Bovine Three Musketeers

There is nothing as comical or frustrating as a gang of calves. Yep, you heard right, a gang of calves. We have a trio that can find more mischief than any we've had before.

This trio was born mid-summer to the three cows we call the midget herd. The mother cows are all a bit on the small side. Two of them my hubby purchased thinking they were young and would grow more only to discover they were pregnant and older than he thought. These are called Milker( and actually was purchased from us and named by our grandson Zane) and Myrtle. Then hubby bought Cori a Corriente cow that has quite the personality but is smaller in stature than our beef cows. The three cows had their calves later than our herd then bred back and ended up having this second batch of calves several months before the beef herd.

The three calves and Milker

The three musketeers are about two months old and finding they can go under the hotwire fence we have around the pasture. Many a morning as hubby leaves for work they are coming down 41st street back to the pasture looking like they've been out all night carousing. One morning when I walked to the barn to feed the horses, they came scurrying out of the shed with the tractors acting like they were up to something. They ran in a circle then jumped through a spot by the gate that they must have knocked down a board. The neighbor said they were over by his house and he waved his arms and shouted, "Get out of here!" and they acted just like kids running into each other, kicking up their heels, and skedaddling.

When I walk through the pasture to get to the cows now calving, the three musketeers always watch me and follow Tink. They think she's interesting.

One this is for sure when there are animals there is always entertainment!

Farm Photos

While walking around the farm yesterday while checking on irrigation weirs and dams and snapped some shots.

This photo is of what we call the "swamp". It's in the NW corner of the property and catches the runoff water. Our son managed to get two vehicles stuck in it in his teens. He thought it would be fun to go mudding, only to end up stuck to his axles in the mud and needing to use a tractor-and in one case- two tractors to pull his pick up out. 

This is the view from the west to the east looking almost the full length of the property.

That's Milker(our grandson's cow) peeking around a tree. That's her last year's calf laying behind her.

This is part of the cow herd resting in the shade under the juniper trees. 

This is my life and I wouldn't change the lifestyle for anything. 

Friday Farm Fun- Doggin' it

Every evening we feed the cattle with a tractor and hay wagon. The dogs love this chore. Boots and Molly, the cow dogs,  hop up on the trailer and hay as soon as I walk toward the tractor.

Tink in her basket

Tink, the house dog, loves to ride on tractors or machinery. My husband has attached baskets on every tractor we have so she can ride. If the backhoe starts up she yips at the door and runs to get a ride. I stand by the tractor, waiting for Tink's ritual of dancing around my legs until I pick her up and put her in the basket on the side of the tractor.

The old two-cycle poppin' John, John Deere that is attached to the hay trailer starts up, popping and sputtering. When the wagon starts moving, Molly barks with excitement. Tink cringes from the loud noise, but soon is staring ahead with the wind flapping her ears.

Boots and Molly waiting for the gate to open

With the tractor in 4th gear, we sail out of the yard and down the lane to the gate into the pasture. The cows and calves bawl and flow like a school of fish toward the gate. The dogs and I wait outside the field for my husband to come home from his day job. When he arrives, he opens the gate and we move through at a slow pace. Molly barks at the cows when they get close to the hay trailer.

The bulls rub their heads on the 800 lb bales, sometimes shoving them so hard they hang over the edge on the other side. The cows are showered with hay as it is shoved off the trailer and onto their backs before hitting the ground.

When the cows stop following the trailer, Molly stops barking and Boots settles back until my husband jumps off the trailer. Then Boots follows him and the two walk through the cattle checking each one to make sure they are healthy.

I head the tractor back to the gate and out. The dogs settle quietly on the hay and enjoy the ride back to the yard. The tractor is parked and we do the process all over the next day.

Friday Farm Fun- Movin' the Boys

I headed out to feed one morning this week and couldn't miss the deep lowing of the bulls. The cows were all out in the pasture but the bulls were missing. And I could tell by the sounds they were making they were making and the return lowing that they were strutting their lungs to another bull.

In other words, they were verbally "bullying" one another.

Not wanting to chase them down if the other bull made a remark that made B.B. and Herfy charge through the fence, I sauntered to the corner of the field they were hanging in. Boots, Molly, and Tink at my heels. Boots has been kicked a time or two by these big boys but she still goes at their heels if asked.  I picked up a stick and told Boots to "Get 'em!"

She rushed up to them and nipped at B.B.'s heels. He kicked out, missing Boots and Molly charged at him barking. Tink hid behind me. I poked at his hip with my stick and told him to get going. About that time, Herfy decided it was wrestlin' time and turned to push on B.B.'s head.

With me poking them with the stick, Boots nipping heels, and Molly barking; we finally managed to get the two squabbling brutes moved along toward the cows and away from the taunting bull.

Any time we slowed our onslaught on them, they would shove heads together and begin pushing to see which one was the toughest. Trying to herd two 2000 pound animals that are focused on each other and nothing else around them is not an easy task.

When we had them close enough they could see the cows, I backed off and watched them "play" for a couple of minutes. Boots watched them intently hoping I'd tell her to "Get 'em" again, Molly found an old ball and wanted to play fetch, and Tink trotted to the house looking forward to snuggling on the couch.

Friday Farm Fun- Winter Feeding

This week we started feeding hay. The cows and calves had eaten down all the pastures and were bawling for more to eat.

Last winter toward the end of feeding season, I was feeding by myself, heading out through the juniper trees with the strings cut and hoping the sway of the worn-out wagon would dump hay off either side. A wheel went over a rock and the next thing I knew the trailer was at a strange tilt and the bed rubbing on a wheel. Luckily there was only on bale on it, so I unhooked the wagon leaving it for the cows to feast on, and drove the tractor back to the house. Hubby looked at the wagon when he returned and said it needed an overhaul.

And he did. The only thing left of the old wagon is the tongue, axles and wheels. He rebuilt the rest and it is a sturdier better feeding vehicle. And so two days ago the wagon was christened. Hubby loaded a layer of 800 lb bales on it and I pulled it from the barn to where we are feeding the cattle and it didn't wobble or scare me when I had to pull it over the rockiest piece of road on the place.

The factor that really told me it was made well, was when BB(Black Bull) rubbed his head on the hay bale and the trailer didn't list to the side, nearly sliding hubby off. Before its makeover the wagon was very tipsy.

The only part of winter feeding I don't like is the fact it's dark when hubby gets home from his day job and even though I have lights on the tractor, all those black little calves are sometimes hard to see and I fear running over one.

Off to kick up the hay and give pellets to the five heifers Hubby brought home from the sale. They are getting tamer and have some fun personalities.

Friday Farm Fun- Spaz Cow

My husband is always trying different things when it comes to farming. Sometimes it's interesting crops, sometimes a different breed of cattle. A few years ago, he thought he'd like to introduce some limousine cattle into our herd.

Her don't mess with me look. 

He purchased some heifers and brought them home. As soon as he opened the trailer door, one of them took off and jumped three fences. We eventually got her home but over the years we've ended up selling all but one.

The one we kept raised good calves and doesn't jump fences, but... She acts like a cow high on meth when you walk into the field. No matter how far away from you she is, her head goes up, her eyes get round and wild looking, and she keeps her nose pointed your direction at all times, making sure you aren't sneaking up on her. But she is also the first in line when we move the herd to new pasture. I think she takes the lead with the comfort of the whole herd between her and us.

Wednesday, she had her calf. My husband has been dreading this because she's been known to knock us around when we try to tag the calf.  We decided to run her and the calf into the corral. Which actually went smoothly. It was when we tried to separate them by chasing the spaz cow into the smaller corral that I let out a blood curdling scream and ran for the fence.

While trying to herd her into the smaller corral, my husband got behind her and she decide to go my way. I did the usual wave my hands and crow, "Hawh! Hawh!" Only that just made her mad!  Her eyes widened, her head dipped ever so slightly and she picked up speed! That's when I waved my arms once and screamed like a little girl before kicking up dust as I raced for the fence. Boots, the border collie, nipped her heels right before she reached me drawing her attention to another target.

Spaz cow pawing the dirt.

We finally ran her into the smaller corral and vaccinated and banded the calf. We were out of ear tags so we left the two in the small corral until hubby brings some more tags home. As we stood there watching from the outside of the corral, the spaz cow looked at us with wild eyes and pawed the dirt, flinging it high in the air.

Yes, just another day at the Jager Wild Cow Days!

Friday Farm Fun- Open Range

 "Open range" means an area wherein livestock may lawfully be permitted to run at large.

In Harney County, Oregon where we have property there are many areas of "open range" on stretches of road. Knowing this we watch carefully when driving the roads. If there is a group of cows not far from the road you slow down because you never know when a calf could dart out onto the road. Most are easily shielded by the tall sage brush. 

The last time I was in Princeton, I ventured out to the Round Barn Gift Shop and Museum 10 miles from our place. Most of the 10 miles are in open range. On the way back, I noticed a cow and calf standing next to the road. I slowed down and stopped. They were looking up the road and back toward me like we are all taught to look before crossing a street. I sat there smiling and waited. When they decided I wasn't going to move the calf ran across the road and the cow crossed in a leisurely fashion.

On more than one occasion while driving about the county we've found our car boxed in by a herd of cattle being moved to another field. This type of rural living is what dreams are made of.

Friday Farm Fun - Heifer Watch Ends

The pregnant little heifer my husband bought a month ago had her calf on Sunday morning. My hubby checked her at 5:30 and the feet were sticking out. He did some chores and returned to find the calf on the ground and the mama licking it. So for all our fears she didn't have any problems birthing. The calf appears to be about 60 pounds and healthy. She was racing around with her tail in the air like a flag yesterday.

The calf has a slight brownish hue to her, making us think the bull might have been red.

The cow is a good mother, she began licking it right away and acts like she'd charge us if we get close. Which is good for the well being of the calf but a pain for us because we need to vaccinate it and ear tag the calf. We're hoping we can lure the cow into the barn away from the calf, but it won't be easy with her protective nature.

Now we have a long horn that my hubby purchased at the sale yesterday. He says it's pregnant too. He just can't sit on his hands when something is going for a low price!

Friday Farm Fun- Heifer Watch

I'm on Heifer watch. It all started because my husband likes to frequent the livestock auction this time of year and he can't walk away from a *cough* bargain.

About a month ago he calls, saying he's going to be late for dinner because he has to help someone else haul the cattle they purchased home. All and good, only he arrives at our house with his "I did something" grin on his face.

He bought a heifer. Now that's all fine and dandy but she was eight months pregnant at the time and no bigger than a yearling. We have no idea what she was bred by. She's a cute, good looking black baldy heifer but she's too young to be calving. So while my husband felt he got a darn good deal on a twofer, we are on pins and needles checking her every few hours to make sure she and the calf survive when she does go into labor. That's why he got such a great deal. No one else is crazy enough to stand heifer watch like we are.

And right now... my husband is out of town so I'm on heifer watch all alone. You can bet I'm praying she doesn't have the calf while he's away.

Friday Fact- True Mad Cow Syndrome

Now Scientists will tell you that Mad Cow Disease comes from a disease of the nervous system in bovines, but I can tell you I know what Mad Cow Syndrome is.

Last night the hubby and I set out to vaccinate and ear tag a heifer calf born that morning. On the way across the field to tag that calf we discovered a newer addition to our herd. We tagged the heifer and set her and her mom out the gate into the larger pasture of cows and calves.

Hubby walked over to the newborn to see what the ear tag was on the cow and to determine the calf's gender. He walked u,p grabbed the calf by the tail and determined it was a bull calf. As the mom charged him, he caught a way too close glimpse of her ear tag. This my friends is Mad Cow Syndrome. There are some cows that the first 48 hours and sometimes until the day the calf is weaned don't like anything getting near their calf. This cow is one of those "motherly" bovines.

We managed to chase cow and wobbly calf into the corral, then the cow on into a smaller corral while we vaccinated,  banded, and ear tagged the calf. Hubby headed down the alleyway to the pasture the cow and calf  would be ushered into, to open the pasture gate and tossed over his shoulder. "Let her out when I'm about halfway down."

I waited, then opened the gate and sent Boots, the trusty Border Collie, in after the cow. The dog flashed out first with a snot snorting cow stomping behind her. Eventually the cow mellowed, sniffed her calf, noticed the gate to the alleyway open, and charged down the alleyway leaving the calf behind. I walked up behind the calf and tapped his backend moving him toward the alleyway. The calf stopped. I pushed, and he bawled. Before I could even register the implication of his plea, I heard snorting and looked up to find the cow pounding toward me, head lowered to catch her forehead in my chest.

Now, I've been down this road before with another Mad Cow Syndrome mother. That time she took me to the ground as my hubby pulled on her tail trying to distract her. With visions of my past Mad Cow ordeal, I backpedaled my feet as fast as I could, screeching, "Get! Get! Get!" My back hit the corner post of the corral and I panicked. Just as I braced to be hit, MavFreak, as we affectionately call our daughter's mini Aussie we are dog sitting, thought I was screeching because I saw a mouse and came running over all excited. That was enough to divert the cow's attention. I catapulted over the corral fence and stood there knees shaking watching the cow snort and charge the fence as hubby came strolling back toward the corral. "Was that you making a ruckus?"

I guess you've figured out my husband learned a little about Mad Momma Syndrome about then. ;)