Jolene
Jolene was born on a dairy farm and was so tiny and weak at birth, her owners didn’t think she would make it. She spent her first several months inside their house wearing diapers and being bottle fed. Against all odds, she survived and eventually became strong enough to move out to their dairy barn. According to her previous owners, she grew to only about half the normal weight for her age so they made the decision not to breed her. Just about that time, the dairy operation was sold, so finding her a new home became urgent since she would never be a profitable cow for them. When we found out about her, we had just lost one of our other cows, so agreed to adopt her as a companion for Jeanette. Jolene spent the first two years of her life inside a barn chained to a wall, so she had no concept of grass or gates or sunshine. It was a joy to watch her discover all of the simple pleasures in life every day.
The day Jolene arrived, she was emaciated, covered in ringworm and dried manure. It took weeks to gain her trust enough to brush all of the debris caked onto her coat. We treated the ringworm for months, and as her immune system improved, the ringworm resolved.
A few days after arrival. This girl loves to eat!
Another pic the day she arrived. It took several months before she trusted us enough to remove the red collar she arrived wearing. Jeanette was so happy to meet her.
It's hard to believe how thin she was. Here she is with Jeanette sharing a meal. The intro was a slow process partially due to Jolene's ringworm, but also since she was a flight risk and seemed to have no respect or knowledge of fences and gates.
Buddies.
Way back when Jeanette was the boss.
Getting her fuzzy winter coat.
Looking better! We're getting there!
Between brushing, Jeanette's grooming and using the cow brush, it still took weeks to remove all the caked manure from her coat.
Look at how nice and chonky she became.
Meeting Mavis.
Jolene's belly is white and she has two white socks on her hind feet because she is half Holstein and half Jersey. She's called a HoJo. : ) She is actually Jeanette's niece!
She has gained about 200 pounds since arriving here and her coat looks gorgeous. She is our smallest now and the boss of everyone.
Happy family always munching in the sunshine together.