Yesterday started out with a short drive through some windy, muddy back roads, through a gate, and then into an area filled with bawling calves and some rather unhappy cows – It was time to work cattle!
While it wasn’t intentional, I missed out on the part involving the cows, but got there just in time to work the calves! In a way, it was a little sad to see the cows and their babies separated, bawling on either side of the fence. Thankfully though, the babies were going to be back with their mamas after getting their shots, tags, and (if a little bull) banded. (Yep, I know. I won’t give you anymore details!)
One thing I must add, we pulled up to a yummy breakfast/brunch/snack consisting of at least three different doughnuts, cookies and some hot cocoa. How much better could it get???
Here’s some of the little babies we were working with. We worked somewhere around 100 I was told.
While we were pushing the little guys through the alley, the mamas would walk along the outside and talk to them!
Just like this lovely lady is showing us here! Most of the time (until the very end actually), you had to be standing right beside someone to understand what they were saying – The bawling was so loud!
Of course, throughout the course of the day, some of the little guys got tired and would curl up to take a nap. Not that I blame them! If I could have gotten away with it, I might have plopped down beside them and joined them in a little siesta!
Here’s some of the little ones in the alley and the mamas protectively walking along outside.
Another mama waiting and watching anxiously for her baby to be let out!
Part of my job was to swing a gate out to open the alley back up, then unlock and swing open another gate in order to herd the calves into the alley. They always, and I mean always were such angels about walking right in, lining up the right way, and then uniformly stepping up to the chute quietly and quickly. (Yes, I’m lying through my teeth right now!)
Almost all in! We tried to get about 10 in a group, but you would have anywhere from 7 or 8 to 11 or so at a time. It just depended on who felt like cooperating and who didn’t!
Finally, we turned back and looked in the pen – And lo and behold – No more calves! Did you catch that? We’re done!!! Actually, it was a lot of fun. Not only was the company fun to be around, but the work was enjoyable! (And there were doughnuts, hot cocoa, doughnuts, cookies, and did I mention doughnuts?)
Ashleigh
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