Farm animal ownership at the age of four

Being a farmer’s son it would take a lot to put off a child from being a farmer.   Dad worship, uncle worship and just living on the farm and seeing what’s going on is obviously a big draw for young children.

I wish N was more like his youngest cousin who likes the farm, but doesn’t spend every spare hour on it.  Unfortunately he’s more like cousin number 3 who’s on the farm at any opportunity when he’s not in school.  I’m hoping that once he realises there’s a lot more to the world outside, like sport, music and different subjects that maybe something else will pique his interest and he’ll have something else to balance out the farming.

At the moment though, he has jobs to do.  He’s spent most of half term on and off the farm depending on what’s being done.  Helping with the feeding, riding along while they move cattle and just generally following his dad around.

While the OH really isn’t a fan of sheep, N seems to like them a bit more than the cows. Maybe because they’re nearer his size and he’s allowed closer to them – less danger of him being charged or knocked over by them.  So he does sometimes go out shepherding with his uncle and older cousin.  They’ll take him in the pick-up, or on the quad bike.  I love seeing his happy face and wave as he rides off on the quad bike.

He now has 10 sheep of his own…well, my investment, so hopefully the men are looking after them properly for him.  N announced the other day that one of his sheep is going to have lambs.  Why only one, I’m not sure?

‘Mummy, it’s going to be great, one of my sheep is going to have a lamb’.

As well as the sheep, he also has a cow, and 1.5 calves.  It’s the farming version of investment (and hope that they don’t die before being sold on for profit) and great for teaching children about saving, investment, buying and selling.  I remember we paid for the marquee for our wedding from 4 or 5 calves that the OH said were our wedding investment.  Not many people can say that!

N was given a calf born a couple of Christmas’ ago. Since then it’s been sold and the money invested in his account, and then to buy another calf.  So the cow is now in the field behind our house, plus his latest calf.  And the half is one that he shares with his Gramps.

N has decided that his cow and calf (he’s ignoring the half because it’s not just his) must have names, so he’s named them Betsy for the cow, and Rexy for the calf.  No idea where he’s got the name Betsy from but it does work well as a cow name.

I’m not sure he’s told the OH the names yet.  I can’t see it going down too well because I don’t think they’ve named any cattle since a miserable old one years ago called Peggy.

So N’s started his farming journey.  I think it’ll be complicated if he continues to name every animal he owns over the years.  Maybe the next animal will be a dog in a couple of years.