Oreo

Today Donna and I helped Dan with two calves and a bull. John, a mutual friend of Dan and I, died last August from a fall from his horse and his widow was selling a bull and calves.  She is keeping their three cows and heifer (Oreo).

A neighbor of the widow bought the bull and Dan bought the two calves.  They needed help rounding the cattle up and getting them into the corral and loaded in the stock trailers.  I was happy to help especially as this would give me a chance to see Oreo, the calf I sold them last year.

The bull buyer used an ATV and a female friend of the widow rode horseback and both herded the cattle from the pasture into the corral.  I handled the gate.

Once in the corral we tried to separate the bull from the cows.  But the bull slipped into the side corral with Oreo.  So we loaded the calves first into Dan's trailer.  That went well.

Then we got the bull and Oreo back into the main corral.  Bringing Oreo along was easier than trying to separate the bull from Oreo and the three cows.  In the main corral we were able rather quickly to get the bull into the loading runway and away from Oreo.   Other than the bull pausing briefly to check the trailer out he loaded into the trailer well.

Once the calves were in Dan's trailer away from their mothers the mothers mooed and the calves got excited. This is the first time the calves will be away from their mothers and their weaning started now.  When Donna and Dan looked into the trailer the calves got extremely agitated and jumped up and tried to get out the very small windows.  Dan doesn't have anyone right now at his corral house and both Donna and I thought it was a bad idea to put these two calves into Dan's corral.  If you remember, last year a steer and a heifer got out of Dan's corral.  I offered to put the two calves into my loading corral until Dan's son moved into the corral house but Dan decided to take the calves to the auction in Missoula right away.

Here are some photos of Oreo.  She looks good.