She had 80 acres of space over which to roam, and she feasted on a variety of grasses. Though the focus of summer camp was not weight loss, she also slimmed down quite a bit since she had to walk much greater distances than at home and didn't get daily treats. But the real reason she attended summer camp was Bull 176. He's a native of Broadus, MT and just a yearling himself, and as far as we could tell, he and Daisy spent a fair amount of time together when she first arrived.
In other words, Daisy went to the Lewis place to get bred. We took her just as she was cycling and left her over the next two cycles with great hopes of her ending up pregnant. We know the bull was particularly interested in her when she first arrived, and he didn't seem to pay much attention to her during what would have been subsequent cycles. The cycles happen at 21 day intervals, and the gestation for cattle is 9 months, which means that if she "took" the first cycle at summer camp she should have a calf around the end of next March! I won't know anything for sure for a number of months, but I'm hoping I will at least be able to tell that she's no longer cycling (and therefore pregnant).
I visited her at least once a week while she was gone and brushed and fed her while there. The first two times I visited, she followed me all the way back to the gate, but by my third visit she was very content to stay with her new friends when I left. Last week, though, she did come running when she saw me, and while I know she was really only interested in the treats I had brought, it still made me feel good.
She has grown a bit taller since she left, too. The following pictures aren't the best, especially since in the second one I was avoiding the dive-bombing mosquitoes, but at least you can see how she's changed.
I'm very happy to have her home, and I really did miss her. I'll keep you updated with any news.
No comments:
Post a Comment