• If you are having problems logging in please use the Contact Us in the lower right hand corner of the forum page for assistance.

Never Seen it - 'Til Tonight - Cast!

Help Support Ranchers.net:

Broke Cowboy

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 10, 2005
Messages
1,418
Reaction score
93
Location
With The Herd
Last night it poured. Real hard and the wind was cold. So much for calving on grass this year. We should have calved on snow in March. The weather was perfect.

Well it is wet. Real wet. We have had almost 14 inches of rain over the past 9 days. The front lawn is under a foot of grass and the cows are standing in water and deep mud in the pasture. Their bellies are so dirty it is disgusting. And the latest calves honestly think this is normal weather, having never seen a sunny day in their short lives. Time to do some re-arranging

So this morning we decided to let them out - yet again onto the lawn for a bit of a break. I ran the bulls out of that slop we call a pen and put them back into the summer pasture. They can stay there by themselves for a week or two while this mess gets sorted out.

The yearlings are finally out in a decent pasture with some good slopes for water run off - so they will be ok for now as well. When it finally starts to dry we will put everyone back where they belong.

But I digress .....

We have about 20 left to finish off. And being as the youngest daughter was out - good old Dad stayed up to make sure everyone got home safe. At around half past midnight I noticed an animal seemed to be making some noise, and being as how I had just looked out the window a few minutes before that and seen everyone bedded under the apple trees I gave it little thought. But the noise seemd somewhat strange. Like a loud grunting.

So, being the curious type I grabbed the spotlight and walked out onto the back deck to see what the noise was. I coud still hear it but I could not see it - so barefoot I stepped onto the lawn - carefully avoiding the rather runny flat piles of "stuff".

Lo and behold - just around the corner and a bit out of sight from the deck - one of the girls was on her back and kicking up a storm.

Cast!!

She is heavy bred and so round that the little hump she laid down on threw her over and she could not get up. Much longer from the sounds of her and she would have been dead. I fed her all winter - I was NOT going to lose that calf!

First time I have seen this - heard of it though.

So, I run back in the house and grab the first pair of footwear I can find. Yeah - wouldn't you know it - right by the door. My good black dress shoes. Bare foot in my only good shoes - out I go. Now at the risk of giving someone a bad visual I was also in my house coat and rather commando beneath.

Of course it was still raining - but now I have a mission - so rain be damned. Run to the cow and give a quick attempt at wrestling her over. Horned Herfs have some nice handles to grab onto - no luck. She throws me off and I bury myself in - yeah - in my now open housecoat - right into one of those rather runny flat piles of "stuff". Face first.

Not to be discouraged - up I get. Off to the shop at a trot to grab a rope. Quick half hitch around the horns with a release knot and I step off to the side for a good pull. "Come on old girl help me out here." Rope comes off her horns and now I go backwards into a low spot with about 6 inches of water in it.

Clean on the back and filthy on the front I did not give up!

I considered calling for help but all were tucked in so nice and comfy - so I discarded that option for the moment.

Another loop around the horns and a good pull. This time she grabs a piece of dirt and staggers to her feet. Darn - I forgot the release this time!

So I jump the old girl while she is still a bit wobbly and grab the loop. She shakes her head.

At 6 feet and a bit and 230 with not a lot of jiggle I am a big boy. Now I have done a bit of bulldoging in my day - and I am not good enough to make money at it - but I have always been known as a person who could "hang on." And I did.

But those animals were a bit smaller than this one - she's a big old girl at 1500 pounds and somewhat stronger than me.

Off across the yard we go. Her p!ssed at this guy on her head and me scrambling to get the rope off. Next time it can stay there until we run her in the squeeze. Rope comes loose and off I come - right into the drainage ditch on the side of the driveway. Almost two feet of water - and cold! Thank heavens she stopped when she did or I would still be laying there.

So I walk to the house - picking up the light on the way. Throw my housecoat on the deck - let the rain take care of it until tomorrow morning. I left the shoes too. I even found the one that came off in the ditch.

I'll wash them under the hydrant tomorrow and then dry them out. Walk through the house straight into the shower - hot water does wonders but I know I will be stiff tomorrow.

As I write this wife hollers - "B.C. do you know what time it is? Get off that computer and come to bed!!"

Yeah she thinks I have been sitting here on my arse all night. I'll let her know in the morning because she will want to know how my housecoat got so dirty and "Why is it out there in the deck?"

Night all,

B.C.
 
Angus Cattle Shower said:
Very good story BC. Bad visuals, but good story. lol. Hope you diddn't get put in the dog house-you might get even wetter. lol.

I know it is a long weekend - but I also know what time it is where you live.

Go to bed young man! :D

Tomorrow is another day.

Take care,

B.C.
 
We lost four cows got cast after a late blizzard this springit had dreifted around some bales and they were overcentered-hadn't lost one that way for years. They aren't real greatful when you tip them back up.
 
Broke Cowboy said:
Angus Cattle Shower said:
Very good story BC. Bad visuals, but good story. lol. Hope you diddn't get put in the dog house-you might get even wetter. lol.

I know it is a long weekend - but I also know what time it is where you live.

Go to bed young man! :D

Tomorrow is another day.

Take care,

B.C.

It's only 12:35. lol. Dad told me to go and cool off a little-ran the driveway and im still po'ed with the world, I couldnt sleep so were goofing off at the computer together. lol.

NR, we lost a cow-she got stuck in the mudand when we had to pul her ut with the wourbull-well, she diddnt make the night. We tried all night, but when we went out to check her again, she died. Sad to see them go in pain, but it looked like she was getting better-and Dad and I are both softies. The cattle re like a second family-we have to get someone tio come out them down for us, and we do the same fo him.
 
What a story, BC. And to think that while you were out there pulling it off, I was sound asleep in my warm bed!

I hope you get some warmer and drier weather real soon.
 
We had 3 heifers do that this spring. My husband got to two of them in time and was able, like you after some work, to get them on their feet. They were all in labor. The otherone was not so lucky. She was out to pasture for the day and I was helping my elderly father, I missed my 2hr. check by an hour and she died in the mean time. We have never had such a time as this calving. But we finished up over a week a go and I have to say I am so thankful to be done.
 
Good story, Broke Cowboy. It chills me to the bone just thinking about your heroic, but slippery, mid-night escapades. You will never be able to look at your slightly stained house-coat again, without conjuring up the memories of last night. :wink:

One question for you and Northern Rancher. Does the word "cast" have anything to do with a cow getting over on her back. Being born and raised on a ranch, I've seen this happen for all of my life. Sometimes you save them, but more often you don't. I thought by your post title, that maybe you and the cow were both members of the "cast" of this midnight play in progress. Then Northern Rancher used the same word as if it describes a cow getting over on her back so she can't get up. Anyway, please enlighten me. Noah Webster failed to do so when I asked him.
 
Since I don't know when B.C. will be back I will attempt an answer.
It is called cast. Horses can get 'cast' in their stalls too. If they get down
and can't get up for some reason that is called cast. Example: if a horse laid down in a stall or corral and got their legs under the stall boards or corral poles and can't get up, they are said to be cast.

So from that I think that cast means 'down and can't get up for whatever reason.'

I looked in my dictoonary, Soapweed, and though there were a lot of different meanings the only one that applied to livestock was, "A horse cast his shoe." Interesting. I even looked up different spellings and that didn't help either.

Guess we'll find out from others on the board if they agree,
 
Thanks for the explanation; it sounds logical. We always just said that a cow got over on her back, period. You must take into consideration that I only attended one year of college. :wink:
 
FH has it right.

And your assumption was correct.

Anytime an animal gets on its back and cannot get up - that is what we call "cast."

Last night this old girl had all 4 feet in the air and could not roll over to get up.

A bit stiff this morning, but a couple of trips out into the driving rain will wear it off I am sure.

I still have a clean up job to do. :)

Outa' here - fine day to all,

B.C.
 
Think nothing of it.

If there is something you need to know and you can't find it out on ranchers.net where can you find it out? :wink:

At least you aren't fighting with someone on here. :shock:
Seems like a lot of that is going on.
Didn't you mention a full moon a few days ago? Maybe that's it.
 
LOL Broke too funny of a story,Good outcome! I'll be giggling all day thinking of you in dress shoes,and housecoat,in the mud :lol: :lol:
 
I never heard the term cast for them on their backs either.

Learn something new everyday.

Sounds like BC needs to invest in a speedo :wink:
 
BC,
now that is funny. You need to team up with NR, your daughters, and have a story writing contest. I think you two have had some of the worst problems but by far the funniest when you look back on them, especially from my vantage point cause I wasn't there. You should probably dispose of the house coat and any other evidence to remind you of your ordeal.
Send us some of that rain would you?
As for cast, never heard that term either, only on their back.
Have a better rest of the day
 
sw said:
BC,
now that is funny. You need to team up with NR, your daughters, and have a story writing contest. I think you two have had some of the worst problems but by far the funniest when you look back on them, especially from my vantage point cause I wasn't there. You should probably dispose of the house coat and any other evidence to remind you of your ordeal.
Send us some of that rain would you?
As for cast, never heard that term either, only on their back.
Have a better rest of the day

I agree....except, I think his way of putting his story together for the rest of us reminds me alot of.....YOU, sw!!! :nod: :nod: As you read along, you can actually visualize what he was going through!! had me laughing along while the hubby read the newspaper behind me and kept asking "whacha laughing at???" til he finally gave up and read over my shoulder!!

Thanks for sharing this hilarious (well, at least to the rest of us) story!!
:lol: :lol: :lol: Sure hope today is better!! :wink:
 
BC, what a show you played in my mind while I read your post! You have a way with words that made me feel like I was standing there watching, trying not to laugh! To you, it must've seemed like a nightmare, but the way you told it, guaranteed laugh for the rest of us! Glad it all worked out in the end, though.
 
BC- Been there- done that...You did one thing wrong-- you're supposed to grab the wifes housecoat when you run out for one of those little chores - makes for a bigger teehee when the son pulls into the yard and spots you ...:wink: :lol:
 
Oldtimer said:
BC- Been there- done that...You did one thing wrong-- you're supposed to grab the wifes housecoat when you run out for one of those little chores - makes for a bigger teehee when the son pulls into the yard and spots you ...:wink: :lol:

are you speaking from experience, OT??!! :shock: :shock: :wink:
:lol2: :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:
 

Latest posts

Top