck into this silly mentality that it is good to give a lot to the animals?

I was just grabbing big bales because I thought they'd like to eat more. But in the end the cows are like me. They'll eat a lot, but they want to eat a lot of what's good.

Now with that said we're short on hay so they are getting whatever I throw down, but I would just like to note that I do not think that they really are any different than me in a lot of ways.

1 comment:

  1. The difference between livestock and Zac. Hummm!

    Did Marianne make a pet out of you too?

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