Gorgeous Fun
'Tis the season.
It's time to start feeding the calves.
These are this spring's babies... they've been on the hay fields... but the snow is getting a bit deeper... and they've eaten quite a bit of forage... and the point is for them to get BIG... and it's COLD...-6 right this very moment!
So, yup, time to start feeding them!
That means everyday.
No break.
No weekends off.
It'll be an easy process with just the calves for now. Once we get the cows back in from the badlands... and have heifers to feed... This will take almost half of everyday.
Since these are the "babies" on the ranch right now... it helps to encourage them to go to the feedgrounds. They did it when they were babies, but we're refreshing that memory!
The job is just to get them to the one field where we'll feed them.
The feed is spread, and some calves are already there... but we're gonna goose the rest off the other fields and out of the brush... so they can go join the rest of the bunch.
It's a good 2.5 miles from end to end, I'm guessing... so the boys mount the four wheelers to ride to the end of the pasture.
Vernon drops me and Dally off by the side of the highway with instructions to walk the bull pasture. He takes the pickup and goes to look at the farfar end.
I know.
We used to do everything horseback.
But there's lots of country to cover and we started after lunch... so... four wheelers it is!
I didn't manage enough time today to make the movie... so here's my favorite DALLY WORKING pics of the day!
Dally waits for me to huff and puff through the snow and sticks to catch up to her... I about killed myself multiple times on sticks under the snow. Yeah. Now I remember why I used to ride horses for this. Then I slide on the ice and remember why I now prefer to walk instead of ride horses on this.
As a "swisswsiss" sic 'em driving kinda cowdog... Dally excels. She does it just like I want. Forcing movement, then letting them move on without pushing them more and more. She gives them a goose, then she'll return to me.
We're still working... OK, the boys are still working... and we're following the stragglers in as the sun sets through the boxelder trees.
We got our exercise... and stayed warm enough... and didn't fall through the ice or break a leg on some snow covered hidden tree branch.
It was gorgeous fun!
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December 17, 2009 Chef's Surprise
December 17, 2008 Playing
Good work Dally, and she looks so pretty doing it
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I agree with Sara but must add....good work Carol, and glad you didn't break a leg.
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Love that last picture of Dally and the sunset - beautiful!
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Terrific pictures today! Even the camera shows how very cold it is!! Wondering if the calves can keep warm in the outdoors, or do they go inside
a barn at night?
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They can keep warm enough... given enough feed to help them! The only time we use a barn is to saddle our horses or perhaps help first calf heifers if it's seriously cold!
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Very interesting. Yeah, horses and ice don't mix too well. Glad you got along OK walking!
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