My dairy farmer friend uses oatmeal gruel, by the bucket, to feed his cows when they have mastitis. He moves in to the barn, pours the gruel in at the head end, and hand milks the cow frequently to ensure effective emptying of the inflamed area. Don't think he does it to increase production, but just because it is supposed to be a good thing, sort of like chicken soup for a cold. This guy has a miraculous effect on lactating females of all species. He also adopted a hen that an acquaintance had received as a joke for his 40th birthday (now you are getting insight into Norwegian culture!). The hen lived in the cow barn, and every time my friend came in to do the milking, she would run around frantically and then lay an egg. Didn't lay at any other time, but this guy just had that effect on her. Children are drawn to him as well. Oatmeal gruel was a traditional offering to mothers post partum in the hospital, but seems to be dying out in many places, sadly. It looks unappetizing to the uninitiated but after working nights on post partum for several years I got almost addicted to it. There is a beautiful piece written by a mother whose baby was very ill after birth, in which she recalls the guardian angels who brought her a cup of oatmeal gruel along with her baby from the NICU, each morning in the hospital, forever intertwining the scent of her baby and the aroma of the gruel to mean caring and nurturing. If that isn't a magic feather then I don't know what is. Drink up! Rachel Myr Norway and now I think I will do some work around here... *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html