Weaning Calves

We were up before the sun on Friday to gather and wean calves. It went pretty smooth, and we were done hauling the calves over the mountain by noon.  We've had them up in the corral all weekend with a dry Mammy Cow until they settle down. If all goes well, we'll let them out to graze today, and Mammy Cow will show them the ropes; where to get water, where to get salt, and where to bed down in bad weather.

Weaning is the loudest time of the year with a cacophony of bawling calves and mooing cows day and night. Not my favorite week.

Every morning when we go to check on the cows, they are in the same spot, just looking for their calves.  As a Mama myself, I feel a twinge of guilt, knowing how miserable they must feel with their udders all bagged up.  But those calves are nearly the height of the cows.  It was definitely time to cut off the milk supply.

Oh ya, I forgot to mention that weaning day was also my husband's birthday.  He worked from sun-up 'til sundown...by choice. I told him we could just take the day off and go to the city for a shopping trip, but he'd rather pull out his toenails one by one than spend the day at the mall...that's MY perfect birthday wish, not his. We did go to his favorite restaurant to have Chile Rellenos, and made a trip to the feed store to look at a pallet of fence stays.  Does that count as shopping? ;)  

Birthdays/ weaning days = homeschool holidays. The kids were great hands to have around with the gathering and sorting. Then they spent the afternoon playing in the pasture while Dad fixed fence.

Below, my son was chewing on a piece of grass while he was waiting for Dad to come driving down to the pasture gate.  He was trying to "blend in" with his surroundings. Ha Ha!  Just moments before, we scared up two big bucks that were bedded down in the tall grass.

We met Grandma and Pop Pop for a fish fry/ prime rib birthday dinner, and then headed home in the dark.  It was a long, productive birthday...just the way my husband wanted it.