Starting to wean calves

I plan to sell my calves on or before October 14, a livestock auction date.  Today I called the guy who bought my steer calf this Spring and he is interested in buying a couple more steer calves.  He'll stop by tomorrow to look at them.

So time to start weaning the calves.  Donna helped me this afternoon as I got the cattle separated.  Donna handled the gates.  Yes, I said 'gates'.  First I let the cows and calves and bull in the north pasture into the corral.  Then I got some calves into the south corral. Then some cows back out to the north pasture.  Then more calves into the south corral.  Then more cows out.  Then the steer calf from the NE pasture into the corral, then into the south corral.  Then his mother from the NE pasture to the north pasture.  Then I got Beulah and cow 60 from the corral into the NE pasture.  Then the bull out of the south corral into the corral.  Then one of the heifers I plan to keep from the south corral into the corral.  Then I went and opened the gate between the north pasture and the middle pasture.  The cows came running.  Donna opened the corral gate and the four heifers I plan to keep as replacement heifers and the bull came running into the middle pasture.  I stood behind the gate and the heifers and bull, as they ran into the middle pasture, briefly put their head down and looked at me as they ran into the middle pasture.

So lots of action for Donna to move from gate to gate as I herded here and there.

*whew*

I have 14 calves.  Diamond's calf is too young to sell so I will keep her until Spring.  4 heifers I plan to keep as replacement heifers.  So 9 calves to sell.  4 steers and 5 heifers.

I also plan to sell Beulah and cow 60 after I sell the calves.  They are my two oldest cows and will be replaced.  (The other two cows I plan to replace will be sold next year.)  So that is why I put Beulah and cow 60 in the NE pasture.  When it is time to sell them it will be easier to get them into the corral.  Also in the NE pasture are Diamond and her calf, Maria, and Muscles.  I have been going back and forth whether to sell cow 60 or Maria this year, and if I change my mind again Maria will be easy to get into the corral.  Maria is a pain.  Cow 60 is a nice cow but with her old bad leg, usually once or twice during Winter she limps for a while and I end up putting her in the south corral for a week or two until her leg gets better.  And the NE pasture has the tallest grass of the pastures. 

So tonight I am hearing cows and calves mooing to each other.