Hay bale, Buddy and fighting

Time for another large hay bale for the cows.  With the snow gone the cows will pick at the grass in between eating the last stemy part of the previous hay bale.  In the cold Winter the bale would last 4.5 days.  When it got warmer the bale would last 5.5 to 6 days.  Now it lasts 7 days with a little left over.

So I pulled out another bale.  With no reason to entice them with a small bale and then closing the corral gate as I worked, I waited until they were out at the river end of the pasture.

First problem: the bale fell off the wooden pallet when I was in the north pasture but before my destination location.  I decided to pull the bale across the ground. The bale would jump about as I pulled it so I quit short of my destination.

Several calves in the corral started bawling and making a racket.  Shhhh!!!!  I don't want the cows to notice me.

Next step: get the metal feeder.  As soon as I backed the pickup up to the feeder the cattle noticed from way across the pasture.  They came running.  I was able to flip the feeder on its side before they arrived.  Buddy came first and was excited.  I had the pickup door open so I jumped in the pickup and slammed the door shut.  He stood in front of the pickup and jumped about.  The new bale was closer to the corral and he eyed it but didn't make the connection.  When Beulah and the rest of the cows arrived it didn't take them long to realize that bale was for them to eat and they ran over to it.  Buddy quickly followed.

Buddy

I began to roll the feeder over.  The cattle were all excited and some were butting their heads against the bale and getting it to roll a little bit.  I finally got the feeder rolled over to the bale before the cows could demolish the bale.  I was able to flip the feeder over the bale and also warn the cattle away so they wouldn't get bonked on their heads.

Lastly I had to cut and remove the twine from the bale with the feeder around the bale and the cattle eating the bale.  That made the job harder.  But I got it done.

*sigh*

Always excitement.

 
When I first put the metal feeder over the bale Cow number 90 stood to one side as the others ate.  A little later only Momma was standing to the side as the others ate.  I let the cow with the bad leg out of the corral to join the other cows as her leg appears to be healed.  A short time later Mama was fighting with two cows: a black cow (number 90?) and either the cow was the former bad leg or the other cow that looks like her.  A bit later it was just Mama and the black cow.  Both were trying to reach the udder of the other cow.  Mama got the other cow's udder and began to suck.  Within seconds the other cow quit fighting and stood still as Mama sucked.

Then a few minutes later Mama come running into the corral with the black cow in hot pursuit.  The corral is slippery with mud and manure and when Mama tried to turn around the black cow rammed her and knocked her down and kept pushing her until Mama was on her side and back.  Before I could get over to break it up Mama got up and took off running as seen below.  Outside the corral Mama got away and they stopped fighting.  Later in the evening all seemed well.  I hope so as both cows should be pregnant and Mama certainly looks pregnant.  Mama is in the early stages of springing.  I don't want them fighting and possibly hurting their babies.

Females!  They hold grudges and love to fight.  And fight dirty.

Later when I put the chain around the next bale in preparation to pulling it next week, Daisy joined me.  After I pulled the tarp back down over the bales and moved some boards and cement blocks, I found a dead mouse by the hoe I use to snag the chain around the bale.  It took Daisy only minutes to catch and kill a mouse.  She was nowhere to be seen but she left the mouse by the hoe to show me she was on the job.  Number 20 for the year so far.