Thursday, March 11, 2010

Fun at Adam's Dairy Farm

Spending time on a different farm other than my Grandma and Grandpa's was a new experience for me but was quite an experience! I learned how to milk a cow, drove a tractor on my own, stood in more cow manuer than I could even imagine, and drank the best milk I have ever drank were a few of the many highlights of my visit!

This is the cutiest smallest baby cow that I have ever seen! He was born the night I got there and was still so helpless the next day! I went to visit him each day I was there! They told me I could take him home in the Camery because he was the "wrong kind" (a boy instead of a girl) Although I though the boys would totally love playing with him I knew he couldn't come home with me.

This guy was my friend the entire time. There were many cats on the farm (as you will see in a later picture) but this kitty was by far my favorite. The loved being rubbed and wanted my attention at all times. Unlike the others he also would let me hold him (as he quickly found out that is how he usually got rubbed the most) He was quite the lover and I again wanted to take him home but knew I couldn't.

This was the new little cows hut for a couple months until he is big enough to move to the bigger pens. Surprisingly it gets very warm in there because the sun heats up the huts. The had a lot of little babies in huts like this and Leo takes care of all of them everyday.


This was the tractor that Adam got stuck in the snow. We were spreading manure down a hill and couldn't get the tractor back up the hillside. Took a long while to get the tractor out but they eventually got it out of the snow. I watched the entire time and it was very amusing to watch.


This is what entertained me while they were pulling the tractor out of the snow... Notice I spelled my name out very largely in the snow. I tried rolling a snowman but the snow was too melted to do so. I also contemplated a snow angel but did not want to get all wet as I still had a half of days work left to do in those clothes.


Showing off my pink work boots that I got very dirty during my visit. Adam had his doubts about if they would leak or not but I ensured him that they did not have holes in them and that they were great work boots.


Here is the posse of cats that lives in the milking barn. Although I know Adam says he doesn't like them, I think they provide a great purpose (keeping the rodents out of the barn) and occasionally some entertainment when the get on top of the milking pipes in the ceiling and randomly fall to the ground. They also love to lick up any spilled milk that they may come across.


This is the main isle of the milking barn. This is where all the action happens. 10 stalls on each side totally 20 at one time. It was a very organized system and I have to admit that I was impressed how much the cows seemed to remember what they were doing throughout the process. The garage door opens and a lot walk right in and are waiting to be milked when Adam and his dad are ready.


One of the cows patiently waiting to get milked.


The cows waiting for the milking to begin. They get milked twice a day acound 5am and 5pm. Personally the 5am one is too early for me but I did not have to wake up for those milkings so I guess I can not complain too much. It was actually a lot harder and more complex than I thought and there is technique to correctly milking a cow. I definitely could have benefited from larger hands to hold the nozzles.

The rest of the cows waiting their turn to get milked.