நாட்டுமாடு / देसी गाय update – March 2022

Hello everyone!

It is getting hotter every day and all the wild grasses had almost gotten fully consumed. The last 3-4 days have brought us rain and the grasses will start growing again. This is the summer month when will start chopping the perennial napier and super napier cow grass that we had planted over the last 3 years.

Payudha is still limping and walking slowly. She doesn’t seem to be an apparent pain but her hip shows major change that has occurred in her skeletal structure in the recent past. The Government veterinary doctor has prescribed some allopathic medicines, which she is on a course this week for 6 days only. It has improved the limp significantly.

Devi thinks all the 7 cows, including Kanmani and the two young female calves we got last year, are pregnant. They will deliver calves spread over the rest of the year, we think. Kanmani is the only hybrid cow we have. We couldn’t give her away when we made the transition from hybrid to native cows in February 2021. She must have or will celebrate her 3rd birthday this year. 🙂

The cows now have the company of 3 puppies in the animal shed : 2 male and 1 female. All three are local Indie pariah dogs. We adopted them from a nearby farmer, who has been rearing a couple of dogs for protection during grazing and at his cow shed. We have named them Surya, Chandra and Indra in memory of the 3 puppies we lost to poisoning by another neighbouring farmer. We thought this time, it would be best to raise them in the cow shed because they will grow along with the chickens and ducks. They would see the birds and cows as friends and not as their next meal. And hopefully, once they grow to be adults, they can accompany the cows and the cowherd, for safety and protection.

Thanks to everyone, we have reached the crowdfunding target for maintaining and raising cows. Next year, we intend to start making and selling value added products from cow dung. Hopefully, this is the last financial year, I will need your financial help. #FingersCrossed Your emotional and physical help will always be needed. 🙂

Thanks to those who have been contributing towards compost making activities. It is an activity which will not generate any economic benefit from the young food forest in the short term. Ismail from Daana is the old man who gets employment for 4 days a month from this. I will send photos next time 🙂

We hosted a lunch potluck with all the organic farmers nearby yesterday at Vaanavil Farm & Food Forest. It was a fun experience to have all the like-minded community members together sharing thoughts, ideas, produce and a meal. Here are some photos.