Start of the calf weaning

Monday afternoon I started the weaning of the calves.  I plan to sell the calves October 5, so it is time to start the weaning.

I was going to have Donna help me sort the calves from the mothers.  But at 1 pm all the cattle were down at the river in the south pasture.  I decided to wait until they came back by themselves.  I also decided that I would let the cows eat the yard grass down.  So I worked on protecting things in the yard.  When I was done I saw that Haynes, 13 cows and one calf were laying outside the corral gate.  The rest were still down by the river.  The calf was laying and sleeping away from the corral under a tree.  This is easy.  I let Haynes and the cows into the corral and then into the yard.  A short time later a couple cows came to the corral gate.  This is easy.  I let them into the corral, then the yard.  Once that was done the rest of the cattle came to the corral gate.  The last two cows were by the gate so I let them into the corral, then the yard.

The 13 calves were now by the gate so I let them into the corral, then herded them into the south part of the corral.

It couldn't get any easier to sort the calves from the cows.

Usually this section of the fence keeps the cattle in the corral.  And I can slip through it when I want to get in this part of the corral.  But I don't trust that the calves wouldn't try to slip through this section to get to their mothers.  So I put a gate there for now.

Once the calves were in the south part of the corral, even though for now they have grass to eat, I got a larger hay bale to put in the wooden feeder for the calves to eat later.  I have one of those partial hay bales as it was the last bale made. The bale just fit.  Since this bale is smaller and these are calves, I wasn't sure it would be easy for the calves if I put the bale in a large metal feeder.

Before letting Haynes and the cows into the corral and yard, Haynes stood next to the gate.  I scratched his head and neck with my fingers.  He really liked it.   After a while he laid down next to the gate.

Haynes had lost much of his curly hair on his head.  For a few days he looked like he had a mohawk.  Now he looks like Eddy Munster as he has a window's peak of hair.

Well... by evening the mooing began.  They are still mooing now.  Some sound like they have a sore throat.