by Jan Fielden
Calves are just like human kids! I am sure of it. The Colonel and I were driving around on the ranch and found a calf in a pasture we had locked. The Yearling Herd is in the Horse Pasture and has been for a long while. Lo! and Behold! I looked and said what is that calf doing over there? It is a problem with children (First time Heifers) raising children (calves). The solution was to get him in the Horse Paddock and then back out into the Horse Pasture. But of course, they never want to do what you want them to do.
I walked into the Paddock area and opened the gate on the end where the calf was. Came back out of there and we drove through the lower gate and came around to the gate I had opened for him. He had gone in by this time so I closed that gate. Only problem was now the herd had drifted down to where we were because they thought we were going to give them something. The calf couldn’t get that far down because the Paddock doesn’t go that far down. We turned around, came back out of the lower gate and plotted our course of action.
Getting out of the truck I said I would open the gate to the Horse Pasture but I didn’t want the cows to come in to the Horse Paddock. The Colonel said he would drive on down the fence row and the cows would follow his truck even though he was on the opposite side. That’s exactly what they did and the calf walked through the gate out into the Horse Pasture bellering for his Momma who was running towards him. What a reunion! Kids will be kids no matter who or what they are!! Another day on the Red Oak Ranch.
