If you look closely, you can see that there are four cows and about 20 calves all hanging out together. In the herd, calves form “Crèches” (peer groups of calves, also a French term for “childcare”) within a few days of being born. This behavior happens naturally after the cows let their calf finish nursing and bed down for a nap, then they drift off into the pasture to eat and rest themselves. It is theorized that the last few cows to finish nursing their babies are left to babysit as an instinctual need to protect the young in the herd. It is less of a structured schedule and more of a “snooze you lose” situation.
Cows cannot do math, but they seemingly always have an accurate ratio of cows to calves in the nanny bunch so that the calves have enough supervision and protection. Next time you drive by a pasture, keep an eye out for the daycare!
