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These cows at Foxholes Farm in Hertfordshire are all heavily pregnant. The gestation period (length of pregnancy) is nine months. All of the mother cows on Foxholes Farm are home bread. About seventy cows are kept for breeding. A young female cow that has not had a calf is known as a heifer. They are known as cows after giving birth to their first calf. As these cows are nearing the time when they will calf, they have been brought inside for their own safety. The most difficult birth is the first one. So a heifer will have special attention. Once they have produced one calf it is much easier. If a cow or heifer does get in trouble the farmer is better able to help them if they are in the cowshed. The cows mainly calf in spring between late February and May, with some in the autumn from August to October. The cows can be up to ten or twelve years old. They are kept until they fail to get pregnant. Pciture taken 23rd February 2007.