Another breakout and break-in

This morning I found another breakout and break-in by the cattle.  The bull pushed the same part of the corral fence and pushed the boards out on one side.   This allowed the cows and calves to come in to the south corral to eat from the bull's hay bale.  Speckles and her calves were out of the south corral and out in the extended corral away from the other cattle eating her hay.  Several of the cow's calves were laying in the loafing shed where it was dry.

Why did the bull push on the fence again?  One or more cows were in heat and encouraged the bull to push on the fence.

While the boards were off the fence on one side they were still attached to the wire fence.  The opening wasn't that large but somehow the cattle all got into the south corral.  Probably the bull pushed the boards away from the fence until the cattle got into the south corral?

This was the same fence section the bull had pushed on a few weeks ago but didn't open like this.  While I had put the metal pipe back on the corral fence I was short since the pipe was broke and didn't cover this section.  I re-nailed the boards back on the fence.  Then I chased the cows and calves out of the south corral and into the main corral.   Many immediately went back to where they had earlier gone through the fence.  They couldn't get back into the south corral and I heard lots of mooing.

Donna came over after a bit and managed the gates and I herded Speckles then her calves back into the south corral.

As you can see below when the cows were in the south corral they pigged out on the large hay bale.  I had put a full bale in the south corral earlier this week and the bale should have lasted the end of the month.  Then it would be time to let the cows and bull out to grass.  But since the cows got in the south corral they ate half the bale in however long they were in this area and I doubt this bale will last Speckles, the bull, and Momma to the end of the month.  More work for me.

I spent the rest of the morning working on attaching the pipe to the fence.  I got all but one section hung with pipe.  The last section I hung a long board rather than try to fix and reattach the last broken section of pipe.   This was hard work.  We had over an inch of rain overnight on top of several rainy days this week.  So the corral is mud and water.  It was very hard to walk in the mud as it often tried to take my mud boots off my feet.  And the boards I used re-hang the pipe and cover one fence section were a pain.  The smaller boards would split when I pounded nails into them.  The long board section was hard wood and would bend nails.  It took forever to complete the work.

Now to see how long before the bull messes with the pipe and board.  When working with the pipe I had to take off the pipe from the fence and restraighten the pipe as the bull had bent the pipe as it hung on the fence.

I didn't re-feed the cattle until this evening.  Then they only got 2/3 the normal amount of hay as the corral was still mud and standing water everywhere and I could barely drive with my pickup.  When checking things out I found several ducks standing in water in a corner of the extended corral.

After I had fixed the fence and pipe in the morning I ate breakfast after noon and then went to sleep and slept most of the afternoon.  This was a bad, wet and cold and windy day.  I wanted it over before something else bad happened.  By late afternoon I discovered my bicycle mileage computer had quit working.  Initially I thought it might because the battery was low so I replaced the battery.  Nope, that wasn't it.  It was because it was a bad day and it is unknown why the computer won't work.  I've had other bicycle computers for decades and never had this happen.  I'm glad the day is about over.