How should I make the transition?

[darbyfamily]

will the new cow and the old cow have probs getting along at first? or are jersey and dexter laid back enough that they'll just sneeze at each other and set about grazing?

[Ronney]

Cattle are herd animals and like the company of others. However, as with most groups of animals, there is a pecking order so when you put these two together there may be a bit of pushing and shoving until they sort the dominance issue out. Your older cow will probably be the dominant cow either because she is older or because the farm is her turf or both.

In my little herd of 9, the matriarch is the oldest cow. The youngest are at the bottom of the heap no matter how big they are physically. But within the 3 young cows there is a sub-pecking order where the biggest bosses around the two smaller cows. It's very interesting to watch the interaction within a herd.

Cheers,
Ronnie