by Jan Fielden
Feeding the cows on a windy day in March! I chose what I thought was a very good spot; close to water and close to salt. Coming through the Sweet Gum Grove, I made a sharp turn, and picked the spot. It was close to water, but far enough away that they would not be a nuisance. I put the bale down, turned left and went back to the hay pen. Picked up another bale, and was bringing it back when I discovered something I found amusing. I decided the “elites” of the herd were chopping down on the first bale. The Herd Mother was one of the “elites” as were the bulls but only the main bulls, no young bulls or small bulls, and no other cows.
I put the second bale out, and went back to get another bale for the Yearling Herd. I noticed at that time that it seemed everyone had deserted the first bale and had gone over to the second bale. It appeared it was the whole Middle Herd. The plan was; I was going to give the Middle Herd two bales and one bale for the Yearlings. But when I saw all of the Middle Herd gathered around the second bale, I felt sorry for them and decided to give them another one. I think everybody was happy.
The Colonel was down at the shop and was fooling with something, the cows all heard him and came running. They thought he was going to give them something, such as Cubes or Meal. They think that a lot and sometimes they are right. I have had to go with him to keep the cows off of him in order to put whatever it is in the feeders. Oh, the joys of living on the Red Oak Ranch!!
