Again today the cattle followed me across the north pasture to the river. They would all follow me as I walked. I stopped halfway to raise my hands and show them I had nothing for them. I stood and let them sniff and lick me hoping they would get bored and leave. Nope. I was their entertainment as they were bored.
As I continued to walk towards the river some of them would run ahead of me, turn to face me, then would bob up and down. Think of how a dog runs and bobs when it wants your attention and to play. Now apply that image to several 600+ lb heifers. Add in being closely followed by 8 or so other heifers.
As I got to the last stand of the trees before the river the lead heifers bolted to the river and the herd ran after them. They went to the NW corner. Fine, I'll go to the middle. They all clustered near the tree at the very NW corner.
After a bit... it looks like one heifer has slid under the simple 2 strand barb wire fence I had placed along the high riverbank. The fence is a yard in distance, give-or- take, from the river bank edge. Wide enough in many spots for a heifer to walk between the fence and riverbank.
I walked closer. Yup, one heifer slid under and lifted up the bottom barb wire strand. This was the very corner where the large tree is located. Against the riverbank a large old tree stump stuck out of the rushing water. This heifer was curious about the stump and would stand on the river bank (this section now underwater) to try to sniff the stump. Not quite, so another tentative step in the water. Sniff, sniff. Now what about the further out part of the stump?
Augh!
Her back end was still under the wire so she could back out. I stopped and waited for her to satisfy her curiosity and back up. No grass was here, just the stump and the river debris that caught in this spot. However she wouldn't give up and seemed determined to sniff the very end of the stump. *argh!*
I didn't want to panic the herd or startle her so she lost her footing or bolted forward. The problem is that several other heifers were crowding her from behind. "What ya looking at? What ya looking at?!" The rest of the herd stood and looked at me.
I couldn't stand it anymore and decided to shoo the herd away from the river and fence to give her room to back up under the fence. I did this quietly and in a low key manner but the herd bolted away.
Heifer 40 now had room but she saw the herd bolt and turned to join them. The problem is that she turned and didn't back up. She was now totally on the other side of the fence and didn't know how to get back. She was facing south and started to walk along the fence. The problem is that the area shrank as it went south. She tried backing up. After a little of this she tried turning around to get through the fence.
The bank started to give way and one, if not both, rear legs dropped over the side.
This is a high river bank and the water below, on the bend, is deep and now fast moving. If she went over I am not sure she would make it. I can't lift a 600+ lb heifer, and any attempt to move towards her may panic her and she would drop over the edge. I couldn't do anything but helplessly watch.She dug her front legs in and pulled herself back up on the river bank. Whew!
I moved towards the north end of the fence and tried to move the lower wire strand up - or off - or even tear the fence down. I had to act quickly before the riverbank gave way again.
She was panicking and pushing against the fence. Fortunately she was near a spot where I had joined two pieces of barb wire together on the top strand, and her efforts against the fence broke that wire apart. She was able to get over the lower strand and back to safety and rejoin the herd.
Whew! That was close! Talk about heart stopping!
I went home and got a post and a board, nails, and more wire and reinforced, as a quick fix, the fence where she originally slipped under. Hopefully that doesn't happen again!
When I finished the work the cattle came back. They had watched me, and being "more curious than a cat", they had to check it out. A number of them had to sniff the metal post - and one lick it to taste it - and check out all what I had done. The rest checked out my tools and me. I sat and let them sniff me until they got bored and moved on.
While they checked stuff out I watched who was doing what. Heifer 40 was among the most curious. Heifer 30 also. I remember when I had let them in the fruit tree and garden area these two were the most curious. I think it was one of these two that started eating the fruit tree leaves and got the whole herd kicked out of that area.
I noticed heifer 30 - having checked things out - stood and stared a long time across the river at the trees and tall grass on the other side. Great. When the river level drops later this summer I will have problems with her river-walking. *sigh*
Kids!
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