Cows don't take weekends off, pictures 2-23-2008

[Soapweed]

Saddletramp came upon a problem when he was feeding this morning, because we didn't have the heavies sorted close enough. Due date on the cows isn't until next Tuesday, and with the temperatures in the fifties for a few days, I wasn't in any big hurry to get too many heavies close in to watch. Today, we paid for my error in judgement. The problem was a cow calving, with just the head of a big dead calf showing. Both feet were back. Saddletramp stood in the back of my pickup, and put a loop on the cow's head as I drove by. He dallied up to the Hydra-bed arm, and we secured the cow. He then roped a hind leg and we got her down on her back. We tied the two hind legs together and the two front legs together. The cow was fairly immobilized, especially so because she was laying a little bit downhill. We worked together and got the calf's head pushed back inside. We were able to get one leg out and coming right, but were finding it nearly impossible to get the other leg out. Finally we hooked on with the mechanical calf puller, and got the dead calf out by pulling on one leg and the head. It was a fairly big calf, probably weighing in excess of a hundred pounds. The reason it was postioned wrong probably stems from the fact it was such a big calf to start with. We felt lucky to get the calf out, even if it had probably died several hours earlier. Had the cow been at home, in the bunch we are checking regularly, chances are we would have saved the calf.

Looks like we have ourselves a dilema.

Pretty big dead calf, with its mean mad momma observing.

She is not a happy lady.

My oldest boy, Billy the Kid came out to help today

He is a hard working feller.

He and Goose make a good team.

Saddletramp and Billy the Kid

Night rider's lament

Crossing the divide

Can't tell if he is coming or going

Hope we get home before dark.

Spooky

Night rider

 

[CattleArmy]

The one can't tell if he's coming or going is my favorite picture. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Jassy]

Saddletramp take a great sillouete photo! Those were very pretty. We're in the same boat as you, lost a calf today on a bunch that wasn't suppose to start calving till March...plus we had 2 other babies that did survive. So today was getting them out of the hills, onto the meadow and roundup the 2 escapees at the neighbors..and tomorrow we're heading them to closer quarters. Today was a beautiful day to be out moving cattle around...I loved it! It could stay like this the rest of the season and it would be perfect! Spose mother nature will stay in this good of a mood for awhile longer? Great photo's as usual..thanks

 

[Hanta Yo]

I feel bad for you, Soap.

Sometimes it's difficult to pick out all the "heavies" because there will always be a cow out there who doesn't look like she's going to calve, yet she does the next day.

I sure feel bad when those things happen and they most certainly do.

Your cow looks like she's a little on the honky side (understandable for what she has gone through)... will you give her another chance or get rid of her?

 

[Richard Doolittle]

Yesterday must have been the day for losing calves. Soap and Jassy look on the bright side, at least you don't have a vet bill. I had a heifer with problems and when I tried to help I found the calf positioned right, but there felt like a band in the pelvis that wouldn't let the head come. Rather than pull too hard, we took her to the vet and found that she had a ruptured uterus. Did a c-section and the vet sewed things up but ended up with a dead calf and a heifer that may or may not live. The vet wouldn't give her more than a 50-50 chance because he equated the uterus repair to sewing snot in the blind.

 

[Nicky]

Sorry about the calves. We lost our first one two days ago, feet were back on it too, not clear back but far enough to be a problem. It had been dead for probably a day, that's why it wasn't it position we're guessing.

Great pictures as usual, wish someone would've been there to take a picture of Saddletramp roping though! My favorite was the Night Riders Lament. I think that's the first time we've seen Billy the kid on horseback.

How's your new cowboy working out so far?

 

[Tap]

Still lookin' good Soapweed!

The photos at dusk are outstanding.

Good luck with calving, and the weather this calving season.

 

[Jigger Boss]

Great pics Soap!
I especially like all 3 of the silhoette pictures.
The "Spooky" picture cracks me up. :lol:

sorry about your calf

 

[bverellen]

Thanks for posting the pictures.

Was your boy just decked out in costume or is it normal to be packing iron?

Either way, it's refreshing to see!

Best Regards..

bart.

 

[L.A.]

Thanks for posting the pictures.

Was your boy just decked out in costume or is it normal to be packing iron?

Either way, it's refreshing to see!

Best Regards..

bart.

Wondered the same thing.

 

[Soapweed]

Your cow looks like she's a little on the honky side (understandable for what she has gone through)... will you give her another chance or get rid of her?

She is a nine-year-old cow that has always had a good calf in the past. Had we been watching her closer, we could probably have saved the calf this year. We will rob a calf from a fourteen-year-old cow tomorrow and put on this younger cow, so she will get another chance. The older cow will be allowed to go dry for about a month and then sold.

How's your new cowboy working out so far?

He is a pleasant young man and a good hand who seems to be working out very well. This week-end, he had visitation rights with his three-year-old daughter. Since I am just paying him by the day, it was fine with me if he wanted to be gone both yesterday and today. He will be on hand tomorrow morning to eat breakfast with us before starting the new work week.

Thanks for posting the pictures.

Was your boy just decked out in costume or is it normal to be packing iron?

Either way, it's refreshing to see!

Best Regards..

bart.

My son carries a shootin' iron most of the time, and he always has. He graduated the spring before 9-11, so things weren't quite as sticky in those days, but he always had guns with him in his pickup in the school parking lot. That is why we love the Sandhills. There are still some freedoms here that aren't available in other parts of the country.

 

[nr]

Neat pictures! SaddleTramp gets paid extra for modeling fees, correct?

Sorry about your lost calf though.

 

[Soapweed]

Neat pictures! SaddleTramp gets paid extra for modeling fees, correct?

No, he should pay me for being his publicity agent.

 

[Julie]

Soap, I don't always comment but I always look ---and enjoy your photos AND your sense of humor in your captions. Thanks for taking the time to shoot and post ... it is a treat!