Cattle news and drama

A few days ago I put the cattle on bloat blocks. The neighbor's pasture is getting eaten down and it is drying up in this heat and no rain.

The cattle went nuts over the bloat blocks.  No wonder that after 48 hours there were only 1/4 left of the three blocks I put out.

A short video of the cattle licking the bloat blocks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFiJyYH3xK0&feature=youtu.be


After I put out the bloat blocks Momma got pushed aside.  Here she is coming towards me thinking I had something else for her.
 

One of my calves

Sunday afternoon I walked to the gate with the neighbor's property.  Beulah and Momma saw me at the gate and led the herd over.  While the rest of the herd caught up Momma strained to get through the gate.  Somebody was impatient.

Two calves were still coming from the far corner when I let the herd into the hayfield.  The two calves ended up following me to the water trough and bloat blocks.  Once they entered the hayfield the cattle were off in the tall grass.  Two thirds of the herd (including Beulah and Momma of course) were already at the corral and yard fences.  The calves stood at the gate and looked out in the tall grass for their mothers and called out.  One of the cows answered back and soon the calves were heading that way.

Parts of the hayfield has grass taller than the calves so it will take a bit for the calves to get oriented if they get separated from the herd.

Already looking at the fresh box elder tree shoots

A calf was calling out in the distance while the herd was by the yard fence.  At first I thought he was lost in the tall grass.  Then I saw he was in the south pasture.  What?!  He slipped through a loose part of the fence.   *sigh*

I opened the gate to the middle pasture and then a gate to the hayfield.  Would he go through the open gates?  Oh no.  Two times I herded him towards the open gate and both times he would veer off away from the gate.

Then he ran south along the fence and headed for the closed gate to Wyatt's field.  --- Oh!  For Heaven's Sake! ---

Before he could slip under that gate I got down there and herded him away from the gate.  I had also opened the south pasture / hayfield gate and this gate he went through.  It may have helped that Beulah was leading the herd to this gate and the calf could finally see another cow and not just me.

Before any cattle could get through the open...

1. south pasture / hayfield
2. south pasture / middle pasture, or
3. middle pasture / hayfield

gates, I ran around and closed all of them before the cattle could reach them.

*whew*

The little stinker in the south pasture calling for his mama.

Even though the cattle are in the hayfield and not the yard, Daisy wasn't sure about them and retreated to a favorite laying place while she studied them.  What's she gonna do when I finally finish my well and put this piece in place?