Cows, preg checking, weaning, fencing...

 

Fall is a very busy time of year on the ranch.  There are cows to pregnancy test, calves to wean, and livestock needs to be moved out to winter pastures.  After 25 years or so with Ralph pregnancy checking the cows, he retired to full-time ranching and we've had to hire someone new -- a lady vet named Chandy. And she's good.  That job is behind us now and we have just begun to wean calves.

Have you noticed a lot of semi-trucks on the road lately?  It's livestock shipping time and if you live in rural areas, there's no end to the trucks taking dry cows or weaned calves to and from sale barns or  ranches or feedlots.  The only livestock we ship this time of year are the dry cows.  Dry cows are not pregnant. Often they are called Open Cows.  At the sale barn they have a big O on their backs if they were tested there.  Our cows have a big paint stick mark on their sides and back which help use to identify them when we sort cows.  Tomorrow Hubs will take in the remainder of the open cows to the sale barn and their calves will be weaned.  Later this month and into November, we will wean more calves, a bunch at a time.

 

Yesterday afternoon I went along with Hubby to help him finish fencing.  We had a long stretch, about a mile, of fence to fix.  The fellas had most of it done the day before, but there were a couple gates to build and some steel posts to clip.  Hub made the gates while I walked the fenceline and clipped the wires to the steel posts.  The photo above is what the clips and the wire pliers looks like that I was using.  On the wider steel posts, I have to use the wire pliers, but on the skinnier posts, I can twist the clip on with a nail spike.  These past few days have been gorgeous.  Sunny and warm but not hot, with a gentle breeze.  Glorious fall days for fall work.  I'm soaking up all the sunshine I can!