Moo Cow Monday ~ Fancy Black Friday Deals

Friday, after Thanksgiving, started out as any normal day on the ranch.

Everyone gets up at their normal time and starts their routine.

The big kids came in for the long weekend and Drewman was home.

Flower Boy had been looking to purchase some cattle.

I made one request...

"If you are going to buy, I want fancy heifers."

I can't seem to stop kicking myself for allowing that fancy #14 heifer to sell a few weeks back.

I might have a few regrets, but we have 3 just like her held in the pasture.

They were the summer born babies.

I settled with the thought of keeping those, when we sold #14.

We went to bed, Thanksgiving night, with Flower Boy pondering.

Long about 9am, Friday morning, a call and decision were made.

It was a spur of the moment, hook the trailer, hop in the truck and hit the road type deal.

 Video Credit = Drewman

Thanks to the Big Kids, again, for holding down the ranch while Flower Boy, Drewman and I headed out on a road trip.

Our road trip took us about an hour and a half south, to K Bar W Ranch.

We aren't big Black Friday shoppers.

When it comes to these type Fancy Black Friday Deals,

WE WERE ALL IN!

7 fancy heifers were in a holding pen, waiting on us.

After a tour of the ranch, those heifers were loaded on our trailer

and headed back to our pens.

Open the trailer and let them out!

Saturday, was a beautiful day!

Flower Boy and I spent some time with the girls.

I had my big girl camera.

I absolutely love these girls!

They are deep bodied, with straight backs and hips, and track like a dream.

These babies will pair nicely with the 3 heifers we have in the pasture.

They have some growing to do, before they can be placed with the bull, as they are just weaning age.

We can't wait to watch these fancy baby makers grow and produce more fancy babies!

 

Have a great Monday!

XOXO,

Rancher Girl

Moo Cow Monday ~ Got A Brand New Girlfriend!

This guy got to meet his new girlfriends on Friday!

Meryl is our heifer bull.

He is the bull we raised.

His momma was one of our best cows.

His daddy was one of our best bulls.

Meryl produces low birth weight calves that hit the ground growing.

 

Meryl has been hanging out in the pens, at the house, for a few months, just waiting for this moment!

 Flower Boy opens the trailer.

 Meryl exits.

 I always keep my distance from the bulls.

They kind of scare me...

 

Flower Boy and I drive around, to the next pasture, and call the Black Friday Heifers through the gate.

 The girls were in the center pasture, with the only entrance, joining the pasture we placed Meryl and that pasture is under this electric tower.

 Many people comment when they see photos like this, 

"Wow!  Your cattle are so tame to be coming through the gate under that tower!"

Well...

When they don't know any different, they don't know to be scared.

Flower Boy does a great job of directing and calling them across.

These girls have grown so much over the past year.

When we purchased them, they were just weaned from their mommas.

 

Meryl was on the opposite side of the creek.

He was actually destroying a small cedar tree!

Boys will be boys!

 

He finally realizes the feed truck and other bovine are waiting on him!

As he gets closer to the herd, it is evident he knows he's got brand new girlfriends!

 Note Meryl's head down and the stance/strut he is displaying.

 BOYS!

 Meryl smells all of his new girlfriends.

 He gives Flower Boy a quick eye and head nod of "Thank You!'

 We head back out the gate!

 All in an afternoon of ranch life!

 

If all goes as planned, the Black Friday Heifers will birth their calves in the fall of 2016.

I love afternoon like this!

It is much better than spending it at my desk!

Happy Moo Cow Monday!

XOXO,

Rancher Girl

An Ongoing Project - FENCE

Around the ranch, there is always fencing to be done.  When our home place was purchased, it was covered in red cedars, thick overgrowth, and had no fence on the north end.  Fence on the east and west sides are barely standing.  The fence is old and needs to be replaced. This project was started over a year ago.  We haven't been in any hurry to get it finished, so it has been one of those "get to it when we can" type jobs.

We started by clearing the overgrowth and removing trees and cedars.

Flower Boy drove the tractor.

While Drewman piled brush.

I watched the burn pile.

We even had a few helpers!

Then the guys started digging holes for corner posts.

After 20 plus holes had been drilled, we were ready to start setting corner posts.  This is where I get to do some work.

It was Black Friday, the three of us loaded in the truck and headed out to purchase a pallet of sack concrete.  41 bags at 80 pounds per bag, to be exact.

Let the fun begin!

Flower Boy and Drewman mix the concrete.  The post goes in the hole.  They place the mixed concrete in the hole with the post.

They tamp!

Tamping the wet concrete works out all the voids and air pockets that might be in the hole.  There may need to be some dry concrete added to the hole if the tamping doesn't make the post tight or firm in the hole.

I level the post, while the guys tamp.

The bubble on the level has to be between the lines or the post isn't level.  I learned early in life, when working to level corners, they have to be spot on!  Not a half bubble or even a quarter bubble off.  You check both side of the post for level.  The goal is to look down the fence line and all the posts, from corner to corner, be in a straight line.

Looking through these posts, you can see the posts set for the entry into the north pasture.

There are still many hours of work to be done.  We will get there, eventually, as it is a work in progress. 

I will make sure to update you.