Capturing the Wild Calf

Oct
25


Glory Bee, locked up.

I’ve been trying to catch Glory Bee on and off for weeks. I got tired of chasing her in circles around the milk stand a long time ago, but 52 needed to have his turn.

He got a rope to lasso her like a cowboy. Only cowboys have horses so they can run as fast as calves, and we don’t have any horses.

We also have hills and rough terrain, and I don’t even think a cowboy on a horse could have caught this calf.

I’d like to see a cowboy ride circles around the milk stand with Glory Bee, then up the hill and down the hill and under the electric fence. It was impossible to herd Glory Bee into the milk stand pen. She had the wide open world at her disposal. So many different directions to go. Uphill. Downhill. The hinterlands.

She needed to be herded into a pen from a smaller world.

PLAN B:

Step 1. Put everybody in the goat house.

Including these people.

Step 2. Get Beulah Petunia.

Step 3. Tie her up inside the goat yard and leave the goat yard gate standing wide open.

Step 4. Wait for the baby to go looking for mommy.

Step 5. Slam the gate shut! (Forgive the lack of photos accompanying some steps due to the fast-paced activity involved.)

Step 6. Run the calf across the yard, away from the gate.

Step 7. Take mommy back out the gate and back where she belongs.

Step 8. Run back and forth and all over the goat yard until the baby runs into the confined space of the goat pen.

Step 9. Slam the goat pen gate on her. Corner the wild calf and get a rope on her!

Step 10. Struggle with ill-fitting halter. Give up on halter and lovingly convince angry, bucking calf to walk from the goat yard to the milk stand pen.

Step 11. Shut the angry, bucking baby in the milk stand pen and finally get the halter on her. (Don’t forget to go back and shut the goat yard up again and let everybody out of the goat house.)

Step 12. Start crying when the calf escapes.

Then we went down and moved the sheep. It was a nice break from the exhausting wild calf.

Hello, Annabelle, you beautiful creature.

The sheep have finished mowing and trimming Frank’s field.

We moved them back to our bottom pastures for the winter. (The grass hasn’t grown up there much since we took the donkeys and BP off it, but it’s just about hay-feeding season anyway. It was time to get them back to our own fields, and back to the creek so we don’t have to carry water to them.)

Back to the baby…..

Further secure the pen then repeat steps 1 through 11 above. Do not, under any circumstances, repeat step 12.

(If you missed yesterday’s Glory Bee mad mooing video, it’s in this post.)

BP seemed to take the whole thing in stride. She sat down not far from the milk stand and read a book all afternoon. For once, she didn’t have to chase the baby. I think she was relieved.

BP: “Children are such a burden.”

As a bonus, BP didn’t run off to the hinterlands to spend the night in a thicket as usual. She stayed by the pen with Glory Bee. They were eager to be with each other by morning.

Glory Bee, drunk from her milk binge after I brought BP into the milk stand pen yesterday morning:

For now, I’ll be keeping Glory Bee in the pen fulltime, but as soon as I get a collar, I’ll be able to put a lead on her and take her out for walks. Still, I’ll be keeping her in the pen most of the time, bringing BP in morning and evening at milking time for me and Glory Bee to share, until she tames down and decides to like me because I don’t want to repeat steps 1 through 11 again.

We’re gonna be best friends, me and Glory Bee!

Whether she likes it or not.





Comments

  1. lizzie says:

    I know Glory Bee is a naughty girl, but I am in love with her, she is soooo beautiful! that is how she gets away with it! I noticed in your pictures that the leaves are almost gone on some of the trees already, I guess winter is really going to come! :sheepjump:

  2. Karen Anne says:

    Why does she have to be in the pen most of the time? Doesn’t BP get to roam?

  3. Lacey says:

    Oh my! That picture between steps 10 and 11 is absolutely priceless. I had dairy heifers in high school and I just loved the entire experience.

  4. bonita says:

    She’s got more personality than the complete cast for a Disney movie. Sorry she joined the WWF so early in her career. Guess she took advantage of your besottedness!

  5. Michelle says:

    You’ve got to admire her spunk! And that fuzzy, milk-frothy lower lip makes me want to give her big smooches! Ah, babies… so much work, but also so completely, irresistibly sweet. :cowsleep:

  6. Darlene in North Ga says:

    Glory Bee in that last picture: “Woman, that’s what YOU think!!”
    Such a cute face…even when she’s MAD.

  7. Rose H says:

    I think you deserve a medal for your calf wrangling Suzanne. :hug: I know GB is goregeous, but likes to think she’s a wayward teenager! Sorry she escaped, but I think she was just having her (last) fling. I’m sure once she decides that she loves you too things will get easier for you both. :cowsleep: Glad that BP is not too perturbed by the whole incident. :happyflower:

  8. Tracey In Paradise,Pa. says:

    :purpleflower: Love it….thanks for sharing..Who would of thought GLORY BEE would be better than a exercise bike?

  9. Julie says:

    She’s ornery but ohhh so cute!

  10. 4jsMOM says:

    I get my morning started off just right when I start it with CITR. Love that Glory Bee and all your stories about her. That last picture is a “IF LOOKS COULD KILL” winner.

  11. jackie c. says:

    Glory Bee brings new meaning to “bull headed”. She sure is a cutey, too bad beauty is, as beauty does is not in her lexicon. The whole experience would have been a bigger nightmare had BP got all huffy about the baby.
    :moo: I loved the video.

  12. kerri says:

    Well done! And oh, what a relief it is, I’m sure :happyflower: I love the closeup of BP. And Glory Bee’s milk mouth. And sweet Annabelle. And this whole post. Thanks for chuckles this morning, Susan. I hope your day goes well.

  13. texwisgirl says:

    It was great to see Beulah Petunia just taking it all in stride – and actually de-stressing for the afternoon. Obviously she trusts you’ll take care of her little scamp so she doesn’t need to be involved with the wrangling.

    Hope you’re able to find a collar or halter that fits Miss GB!

  14. Miss Becky says:

    oh my word. that calf is a cutie. I love the photo of her after her drunken milk binge. congratulations on your capture of Glory Bee, finally. when she was born, looking so cute and tame, did you have any clue that THIS was the road ahead??? Ha! I’m certain this story is to be continued… :yes:

  15. BeckyW says:

    You’ll look back on this adventure next spring and chuckle!

  16. Barbee says:

    I ditto everything written above. Especially cute the way BP looks relieved to leave that youngun’ to you to handle for a while. I think if she could talk she would thank you for finally corralling the little rascal so she could get some peace, rest and relaxation. When we moved here to the Bluegrass Area of Kentucky where thoroughbred race horses reign supreme, we were told a halter was put on the babies as soon as they were born and cleaned up. Now I understand why.

  17. Vicki in So. CA says:

    So it wasn’t milk foam on her mouth in yesterday’s picture. It was an I’m Mad as a Hornet’s Nest and I’m Never Gonna Let You Catch Me Mwah ha ha foam. Happy to see BP was ok with the wrangling adventure. Maybe the worst is over now… maybe.

  18. Heather says:

    I sure am glad that we aren’t the only ones that have rodeo days. Sadly mine usually involve the bulls (young ones that have no sense about them). Oh and we have 2 horses…. they aren’t broke yet, so they don’t do us much good in the cattle herding department. We really need to work on that.

  19. Ramona says:

    She’s so stinkin’ cute!

  20. Nezzy says:

    Well, ya do have to declare farm life is never ever dull!!! O how this farm chick longs for a dull moment every now and again!!! Heeehehehe!!!

    Ya’ll have the most beautifully blessed day now, ya hear!!!

  21. Courtney says:

    Do you know the Throwback at Trapper Creek blog? She writes fabulous, informative posts about her cows. https://matronofhusbandry.wordpress.com/

  22. Lynne says:

    Forgive me if you’ve already talked about this, but where will momma and baby stay this winter?

  23. Patrice says:

    I like your determined attitude!

  24. Mz E says:

    Glory Bee in time-out, I luv it!!!

  25. Lisabeth Olson says:

    Suzanne, this is priceless. I raise calves for a living and everything you have said I have gone through. I bucket break mine and feed them with a bucket. I should send you photos of that experience, but I am always the one doing it and the one behind the camera. I have raised and sold calves that I can still go to their now home and call them and they will come to me running. I have had them come and play with me instead of their calf friends. If you spend a few minutes every time you let her a BP together or any calf and mom you will be able to call her and not have to chase her. Also when they goe old enough for grain you can take them anywhere with a bucket of grain. Just let them put their head in the bucket, get a mouthful and take it a little further and away and they will go anywhere for you. It works. I even have a bull that if I don’t use the grain on him he will run and get the whole herd running, but if I use the grain trick he is a baby on a leash and all the girls follow him. Try it and let us know how it works for you.

  26. Connie W says:

    Yay! Determination. We have a little sheep like this, Susie “the surprise” lamb. Little brat breaks free all the time from our herd and wanders all over the place!

  27. lola23 says:

    Been looking at your cow photos for a while now, considering commenting. I don’t know how old she is, but she was in fairly poor condition when you got her, and still is. You’ve got a cold winter coming up. If I were you, I’d dry off that calf, stop milking her and give her a lot more feed, to help her make it this winter. Otherwise, don’t be surprised to have a cow carcass to deal with. Here are a couple links to help you understand dairy cow condition:

    https://www.uaex.edu/other_Areas/Publications/PDF/FSA-4008.pdf

    https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G3170

    How to feed: https://animalscience.tamu.edu/images/pdf/dairy/dairy-managing-milk-composition.pdf

    There are plenty more online. Just google “dairy cow body condition grading”.

  28. Judy says:

    You ‘so’ make me want critters!

  29. Pyra says:

    Ooooh I loooove her eyes!!! :heart:

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