We do not have any special names on the cows. When I drive the cows in or out of the field I shout “how”. The stable into which we put the cows in called a cow house. There is a beam from one wall to the other with 4 chains attached. Each cow is tied around the neck and the space between the beam is called a manger. We fill this every night and morning with hay. We keep 2 horses in the stable next to the cowhouse. They also eat straw from a manger. We also feed them oats. The horses are called Fanny and Charley. We get them shod a few times a year at the forge. We keep 2 goats too as it is said that they eat the poisonous herb that gives the cattle “blackleg”. We have 4 pigs and it is said that if they are good then all of your stock will be good too. We also keep 40 hens in the henhouse. When new chickens are born, we take them out when they are a few days old and feed them meal.
Collector: Mary Curley
Informant: Unknown
Place: Killagh More, Co. Galway
Tags: Animals, farm, oats, manger
Footnote: Duchas, http://www.duchas.ie
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