To make this last bale last longer than two and a half days I let the cattle into the yard to eat the grass down. I did it in stages. I set my corral panels in the hayfield over the septic system drain field where the grass was the highest. If I didn't have the cattle eat this grass now it would be tall and stemy and most will go to waste as it will fall down and not get up when the cattle step on it later this year.
I wired up four unused metal gates to block the yard at the tool shed.
I locked the cattle back into the corral overnight to prevent any mischief.
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| First time out into the yard |
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| Buddy kept an eye on the cows. |
I did have one calf who somehow got outside the corral panels the second day the cattle were in this section.
The calf couldn't remember how to cross back through the panels. I went out there and herded him into the corral where Buddy and the steer were and then through that part of the corral into the calf's part of the corral where it could run out and join its mother. It got right to drinking her milk.
Once the cattle ate this section down, I moved the panels to the front of the house. This area has the tallest grass in the yard and I found in the past that the livestock liked this grass the least and it would be the last to be eaten down as they would go over and over the rest of the yard. By limiting this section it forced the cattle to concentrate on this area. I let the cattle stay in the yard overnight as I knew on Sunday they would be in the corral all day while I went hiking. I was a little nervous about leaving the cattle out overnight but the cattle behaved.
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| Taking a break in the driveway. |
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| Oreo |
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| Mama and her calf |
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| Taking a break in the shade. |
Monday afternoon I opened the entire yard to the cattle. At 7 pm it began to rain and I quit working on a pasture fence. The cattle had most of the yard eaten down and were working on finishing it off. Beulah was trying to eat the caragana shrubs through the wire fencing so I added some chicken wire to stop that. A little later she and another large cow were reaching for box elder tree leaves and the fence was making cracking noises. I needed to trim the tree anyway so I did which eliminated their ability to reach the tree.
All seemed well now so I decided to take a shower before putting them back into the corral and giving them a bale of hay.
Big mistake. After I finished my shower I saw three or four cows and heifers in the hayfield and a line of more cows waiting to cross the broken fence.
By the time I got my shoes on and outside eight cows and heifers were in the hayfield furiously eating the grass and alfalfa. The remaining five cows and heifers and all ten calves were in the yard and I cut them off from the broken fence. I herded them into the corral in a hurry and closed the corral gate.
Now to get the eight back into the yard. I opened the gate to the yard and tried to herd them to it. But both the red cow and Mama instead would move away from the gate and further out into the field. Over and over I tried to herd the cattle to the gate but each times they would veer away from it. Mama and the red cow did not want to be herded and a few times bluff charged me and I had to 'wap' them on the forehead with my sorting stick. When the cattle ran along the corral fence Buddy got worked up and ran along the fence from the inside.
I was getting nowhere after 20 minutes and it was starting to get dark. I needed a second person to cut the cattle off from veering away from the gate. I called Donna and asked if she wanted to herd cattle in the rain and dark. She did.
While waiting for her I continued trying to herd the cattle. I got three cattle into the yard. But when I opened the corral gate to get the cows into the corral they balked and in the confusion all the cattle in the corral ran back out into the yard. One cow remembered where the broken fence was and ran to it. Even though the cow was huge, and I had propped up the broken boards, she jumped over the broken fence.
I had got all but one of the rest of the recent escapees back into the corral by the time Donna arrived. Donna was by the corral gate as I went to herd the one cow back into the corral. Before I could do so all the other cattle and calves ran past Donna back into the yard. It was getting dark now and harder to see the cattle.
Again I had to go to the far end of the yard and herd everyone back into the corral. Once we got them into the corral we went around and around trying to get the cattle into the loading corral. The cattle did not want to go there as they wanted out to join the other cattle in the hayfield. Around and around and we finally got half of the cattle into the loading corral and half into the loading corral ramp section.
*whew* Now to the main event: the cattle in the hayfield. Also keep in mind the cattle in the loading corral were all worked up, unhappy they were not with the cattle in the hayfield, and were mooing and bellowing at the top of their lungs.
The cattle in the hayfield were still furiously eating and did not want to go into the corral. Even with Donna's help they would make an end run around us back into the field. Each time they would go further out. They wanted to stick near the corral fence - but in the hayfield - as their calves were screaming their lungs out for their mothers. When two cows went to the corral gate to check on their calves Donna and I herded them into the corral, then loading corral.
Of the remaining five cattle I told Donna to forget about the three furthest out and help me with the to closest to the gate. I got the two into the corral and right away Donna had got the remaining three back into the yard and I opened the gate and got them into the corral.
I had to get a flashlight and count the cattle to make sure all the cattle were into the coral. After several attempts of counting I finally counted everyone present. An hour later and soaking wet from the rain and sweat. So much for taking a shower.
I briefly thought of not giving them a bale of hay but changed my mind and gave them hay. Not that needed the hay after all that grass; there was some hay left in the feeder in the morning.
Tuesday morning was the time for the cows and calves (but not the heifers) to go out to the middle pasture. Donna came to help me separate the heifers from the cows and calves and to herd the cows and calves to the middle pasture.
What difference a day makes. Three heifers and one cow ran into the loading corral and the cow quickly ran out. That was easy.
I opened the gate to the pasture and the cattle all moved left and followed the fence to the middle pasture gate and then went through it. Not one tried to move right and go further into the north pasture. That's a first. All the herding was quickly over without a fuss. Donna said, "that wasn't an adventure". Well.. after last night's adventure I felt I earned a drama free herding of cattle.
I had put wire around bushes and plants I did not want the cattle to eat or molest. With varying results. Most things were saved. But if I didn't add a steel post to reinforce the wire the cattle would push and move the wire.
Even though the cattle didn't like the taste of this bush that didn't stop them from moving the wire.
Now to let the fertilizer dry before raking it loose and them mowing the yard to even the grass clumps the cattle left.
Here is a 40 second video of the calves running in the yard: https://youtu.be/MFTl8t9VKxY
Here is a 1 minute 13 second video of the cattle entering the yard for the second section: https://youtu.be/BeeQf6YDuoM
Here is a 32 second video of Buddy watching: https://youtu.be/uK_aM-ad0Fc
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