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cutting strings

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jodywy

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Cabin Creek, Carlile,Wyoming
A few years ago on an internet farmers board they were taking about keeping cows away from the tractor while cutting string on the bales. One farmer told how he took PVC pipe and hooked up and electric fencer. They posted back and forth for a few days till I posted.... "I just take a dog"
 
Several years ago I had a Border Collie, Meg who met a sad end one winter`s night with a pack of coyotes. Anyway, Meg had such a strong "eye" that the cows would keep a distance of 50 yds or so until I cut the bales strings & told her to get back in the truck. One of my other BC`s, Ben, did a pretty good job but not as good as little Meg.
Murphy is my new guy & he`s working pretty good so far.....time will tell.
 
I gave a buddy and cow partner of mine a reprieve from his feeding and calving chores for a couple of days while he went to a bull sale a few years ago in February. He had a big bunch of yearlings on pasture that he was feeding with an older feed truck. He had mentioned that I ought to be sure to get down to that pasture on time in the morning because if I didn't those calves would be standing at the gate waiting on me. Well, I wasn't as efficient at his chores as I'd have liked to have been and I was about an hour later than ideal in feeding the yearlings. I had no dog along with me that would listen to me much so as I entered the pasture I was swarmed by about 100 hungry calves that knew where their breakfast came from. As I hurriedly closed the wire gate behind me they swarmed tightly around my feed truck as I maneuvered across the frozen ground. All of a sudden the right front side of the truck hit a sudden large mound on the ground and bounced and contorted up in the air to rest on the obstacle. I was just sure that one of those calves had fallen down and had become my first death loss in the first hours of the first day on the job! I excitedly exited the feed truck with a few bad words barked at the calves as I was sure my reputation as a fill-in top hand was doomed. To my relief I found that I had only crushed an aged mineral feeder and put it out of it's misery. As I let my full weight down I almost did a little dance as I made a big run at the calves to spook them back. I worked as light as a feather and humming a happy tune the rest of the day. :wink:
 

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