A Break from Calving (For You)

Calves, calves, muck, calves, snow, cows, water, ice, calves, mud, manure, calves.  There.  Now you are all caught up on the past week.  To keep from boring you with week after week of calving, I thought I would share a story from a few years ago.

It was summer and we had recently moved the herd to a new pasture.  I had given them mineral in a tub and when I came back the following day, the mineral had been spilled and the tub was a little ways away.  Annoyed, I brought the tub back and scooped what I could off the ground and put it back in the tub with my hands.  The next day the same thing had happened.  

Grumbling, I looked around and finally found the tub quite a distance from where I had left it.  I dutifully began to pack the tub back to try to gather what I could of the mineral, though I was thinking that there couldn't be much left after being scattered again.  Why did the cows keep dumping the mineral out?  Were they just wanting it all at the same time and pushing it over in a hurry to get to it?  

My thoughts were cut short by the sound of hooves behind me.  They were coming fast.  Surprised, I turned around to see the bull coming at me with his head down.  I was in the middle of the pasture with no trees or brush to hide behind and my 4-wheeler was clear back where the tub was supposed to be.  I decided to throw the tub in front of the bull to distract him while I made a break for it.

To my amazement, as the tub bounced in front of the bull, he butted it with his head and kept it bouncing and rolling around the pasture.  He wasn't coming for me, he was coming to get his toy back.  We had just gotten the bull that spring.  He is still here and is gentle, but a little too playful.  An animal that large just should not want to play with me that much (and now he is larger than he was).

Here he is, shortly after he was purchased.  You may notice the photo is taken from the top of the fence.

by Brandon Greet