The forecast doesn't have any chance of rain until later in the week. While I feel the chance my hay will be baled before it rains, I remember the year I had my hay cut late - in August - and the only day in the month that it rained was during the few days my hay was cut and drying.
This afternoon the field across the road from mine was cut. It appears to be by the same people as last year as they cut Jamie's field with a small old Ford tractor with a sickle.
When Wyatt had my field half cut I looked out and saw one of the cattle in the NW corner of the hayfield. What?!
#3 was checking out a row of cut hay. Fortunately #3 is one of the calmer cattle and I was able to open the nearby gate to the north pasture and it quickly walked into it. The north/middle pasture gate is nearby. This gate was a problem as half the herd was near and wanted to go through it while #3 debated whether to return to the middle pasture. Then the rest of the herd noticed what was going on and rushed over. I had the whole herd at the gate. The gate is just wire and boards and collapses when not fastened. I had my hands full shushing the herd away from the gate while not scaring #3. The herd kept returning and I had to stop a few charges. Finally #3 came through.
The fence was not broken but it appeared the middle two wires of the four strand barb wire fence were stretched and loose. I fiddled with the wire to "smooth" it out. I was in the middle of watching the season finale of "The Bachelorette" and wanted to know if my prediction of the guy she chose was correct. It was but I missed the actual proposal. Darn.
The herd remained in the NE corner of the hayfield. This is where #3 had slipped through the fence. A few of the cattle laid down. No one seemed interested in eating.
I looked out the window during commercial breaks and a half hour later #3 (her again!) was in the hayfield again. This time closer to the house. Cattle are like elephants: they don't forget.
This time #3 was harder to herd. I have not finished my gate and #3 seemed interested in going through there. Then it wanted into the corral and the barn. Finally I got #3 to the NW corner and the gate. It was harder to get #3 into the north pasture, but finally I did.
I had just as much of a hard time getting #3 back into the middle pasture as the herd was worked up. While I had been herding #3 in the hayfield they all stood along the fence and moo'ed. Whether the mooing was:
- wanting to join #3
- wanting #3 to come back to the herd, or
- "You go, girl!" as I tried to herd #3,
This time I took extra barb wire and wired up the strands between four or five posts where the wire looked loose and saggy. Hopefully this will put an end to this problem. And, yes, I missed even more of "The Bachelorette".
The cattle either stood and watched me closely as I worked on the wire, or stood at the fence and looked longingly at the fresh cut hay. They were obsessed with getting through the fence and to the hay. They remained in the corner again, but thankfully as it was getting dark, it wasn't too long before they appeared to be heading to the river.
While there is still plenty of grass in the middle pasture, tomorrow my plan is to let them into the south pasture to have them work on that grass for a while. It won't be too soon for me that's for sure.
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