Tough Little Guy

On February 6, 2022February 6, 2022 By colleengbergIn Agriculture, Countrified Blessings, Domestic AnimalsLeave a comment

We had some calves born later than the rest to mom cows we thought were “open”. Hah…well, the joke was on us! Happily, they all calved on their own in the pasture and raised some sturdy little critters. These young’ns have had to endure some awfully nasty wintery days since the white season hit us and I do mean “hit us”!

One fella in particular has touched my heart and even the hubby’s…so we will plan to keep him as a bull. As soon as he was born I knew I wanted to call him Joey. So now when he grows up big and bold here on the farm – he will then be called Big Joe.

I see by his heavy hair coat here, Mother Nature has provided the way for him to tolerate this frigid and challenging winter season. Another way he kept warm was to cuddle in amongst the huddling cows as they do during a blizzard. He would have been snug as a bug in the middle of that group in the picture above.

Not to fear Joey…the balmy days of spring and summer are soon here!!

Heifer-Quieting Day Two

On October 19, 2018October 19, 2018 By colleengbergIn Agriculture, Countrified Blessings, Domestic Animals2 Comments

Just a short story today to report how overjoyed I am with my little herd of heifers. I can no longer be calling them goofy girls. They blew me way with the calm and orderly and even quiet way they all came up to their banquet of grain.

In fact, they didn’t even spook from the rooster hair-do I have going on here!

Heifer-Quieting – Day One

On October 17, 2018October 17, 2018 By colleengbergIn Agriculture, Domestic AnimalsLeave a comment

Loaded up the feed truck with tubs and pails of grain and headed west to our pasture to visit those lovely heifers. What a beautiful warm October week I have been blessed with to take on this mission. To think that just barely a week ago we were blanketed…no, almost buried under 9 inches of moisture-filled snow just flabbergasts me. But this is just how Alberta can be….blink or sneeze and our weather will do a full 360 turn!

My first solo visit out to these girls was not without it’s anxious moments…which is not uncommon for me and my predicaments. As can be seen by the deep tire tracks in my short video clip, I almost got my big old 4×4 stuck in the soft moisture-soaked terrain of the pasture.

Happily, the heifers came from the other end of the pasture to my voice…my non-descript call that has morphed into what you hear in the clip and what used to be “cu-bus”. As I said, non-descript word and non-descript sound but they do recognize me and they do come a-runnin’ from way across the field. THAT was a reward to start. I chummed around with them for a bit while they snacked and even had a few gals come up for a selfie with me (see above).

The weather continues to summer-ize for the next few days so hoping for drier conditions at next visit and even more besties in my domain.

P.S. I should maybe clarify that what you may have heard me say at the end of my video was not “a swear” but rather I was declaring “as they should”.

Goofy Girls

On October 15, 2018October 15, 2018 By colleengbergIn Agriculture, Domestic Animals3 Comments

I have an important self-imposed assignment this week. I have taken it upon myself to quiet down our herd of bred heifers that are presently out on their own pasture an hour away from the homeplace. We want to be able to “quietly” trail them from one pasture to another pasture next Sunday, along a public gravel road, to get them to the corral system we use to eventually load them before the real winter snow arrives. We have become highly motivated to start this “moving” activity since the recent, unwanted snowfalls have hit home.

My assignment then is to travel to them every couple days this week with grain in pails and hang out with them and talk “softly” to them – get them in a mood to “want to” follow me whenever they next see me again. This, because I will be the one to lead them to the second pasture as my hubby takes the tail-end and pushes them to me.

We visited them today and realized we hadn’t been visiting them enough over the summer…they are a goofy, jumpy, flighty bunch of girls. I’m trusting that by hanging out with them quietly and serenely with my pails of grain and soothing conversations we can all become the best of besties and that they will behave with charm, grace and compliance during their short journey next Sunday.

From Inside The Cattleliner

On October 27, 2016October 27, 2016 By colleengbergIn Agriculture, Domestic AnimalsLeave a comment

I believe that my next photographic accessory purchase will be a go-pro camera device to wear upon my head to record my daily ranching adventures. This time of year means we start bringing home our cattle from the pastures and when you’re in the midst of the action, it’s next to impossible to be doing selfies and catching the “procedures” for future viewing pleasure.

Last weekend found me perched inside the alleyway of the catteliner, straddling the runway whereby below me our bred heifers would be running up into the upper deck of the trailer. Barely hanging onto my little phone, my only photographic device at my avail, here’s my view as I’m alongside the gals snugged into the upper tail end on the liner.

That’s my right foot and leg precariously perched on a ledge (a similar stance was going on with my left leg but I was too anxious to have figured out to hold my phone horizontally for a full view) as the heifers were being chased on below me. Imagine a bull-rider about to sit on the back of a bull…yep, that would be the picture….

Why am I here? Why…to prevent the gals from coming back down that runway after being so cleverly chased on by hubby and the kids outside.

How does this old rancher gal hold back a bunch of 1200 pound bred heifers? She waves her little blue stick, by golly! Appears to have worked too…had them all quietly lined up.

Unfortunately, I only earned half marks though. Apparently I was supposed to be counting them as they clambered on below me….really?

Photo Challenge – Narrow

On August 5, 2016August 5, 2016 By colleengbergIn Photo ChallengesLeave a comment

This week’s photo challenge ties in nicely with my little adventure yesterday. For some reason and without warning…my fancy Dodge Ram truck wouldn’t start after I returned from walking through my contented cows.

I had dropped in at one of our pastures along the highway on my way home from the city still half an hour from home. Guess my fancy truck felt she’d give me a little attitude because she maybe thought pasture-checking was beneath her and she had just had such a fine time cruising the paved streets of the city for a few days????

Most folks might not think this trailer bed is Narrow but this gal sure did. Didn’t know I would be required to steer [no power steering when the truck won’t start] this big old girl up this “narrow” ramp while the tow truck driver winched us up. It felt like the early stages of a midway ride when you slowly crawl up to scary heights unknown because you can’t see at all where your tires are.

Turns out we got ourselves lined up mighty fine.