A cattle day

Another very heavy frost this morning so had to wait for the sun to get out of bed and melt it a little. As we needed to get a lame cow into the yards, it was necessary to move the two cows in the yards into the bull paddock and out of the way.
These two cows are existing 'patients'. One has a sore hind leg from being kicked by next door's bull. The other probably has arthritis in her hip. Both are in calf, so they can stay in the bull paddock, out of harms way. Both will be sold when the calves are weaned. They moved quite willingly for some lucerne hay. Janette reckons that lucerne is like chocolate to the cows.
I discovered a problem while doing this - the yards were exceedingly wet. I noticed the trough up the hill from the yards was empty. The cows had broken the water pipe feeding the trough and the water tank supplying it had emptied.
Now the plan was to group the cows on the road at the yards and then edge the patient through the gate. That way they're not all in the wet yards.
I took a roll of hay to the said position and we waited patiently for them to cross the creek. When they're hungry they run after the hay. They're not really hungry at the moment.
The plan worked. The patient was given penicillin and put into the bull paddock with the other two. I think we'll call the bull paddock the hospital paddock now especially as we don't have a bull at the moment.
After lunch, fixed the pipe to the trough.
When we sold the top block, Darren and Catherine bought our cattle on that block. Their cows calve in Autumn and ours in Spring. They shared our bull for two years with the plan for them to buy the next bull and we will share it. It's out 'at work' with their cows at the moment. It will finish at the end of July, rest for three months and then go out with our cows in November.Read more