by Jan Fielden
This past week I got to feed the cows again. The Colonel was under the weather and I took his place on the tractor. The Middle Herd were angels as they were in the North East 50 and I was able to close the gate on them. There were four cows out that I discovered later on but they didn’t cause any trouble either. After I got all the hay out for the Middle Herd, I opened the gate and they rushed out to get their place at the feeding table.
Everything went fine and I was having a good time watching them run to the bales and the babies lying down in the hay that had fallen off the bales. So, as soon as they were all fed, I closed the hay pen, the Sweet 16 Pasture and got a bale to take to the Yearling Herd.
When I was still a little way from the Yearling Herd, I noticed they had all taken a place at the fence and especially at the gate. I pulled up, took the wrap off the bale and got back on the tractor. I was trying to figure out how I was going to get through the gate without any of the Yearlings or my horse making a break out of the gate. I decided I would just pray like I always do in a situation like this. The calves got antsy and started walking up and down the fence line but always ended up at the gate. I walked up to the gate, unlocked it and pushed it open with the tractor. Then I jumped off the tractor, ran back to the gate and locked it. The calves became bored and started walking up to the feeder. I set the bale down where the cows could see it and they all started running to it. My sweet horse, just walked away and I was so blessed that none of the cows, calves, bull, or horse got out of the pasture. Good things happen at the Red Oak Ranch.
