You know how last week in our Be Mine series, I said that Betsy was easy to get to know because of her gregariousness towards humans? Well, today, let me introduce you to her cow opposite in that respect – Honey Cow!
If you want the quick and delightful overview of all that is wonderful Honey, watch her Fall in Love video that Grace made last week, then read on:
Honey was likely born in 2007 and we choose to celebrate her birthday on November 10th.
(Allow me to pause here and skip ahead a bit to tell you that, shockingly, Honey Cow only has three Bovine Buddies currently – Monica, Jackie, and Jennifer (thank you to them!!). So, if you are looking to add a cow friend to sponsor (and why wouldn’t you, for just $10/month?!), I definitely recommend you read on and choose Honey for your Buddy!)
Honey, as we’ve explained through Betsy and Nutmeg‘s Be Mine blog posts, is mom to Meredith. Like Betsy, she was used in the dairy industry before being purchased for use in the reality TV show Utopia. In fact, Honey gave birth to Meredith during the filming of the series. When Utopia was cancelled after just two months, Betsy, Honey and Meredith all went to Farm Sanctuary’s shelter in northern California (you can read more from Farm Sanctuary about how they ended up at that sanctuary here, a profile of Honey from Farm Sanctuary here, and a mention in the Hollywood Reporter here). They were soon joined by lil’ baby Nutmeg (who is now big baby Nutmeg 😉 )
Honey and little Meredith at Farm Sanctuary:
Honey is a fan of alfalfa, and she also likes to lick up salt and mineral supplements. We have these in block form for the cattle to lick whenever they want to, and we also add loose salt and minerals to their grain in the wintertime when they are relying on dry hay for nutrients rather than grazing.
In the winter, when the temps drop, the cattle start to get a thicker coat of hair. On Honey in particular, her longer hair develops a wonderfully luxurious wavy pattern.
Like Betsy, Honey is very curious:
Unlike Betsy, Honey is somewhat suspicious of humans and has a certain disdain to be touched by them. I would venture to say that one of her favorite activities is looking scornfully at people. She will definitively let you know when you have invaded her personal space with a shake of her head or a head butt.
I’ve mentioned before that the more “difficult” animals, the ones who have to be won over, always seem to find a big place in my heart, and this is certainly the case for Honey Cow.
I love that she’s sometimes annoyed by my presence! And I love even more that I can now touch her or brush her head and, though she still acts annoyed, she usually doesn’t stop me.
Once again, I encourage you to choose Honey for your Buddy!
Here’s a bonus photo taken during our deep freeze this winter. Similar to when we exhale in the cold and there’s a cloud of our warm respiration, Honey’s exhale created a nose halo of face frost.
