Cattle in my yard

Earlier when I talked about "Heifer #3" I was wrong. I noticed today #3 is a steer. I thought there was at least one female cattle that was nice, but I was wrong.

Yesterday afternoon I let the cattle into the yard. In a day and a half they pretty much ate most of the fruit tree and garden area grass down. There was still some left to eat but I found the-less-easy-it-is-to-eat-grass the more likely the cattle will look for other easier food items and cause trouble. So after their noon siesta, and having completed the 'cattle proofing' preparations, I let the cattle into the yard.

Munch, munch, munch. They went right to work putting their head down immediately to eat as they walked through the corral gate.

Yesterday early evening, as I was pruning in the fruit tree area, I saw a pickup slow to a stop on the road just before it came to my entrance. The cattle were eating down by the road. I had the barb wire simple fence gate closed and my pickup parked in front of it (Other years I have found some cattle will put their head and neck under the gate and lift it up and slip through to the road - the barbs having no affect on the thick cattle skin - so I added the pickup). A vehicle slowing to a stop means... cattle on the road? I was trying to count 21 head as I walked to the road but that is hard to do with different sized animals moving around.

Before I reached the gate the pickup drove off. I counted 21 head. None escaped. I have no idea why the pickup stopped other than disbelief that some idiot would let a herd of cattle into their front yard.

The cattle behaved themselves the rest of the day. After 10 pm I herded them slowly into the corral for the night. I don't trust them to behave themselves overnight. And I don't want to leave my pickup next to the road overnight.

This morning I let the cattle out into the yard again for the day. This day the cattle didn't behave themselves as well. The first day they were a little skittish when I was out and around. I think it was because they were in a new environment and not sure if they were in trouble when they saw me. Saturday they were more relaxed. And curious. That spells t-r-o-u-b-l-e with a capital T.

Around noon I found the cattle unwound the fence protecting my backyard bush and were molesting (as the US government likes to call it) the bush. After chasing the cattle away I had to straighten out the fence and then rewind it around the bush.

As I was waiting for the cattle's water trough to be filled again one heifer somehow got her head through a field fence and got it stuck inside. She pulled away and ended up pulling the whole fence away from protecting the small tree and bush by my well. There she was with the fence around her head and trailing the fence as she moved about. All the rest of the cattle stopped, stood, and stared. It was dicey but I got the fence off her head. She didn't cooperate well.

At first I tried to grab the fence to pull it from her head but when I approached she ran backward pulling the fence along with her. I tried to stand on the fence hoping that would give her something to pull against and allow her to free her head. But she was too strong and pulled the fence along with me on top of it. I had to keep from falling over or my feet slipping into field fence openings and being pulled along. I got off the fence before I lost my balance.

Between me grabbing the fence and the heifer turning her head sideways we got the fence off her head.

*whew*

This evening as I was slowly herding the cattle back into the corral another one got its head stuck in another field fence. Oh, great. I had put up a fence around my patio. While there is nothing to eat there I found other years the cattle would wander around it checking everything out and munching on the trees next to it. This year as I wasn't here this Spring I still have a pile of branches that I use as kindling in my wood stove. This heifer/steer stuck it's head through the fence to reach the pile of branches.

Yes, I know. It doesn't make any sense.

So there it stood with its head struck in the fence. It pulled back and pulled on the fence. The fence was nailed to the patio and I started to fear I may be rebuilding my patio sooner than planned. This time I stood back so as not to freak the animal out and eventually it tilted its head and got it out without pulling everything down.

*sigh* What next?

Covering the trees in the NE pasture I had put some yellow plastic netting over the top. I found many of them had been torn off by the cattle and I found one in a chewed up ball. I had tossed another one of the yellow nets onto my pile of branches and several times a day I have to toss it back onto the pile of branches as some cattle reach over the field fence and get it off the branch pile and leave it on the ground. Again, I have no clue as to why unless they like playing practical jokes on me.

Another problem I have had is the cattle keep tipping over a sheet of wood I leaned against the well shed. I did this to keep the cattle from walking on the - currently empty - flower bed I have along the shed. A small tree is growing in the flower bed and I hadn't a chance to transplant it. I should say "was growing" as the cattle tipped the wood over and ate the tree. Several times during the day I heard the board fall over. Bored cattle get into t-r-o-u-b-l-e.

The cattle should have the yard eaten in another day or two and then they go to the pasture and life will get simpler for me. *crossing my fingers* I even skipped this week's hikes to get the cattle through this procedure.

In the meantime I removed the last of the cattle proofing from the fruit tree and garden area. I pruned the branches the cattle ate the leaves off of, and cut down much of the dead third apple tree. I completely removed one of the fences around a cherry tree and put new steel posts in place of the old branches. I'll build the fence later before the cherries ripen and the birds get them.

I also started my lawn mower and mowed the fruit tree and garden area. I know, I had the cattle in there because I didn't want to mow it. But the cattle didn't eat it down to golf course putting green level. Also I didn't burn the area this Spring so dried manure from last year, pines cones, and small twigs were present and I had the mower 'clean' it up.

I also pruned the dead canes on the raspberry bushes and got tiny stickers in my fingers for my effort. No, I wasn't wearing gloves. Yes, I should have worn them. I dug up all around the live raspberry plants and removed the weeds and grass.

I started on my strawberry and rhubarb area and only got around the rhubarb before it got dark.

Otherwise a perfect day as the temperature was in the 70s, a light breeze and sun all day. The mountains shone in blue and white and were a beautiful sight. All day yesterday and today the music from Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" concert DVD ran through my head. I think I will have to buy myself a copy of the DVD as I really like the music and it is growing on me. I play the DVD each night.

Photo 1 is the cattle in the front yard at the start. The grass looks no where like this today, after a day and a half.

Photo 2 is from earlier this week. It is raining and the cattle - having had enough of rain - are trying to huddle under the protection of a couple box elder trees. Notice how I had to wrap the tree on the left to save it. Previous years the cattle molested the tree terribly. Somehow they pulled tall branches down and go to the top of that tree. The tree used to be much taller.