Rodeo time on the farm
Springtime on the farm always entails many of the same things. Calves are born and are growing, fences must be checked for needed repairs, and everything is greening up in the pastures and woods. One of the reasons the fences must be checked so carefully, in fact, is because everything is greening up in the pastures and woods.
You see, the cows have had little to eat all winter save hay. As quickly as grass begins to grow in their pasture, they eat it. Then, because they can still see grass, they push the fences. And if the fences are not properly maintained, they can get through them into fields and places that they are not supposed to be in yet.
Why is that bad? A couple of reasons come to mind.
The first and foremost is grass tetany. After a winter consuming forages like hay, cattle that are turned out onto the rapidly growing grasses of spring pastures can have a difficult time maintaining proper levels of magnesium in their blood.
Mama cows are more susceptible than other cows, and not only can it affect their ability to properly raise their calf, grass tetany can kill a cow if left untreated. This is why we always supplement the cows with magnesium before and during their transition to grass.
The road is another reason our fences must be secure. We have road frontage on three sides of our property. Much of the traffic on these roads travels far faster than is either safe or necessary, and both driver and animal are at risk if the cows get out.
In between fields, we often put up temporary fence to assist with our rotational grazing practices. The temporary fences are often only one strand of wire. The cows are usually kept in by this method, but our month-old calves often walk right through them.
Yesterday, our herd was in one of these temporary paddocks for the afternoon. When we returned to move them back to their overnight location, six of our eight calves were out in the pasture next to the one they were supposed to be enjoying.
We had to slowly drive them down the fence line to the gate that would reunite them with their bawling mothers. If you’ve ever worked with calves, you know that there was a whole lot more to it than that last sentence details.
One calf bolts between my daughter and I, and then another. We walk up the hill and around them, and corral them again near the fence. Mooing cattle. One calf darts under the fence back toward its mother, another calf comes back out. Mooing cattle. Don’t let them turn back behind you! Mooing cattle.
Nearly an hour passes before they are all safely back inside the fence with their mothers. The bawling ceases as the babies begin to nurse and the mothers (FINALLY) stop yelling at them to come home while we are left sweating and panting and plumb tired.
Until the calves figure out the fences, we get to look forward to doing it again tomorrow, and probably for several days to come. Perhaps this is our way of shaking off our winter doldrums and gearing up for the extra activity expected of us this season, as well.
Laura Zoeller can be reached at zoeller5@verizon.net.