Calves weaning start

This morning I finished the north pasture fence rebuild (more on that in another blog post another day).  So I brought the cattle into the north pasture and corral, and with Donna's help, separated the calves from the cows.

The video of the cattle is 38 seconds long:  https://youtu.be/5qBaeJz2e5c

Separating the calves from the cows went well... except that two calves were missing.  The cows had come from the pasture that also holds the weed hay.  I walked out and found a heifer and two calves among the weed hay inside the temporary corral.   The heifer is Maria's calf from last year, and the black calf is Maria's calf from this year.  Maria is probably too fat to get under the corral panels when the cattle lifted them up.

The corrals panels were beat up and moved about from the cattle's attempt to get inside the panels to the weed hay.  All the steel fence posts were still in the ground though some were leaning.  A few fence posts were now outside the panels.  A number of wires that held the panels to the posts were broken or pulled apart.  I'm sure Maria got Toby the bull to lend his muscle to help her in her attempt to break inside.

Once I let the heifer and calves out of this corral they ran to the north pasture and their mothers.  Maria's calf was thirsty and drank from her.  Red's calf just wanted to be near her mother.  I had to wait a little bit, but once the cattle came near the corral I was able to get the two calves into the corral.

Of course it wasn't long before the crying started.  By the mothers.  The calves were thrilled to get a smallish bale of hay.   By evening most everyone, cows and calves, were joining in the chorus.

It's going to be a noisy next few days.