Cattle jailbreak into the hayfield

You'd think with the fence rebuild I did this year, along with the gates upgrade, the cattle couldn't get into the hayfield.  Well... where there is a will, there is a way.

A neighbor I talked with this afternoon is familiar with cattle and this evening he stopped over to look at my heifer who still has not had a calf.  I don't have a "cattle" glove so he couldn't reach inside to double check if there is a calf.  He watched her side and feels he could see the calf turn or move based on parts of the heifer just before the hipbone that would go out or go in.  The mystery is... when will she have her calf?!

We were chatting and he was about ready to leave at dusk when I looked out at the hayfield.  At the far end and SW corner I saw the cattle in the hayfield.  From their position and grouping it appeared they had just entered the hayfield no more than 5 or 10 minutes at the most earlier.  He came out with me to help herd the cattle back into the south pasture.

So how did the cattle get in the hayfield?  It was through the south hayfield/pasture gate.  I have a four inch eyehook screw in the railroad tie that I chain the gate to hold it in place.  The cattle pushed on the gate and the screw came out of the railroad tie.  The railroad tie is old and had a crack.

We quickly herded the cattle back into the south pasture.  He waited by the gate and I ran back to the toolshed and got a large chain to wrap around the gate and railroad tie.  Tomorrow I will make a permanent fix to the hook and gate.

The rain has got the grass growing again after I cut my hayfield but the alfalfa hasn't really started growing yet.  So I don't think the cattle would have bloated if I hadn't caught them, but it is better they are not in the hayfield at this time.

The hay bales are dry and tomorrow I will put them in the hayshed.  Many of the cattle were standing around and try to eat from the haybale near where they had entered the hayfield.  With all the grass... they were messing with the haybale!  As the bale is net wrapped I don't think they damaged the bale.