Whether your species is beef, dairy, pigs, horses, sheep, goats, llamas, etc. there are some struggles that come with being a women in the livestock industry that we can almost all relate to. Mind you, we aren't complaining. We love what we do and wouldn't want to be in any other industry. However, there are just a few things that come with livestock that make our lives just a little more interesting than normal.
1. Having small hands is a blessing/curse: It's no secret that traditionally females have smaller hands then males. Fortunately/unfortunately this makes us prime candidates to assist in the miracle of life when things get a little tight. It's not even worth getting manicures anymore when we know it will all get rubbed off in some uterus sooner or later. I mean doesn't every women dream about being covered in placentae during the wee hours of the morning? But hey, at least we saved a life!
2. Those times when we can't do chores in "chore" clothes: I can admit I have fed horses in heels and business professional attire. I can also admit I have pulled pigs in yoga pants and UGG boots. When duty calls, you are out in the barn, and sometimes duty calls in slightly inconvenient times. Although not always ideal, we remember in the back of our minds that clothes can be washed/dry cleaned. Animal problems can't always be fixed later on.
3. We have a very open vocabulary: It's no uncommon for us to mention "semen", "vagina", or "scrotal circumference" in our daily language, especially during breeding season. However, we sometimes forget that these words can create some awkward looks or stares when we are talking on the phone while out and about. Well, we are producing food for these people giving us judgmental looks at the check-out line, so they can just get their minds out of the gutter.
4. There are more pictures of animals than people on our phones: If some stranger went through our phone gallery they would probably assume we don't have friends, or even lives for that matter. It's not that we don't like people, animals are just more photogenic! We have mastered the art of "felfies" and take full advantage of every photo op. In all honesty, we probably do spend more time with our livestock than real people. We just don't like to admit it.
5. Describing what we do to our friends is...interesting: You put your arm WHERE?! Why on earth were you up THAT early?! You had WHAT in your house?! These are just some of the many surprised questions we get in normal conversations with our non-livestock girlfriends. Yes my arm was in a cow's uterus, and yes she was calving at 3 am, and yes she wasn't milking and it was cold so we moved the calf into the bathroom. Bring on the squeamish and confused looks.
6. Going into public and realizing we smell: We've all been there. We walk into the grocery store and catch the faint smell of manure. Maybe in was from being in the barn for literally 5 minutes to check on something before going into town, or when we forgot that we wore that pair of gloves to do chores in last night, or there was a dirty/clean laundry mix-up. Thank goodness we have learned to keep a bottle of Febreeze in our car for times like these!
Although each day with livestock comes with different struggles, these are just a few that we commonly encounter. Like I said, we aren't complaining. In reality, these "struggles" are more comical than anything when we think about it. We love what we do, and we wouldn't be doing it if we didn't, even if we encounter a few more bumps in the road of life than other women do.
1. Having small hands is a blessing/curse: It's no secret that traditionally females have smaller hands then males. Fortunately/unfortunately this makes us prime candidates to assist in the miracle of life when things get a little tight. It's not even worth getting manicures anymore when we know it will all get rubbed off in some uterus sooner or later. I mean doesn't every women dream about being covered in placentae during the wee hours of the morning? But hey, at least we saved a life!
2. Those times when we can't do chores in "chore" clothes: I can admit I have fed horses in heels and business professional attire. I can also admit I have pulled pigs in yoga pants and UGG boots. When duty calls, you are out in the barn, and sometimes duty calls in slightly inconvenient times. Although not always ideal, we remember in the back of our minds that clothes can be washed/dry cleaned. Animal problems can't always be fixed later on.
3. We have a very open vocabulary: It's no uncommon for us to mention "semen", "vagina", or "scrotal circumference" in our daily language, especially during breeding season. However, we sometimes forget that these words can create some awkward looks or stares when we are talking on the phone while out and about. Well, we are producing food for these people giving us judgmental looks at the check-out line, so they can just get their minds out of the gutter.
4. There are more pictures of animals than people on our phones: If some stranger went through our phone gallery they would probably assume we don't have friends, or even lives for that matter. It's not that we don't like people, animals are just more photogenic! We have mastered the art of "felfies" and take full advantage of every photo op. In all honesty, we probably do spend more time with our livestock than real people. We just don't like to admit it.
5. Describing what we do to our friends is...interesting: You put your arm WHERE?! Why on earth were you up THAT early?! You had WHAT in your house?! These are just some of the many surprised questions we get in normal conversations with our non-livestock girlfriends. Yes my arm was in a cow's uterus, and yes she was calving at 3 am, and yes she wasn't milking and it was cold so we moved the calf into the bathroom. Bring on the squeamish and confused looks.
6. Going into public and realizing we smell: We've all been there. We walk into the grocery store and catch the faint smell of manure. Maybe in was from being in the barn for literally 5 minutes to check on something before going into town, or when we forgot that we wore that pair of gloves to do chores in last night, or there was a dirty/clean laundry mix-up. Thank goodness we have learned to keep a bottle of Febreeze in our car for times like these!
Although each day with livestock comes with different struggles, these are just a few that we commonly encounter. Like I said, we aren't complaining. In reality, these "struggles" are more comical than anything when we think about it. We love what we do, and we wouldn't be doing it if we didn't, even if we encounter a few more bumps in the road of life than other women do.