Calving Season

I didn’t take many pictures this year, but our calving season went as usual.  We calved 950 heifers and we’re glad to be done, although things haven’t slowed down yet.  For the past two weeks we’ve been doctoring scours.  The boys are out of school and it is nice not to have to worry about being on time to pick them up after school and it’s been nice to have their help doctoring.  They’ve really helped quite a bit this year do lots of things.  They pulled one of the last calves born by themselves and Jason says they do a really good job doctoring when I can’t go help.  Jason had to preg some late cows on Saturday and the boys worked the alley really well.  Jason’s had a rough week, but seems more relaxed this afternoon after shipping lates and steers this morning (most 3-year olds mature cows get shipped to a late herd if they haven’t calved by a certain date and our steers are shipping early because we haven’t had enough rain, and therefore grass, to sustain them and our calving herds).  We brand this Friday and hopefully after that we’ll be less stressed. 

So these are the only pictures I took of this calving season.  We didn’t have any vet students for about a day and a half so the kids and I (and the neighbor’s wife and kids) got to help tag and pull calves.

At this point, Ryder is thinking, “I’ve got to move before this slimy calf touches me!”

No Good Title

Kache is really toothless now.  I’m glad he finally got his other front tooth out.

Dallie looked so cute on Sunday with her curled hair.  On Saturday night she told Jason she had curlews in her hair.

I still haven’t figured out who Ryder looks like.  Sometimes I think it is Kollin and sometimes I think it is Richard.  I guess either one is fine with me as long as he isn’t as big a tease as either of them.

Riggin got his cast off yesterday.  It was terrible.  I think the lady taking the cast off must have been pretty new.  I just knew she was going to saw right through the cast and into his leg.  I’ve been assured since then that that isn’t possible.  But anyway, it took 10 minutes to get the thing off and poor Riggin was screaming the whole time.  Finally another lady came in and helped.  Then he had to have it ex-rayed and that was another 10 minutes of screaming.  He didn’t have to have it re-casted, but the doctor said she could still see a small line in the bone.  We go back in a month for another ex-ray.  He is still crawling like he has the cast on - still favoring his bad leg.  And I’m more paranoid about anyone touching or getting near him.