Working With Farm Animals

What a wonderful class... Tuesday I had my first lab at the dairy farm and it was really cool! I wasn't sure what to really expect, and since it was the first day, I was planning on doing a whole lot of sitting there. Needless to say, it was really fun! I've never really had experience with cows, and it is kind of intimidating working with something so large. However, my professor Dr. Hurley did a good job of not really giving us time to worry about things that may go wrong, and we got to working with the cows right away. Throughout the lab, we hand milked the cows, tested the milk for mastitis with a strip cup test, and learned how to handle and walk with them. I had never milked a cow before by hand, but I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was and how good I actually was at it! As if I didn't already think I was born in the wrong era, this is yet again another reason that supports my intuition... When it was time to walk the cows, I got kind of nervous since I'm so small and they are all so large. The boy who handed my cow off to me told me she was pretty riled up, so that was reassuring... I tried to get her to start walking but she was not having it. Finally I pulled with all of my might and she gave in, but they sure as heck don't appreciate being ushered around and kept trying to stop and go into their stalls. It is a lot easier if you go first, before she gets irritated and tired of the routine. I'm really glad U of I decided to make a class like this part of the animal science curriculum because otherwise I would've never had this experience to work with this variety of animals. I really do love all the exposure to animal agriculture, and it is definitely toying with my decisions and plans for the future! I go to the sheep farm this Tuesday, so I'm sure I will have another story soon! :)