The steaks have never been lower at Pennsbury Manor, and Carole Cunliffe likes it.
On Saturday, the historic summer home of William Penn in Falls will celebrate the 1st birthday of its most diminutive cow, Lively Daffodil, nicknamed Daphne.
Daphne, a fluffy brown and white Hereford, is a miniature cow, bred to be small in the same way some dogs are bred.
Regular-sized Hereford’s tip the scales at over 1,000 pounds. Daphne will barely reach half that, she said.
“She won’t even reach 500 pounds,” said Cunliffe, the historic site’s animal curator. “Keeping her small is good for all purposes. Caring for her, the amount of feed, hay, things like that.”
Daphne was acquired from Havoc Hollow Farms in Prosperity, Pa., south of Pittsburgh.
“It’s a nice, small farm and they are able to halter train them, they have the time to give them manners,” Cunliffe said.
Herefords are known for meat production, but Daphne’s role is to be udderly adorable for visitors.
Saturday’s public birthday celebration is a joyful turn from a somber winter.
In mid-February, in the depths of the snowy cold shock, the historic site lost its beloved pair of black steer, Michael and Roger. The cow pals had been together since they were calves. For a decade they had been yoked together to pull logs in Maine by their previous owner.
Michael arrived at Pennsbury Manor with a chronic leg injury.
“He was like an old person in need of a hip replacement,” Cunliffe said.
When he died, Roger didn’t handle it well and became uncontrollable. He was euthanized. It’s difficult for bonded cattle to do without a favorite companion, she said.
“You just can’t talk a 1,100-pound steer to calm down,” she said. “It doesn’t compute in a cow’s mind.
“Mike and Roger did everything together,” Cunliffe said. “They were yoked together for 10 years. They walked together, lay down together, did everything together. When they came here to retire, it was like the yoke was still on them.”
So, Daphne’s birthday celebration this Saturday is just what Pennsbury Manor needs.
The birthday party will feature blacksmithing demonstrations, among other attractions. A performer will sing “Happy Birthday” and the Manor staff has cupcakes for the first 100 visitors.
Pennsbury Manor is at 400 Pennsbury Memorial Road, Morrisville, Pa. 19067.
The celebration is from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. so it won’t go pasture bedtime.
