HEY! WHAT UP! COWS!
Blogging sucks, I'm bored of blogging. Anyway, here's some pictures from about a week ago!! Jeremiah and I helped Jeff move a bunch of cattle from one pasture to another. The whole process took a few hours as it usually does and went rather smoothly. Although, I still get sooooooooooo frustrated with the cows--they're so fat now and don't want to move!!!! Plus, my horse Sherman knows I don't exactly know what I'm doing, so he's lazy as all hell even though he knows what he's supposed to do to get the cows moving. So, I'm dealing with lazy cows and lazy Sherman. Ugh! After we got the cows home safe and sound, J and J helped me practice turns on Sherman. I'm always scared at first but I felt improvement. What we did was charge at trees and at the last minute make turns around them--a bunch of figure eights. I'm learning to lean with the horse like a motorcycle. Be one with the horse, yes!
On the way to find the cows! Jeremiah and Paint.
Such a relaxing day.
Cows, 64 to be exact. A lot of the time, we make noise at the cows to scare them or motivate them into moving their butts. So there's a lot of "CHH CHH CHH, AYE, UP-UP-UP-UP! HEY RED, MOVE YOUR ASS, DON'T EVEN LOOK AT ME, BLACKIE, KEEP IT MOVING! COME ON LADIES, LET'S GO!" You've gotta make it fun, ya know??
My boyfriend's a cowboy!
These next pictures are from a couple months ago when the vet came and spayed the cattle. (Cut out their ovaries.) I didn't get any pictures from the first day I was at a different ranch helping but it was a pretty intense day. I should warn you there will be some graphic pictures. This is where the cows are held while the procedure is being performed.
Just like this! The process is quite involved. This is going to be a lazy explanation BUT! the cows are held together in a corral--the first day we had 180--and then someone leads them into a smaller enclosure that holds maybe five or six. After that, another person leads them into a hallway-like enclosure where they stand one behind the other. The cows can get a bit pissy and jumpy at this point so there's at lease two people in charge of the hallway-like area to keep those jumpy cows in check, ya follow?? After the hallway, a door opens to this section. The cow charges forward at full speed to try and escape so there's 2-3 people on hand to squeeze the body and capture the head in the right position. I've never seen anything like it, totally blew my mind. AND that's just getting them in there. Shit gets bananas after that...
This was at the Jones's ranch the second day I helped. Around 60 that day.
So, the next part of the process takes place when the cow is trapped in the chute. First, someone would clean the cow by spraying their backside with solution. While this was happening, two people would give the cow shots and I would cut the existing tag off the cow's ear and tag them with a new tag to keep insects away. Then the doctor would come in... more about that in a sec... Everyone has to be super efficient in their jobs because each cow should ideally take only four minutes to get in and out of the chute. The first day was long, up at the crack of dawn and left the ranch around seven. These people know how to work hard!! 
I grew really fond of the cows throughout the process. When a cow is so close to you and moooing bloody murder, you can't help but feel their pain. The first day I got a little choked up but had to take a deep breath and keep it together. Everyone had a job including me, so that is what I did. This is me sending good vibes to one of the many cows. 
Great action shot. The cows get stuck in weird positions in there sometimes so we'd have to do whatever we could to get them standing up. 
My part of the job was much easier the second day. The Jones have a chute that keeps the cow's head in place so she can't flail from side to side or up and down. The first day, the chute didn't have the "head catch" and I had to be seriously cat-ninja to catch the cow's ear, not get hit by her head while she were freaking out, and find the right place on her ear to tag before she flailed again. Last year, Jeremiah got a concussion from a cow flailing like that and hitting his head. Even trapped the cows are super powerful. 
In between time. Can you spot the doctor?? 
I was wearing gloves because the first day, I chopped half my nail off while cutting a tag. Bled all over the place. GNAR! 
THIS is where the doctor comes in. He's the one who actually spays the cow. On a cow, the rectum and all the lady parts are aligned; so the doctor finds the ovaries by feel by inserting one hand into the anus. He then inserts a hollow tool into the lady parts area, places the ovaries into the tool using his other hand, and uses the tool to chop them off. I'm sorry if that's all seriously gross but it was incredibly interesting. WE EAT THESE COWS!!! 
A shot of the full set up. 
The doctor was fantastic. He just closed his eyes because he obviously didn't need them and worked tirelessly each day. Four minutes is amazing for a surgical procedure like that.
My tag gun. I had to find the right spot on the ear so as not to hit a major vein and make it bleed too much. 
I love the ranch. I learn amazing things every time I go there. 
Such a relaxing day. Cows, 64 to be exact. A lot of the time, we make noise at the cows to scare them or motivate them into moving their butts. So there's a lot of "CHH CHH CHH, AYE, UP-UP-UP-UP! HEY RED, MOVE YOUR ASS, DON'T EVEN LOOK AT ME, BLACKIE, KEEP IT MOVING! COME ON LADIES, LET'S GO!" You've gotta make it fun, ya know?? My boyfriend's a cowboy! These next pictures are from a couple months ago when the vet came and spayed the cattle. (Cut out their ovaries.) I didn't get any pictures from the first day I was at a different ranch helping but it was a pretty intense day. I should warn you there will be some graphic pictures. This is where the cows are held while the procedure is being performed. Just like this! The process is quite involved. This is going to be a lazy explanation BUT! the cows are held together in a corral--the first day we had 180--and then someone leads them into a smaller enclosure that holds maybe five or six. After that, another person leads them into a hallway-like enclosure where they stand one behind the other. The cows can get a bit pissy and jumpy at this point so there's at lease two people in charge of the hallway-like area to keep those jumpy cows in check, ya follow?? After the hallway, a door opens to this section. The cow charges forward at full speed to try and escape so there's 2-3 people on hand to squeeze the body and capture the head in the right position. I've never seen anything like it, totally blew my mind. AND that's just getting them in there. Shit gets bananas after that...This was at the Jones's ranch the second day I helped. Around 60 that day.So, the next part of the process takes place when the cow is trapped in the chute. First, someone would clean the cow by spraying their backside with solution. While this was happening, two people would give the cow shots and I would cut the existing tag off the cow's ear and tag them with a new tag to keep insects away. Then the doctor would come in... more about that in a sec... Everyone has to be super efficient in their jobs because each cow should ideally take only four minutes to get in and out of the chute. The first day was long, up at the crack of dawn and left the ranch around seven. These people know how to work hard!! 
I grew really fond of the cows throughout the process. When a cow is so close to you and moooing bloody murder, you can't help but feel their pain. The first day I got a little choked up but had to take a deep breath and keep it together. Everyone had a job including me, so that is what I did. This is me sending good vibes to one of the many cows. 
Great action shot. The cows get stuck in weird positions in there sometimes so we'd have to do whatever we could to get them standing up. 
My part of the job was much easier the second day. The Jones have a chute that keeps the cow's head in place so she can't flail from side to side or up and down. The first day, the chute didn't have the "head catch" and I had to be seriously cat-ninja to catch the cow's ear, not get hit by her head while she were freaking out, and find the right place on her ear to tag before she flailed again. Last year, Jeremiah got a concussion from a cow flailing like that and hitting his head. Even trapped the cows are super powerful. 
In between time. Can you spot the doctor?? 
I was wearing gloves because the first day, I chopped half my nail off while cutting a tag. Bled all over the place. GNAR! 
THIS is where the doctor comes in. He's the one who actually spays the cow. On a cow, the rectum and all the lady parts are aligned; so the doctor finds the ovaries by feel by inserting one hand into the anus. He then inserts a hollow tool into the lady parts area, places the ovaries into the tool using his other hand, and uses the tool to chop them off. I'm sorry if that's all seriously gross but it was incredibly interesting. WE EAT THESE COWS!!! 
A shot of the full set up. 
The doctor was fantastic. He just closed his eyes because he obviously didn't need them and worked tirelessly each day. Four minutes is amazing for a surgical procedure like that.
My tag gun. I had to find the right spot on the ear so as not to hit a major vein and make it bleed too much. 
I love the ranch. I learn amazing things every time I go there. 
1 comments:
sonj that is such an incredible experience! i mean all you get to do at the ranch is! it just makes me so happy to think of stuff like that, all the amazing things one gets to do see and experience through life.
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