This morning we had a little bit of excitement here. My dairy farmer had just come in from the barn after morning chores and was fixing himself something to eat. We were chit-chatting when something caught the corner of my eye from the driveway but I didn’t say anything about it, just continued on with whatever I was saying. A few moments later something caught my DF’s eye and he took a closer look…yep, you guessed it. Several heifers (young female cattle that haven’t had a calf yet) had escaped.
Dang it! It was only my DF and I and of course TK on the farm today. Rounding up heifers is not a fun one-man job so I bundled TK up, jumped in the Gator and we took off to help my DF.
Recreating the scene of the escape. Somehow the girls shimmied off the chain and simply pushed the gates open!
We had 12 girls running around kicking up their heels around the barns. They were very excited. I think I even heard them giggling. My DF was able to round up 10 on his own and herd them back to the barn, but there’s always the last two stragglers holding out, requiring a special invitation. With lots of patience and by using the Gator to help corral them, TK and I were able to help my DF get them back in with the rest and all safely in their pen. We were an efficient team and the whole ordeal took less than 20 minutes.
TK, dressed in his reindeer pram with antlers on the hood, was tucked into a Baby Bjorn carrier facing the world while all this was going on. He never made a peep. He seemed to understand the serious nature of the situation and watched intently as we took care of getting the cattle safely back in their pen. It reminded me of his dad’s calm and patient nature working around the animals that I admire so much. I wonder if he’s picked it up on our nightly walks to the barn to visit my DF while he is doing chores.
Regardless, some day, when asked at a party or if he needs a random fact about himself, TK can share that he’s been chasing cows since before he could walk.
Farm Life Love 