Mirror KB Ranch Tales of the Twin Wranglers   March 2009

March 18, 2009

Winter is really begin' to over stay it's welcome!  After two days of below zero temperatures, the mornin' of the 13th started out at a not so chilly four degrees above zero. As we rose from our beds we looked out our bedroom window to see the cows had left their night beds an' were driftin' across the pasture to the regular winter feed ground close to the barn. But one cow was missin'.  It was Lady, the big Hereford cow.

 

Kari towel dries the heifer while Sage checks out the new kid.

At the house we gave the frosted heifer a lukewarm bath in the big guest bathtub, then towel dried her off an' left her to nap under a heat lamp.  Meanwhile, we went back out to move Lady to the barn area, but the stubborn ol' fool refused to leave the area where she'd last seen her calf.  We'd managed to move the cow half way to the barn, before she turned back on us.  We hazed, we cursed, but could not convince her to leave the calvin' ground.  By this time the calf was warmed up an' ready to nurse, so we switched to a new tactic.   We put the calf in the Kubota bucket then drove out to where her mama stood her ground - across the pasture under the fir tree. The tractor vibrated an' jerked as it slowly forced it's way through the deep snow.  It was a rough ride for the calf but Kim held her safely in the bucket an' we finally made it to where Lady waited.  For a few minutes we let mama an' baby bond, then loaded the calf back onto the tractor bucket.  Maneuverin' the tractor backwards through the snow, followin' the tracks we'd previously made, we headed to the barn.  Though we moved slower 'n a snail on crutches there was a time or two we thought we were about to lose mama cow.  Each time Lady stopped to look back across the pasture an' bawled for her calf, we'd halt our dawdlin' parade an' let her nuzzle the heifer. "Yep, your baby is still here, keep a comin' ol' girl, keep a comin'."  Well, eventually we did make it, an' with very little trouble got both mama an' baby into the barn corral an' bedded in a stall.

At this point we thought all of our troubles were behind us, but that wasn't so. Though Lady's milk bag was full, for some reason no milk would spurt out of her teats so the calf could get nothin' to eat.  Ultimately we figured out that the teat plugs (a waxy substance that usually falls out of the teats quite easily) had probably become frosted due to the sub zero temperatures that we'd had recently so were now firmly stuck. 

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March 11, 2009

Though we had a hint of spring early in the month, winter has made a serious comeback.  We've been gettin' snow, snow, an' more snow since last Saturday an' this mornin' it started out at a nippy twelve degrees below zero.  Forecasters tell us that temperatures will be warmin' up again as the week progresses through the week-end...could get a little more snow or maybe even a bit of rain. 

Anyway, with the  accommodatin' sunny weather earlier this week we were able to band an' ear tag the new bull calves, then turned 'em back out to pasture with the rest of the herd.  Our dog, Otter is fascinated by the new calves. If their mamas allow it, he'll tag along after a calf, sniffin' it here 'n there, his tail waggin' from side to side. He must be one of those who claim that the smell of a newborn babe is awesome.

Though we did get a light snow early in the week Friday the 6th turned out to be a beautiful sunny day an' not too cold considerin' that it started out in the teens. But with few clouds to block the rays of the sun, it pert near felt balmy....so we saddled up two of the horses an' enjoyed a long awaited ride.  First we rode around in the north cow pasture a little while, then reined the horses out the ranch gate an' rode out to fetch home the mail.

Just as we returned with the mail, a neighbor from the ranch south of us pulled in on his four wheeler. He'd been wantin' to come over to photograph the elk so we'd invited him to ride along with us on the tractor at feedin' time.  He only had one of those point 'n shoot throw away cameras so we knew we'd have to get him pert near as close to the elk as a new born colt will shadow his dam.

So we told our guest to stay on the tractor until we'd fed out all of the hay.  This was mainly for his own safety, but also we hoped that the elk wouldn't pick up on the fact that we had a stranger amongst us. The elk were a tad bit more nervous but still we were able to get him much closer to the herd of elk than he had ever thought possible. He was thrilled to be able to capture the elk on film, but was also captivated with the idea that he was so darn close to actual wild elk.  Jokingly he asked us if we were a wildlife park instead of a ranch. Sometimes we wonder 'bout that ourselves.

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March 3, 2009

A winter storm blew in with more snow an' a raw wind two days before we crossed the border into March.  It was a bitter day even though the thermometer read  twenty-two degrees Fahrenheit - above zero. Performing as weather vanes the horses dropped their heads an' turned tails into the blustery wind. As the snow slowly melted off the horses' backs icicles in turn, grew from their bellies an' flanks.