They're Getting Too Smart...

The Three Moms are aggravated at me (I know - what's new...). Ever since I started putting Clover in the barn at night, they've been plotting to find a plan to get to her. Well, the other night, they hatched one.

The door on the back of the barn - the one I lead them through on the way to the stanchion - is the way I keep them outside at night. Usually, I "lock" it with a small piece of metal that "hooks" both sides of the door.



I just turn the handle down, and the door is held tight against the jamb. In the morning, I just swivel the hook up a quarter turn and then the door will open.



Of course, there is a matching hook on the outside of the door so I can shut the door, "lock" it, and still get back in from the outside.

Anyhoo, I go out to do chores yesterday morning, and find the door wide open. I KNOW I shut it the night before, so I fear the worst (the gate I have on the inside pen is left open at night, so there is full access to the hay). AMAZINGLY, none of the hay bales were molested. This only means one thing - those bovine critters are getting smart enough to cover their tracks.

When I got to the door, I found the hook had been turned all the way back:



Now, I NEVER turn it this far - mainly because it is VERY stiff, and hard to turn when it gets back that way. There is also a bolt head that sticks out, and is rough to get past sometimes.

I guess a cow's face is a little tougher than my fingers....

Yeah, those cows are getting too smart for their own good. The only explanation for the bales not being molested is they figured there was NO way to blame it on those pesky goats, so they better just stay away from it entirely.

Unbeknownst to them, though, their plot was doomed from the start - I keep Clover in another part of the barn, and they'd need to open ANOTHER gate to let her out - and that one is latched down pretty tight. They could SEE her through the wall, but not get to her.

All-in-all, it was like the old "Mission Impossible" thing - "If caught or killed (read BBQ'ed...), the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions..."

They just calmly stood by the door, acting like nothing had happened....



They still expected grain, though.