No, the Corrientes were no problem. Just had a situation Saturday with having the 2 bulls come at the same time the dude who bought the Plummers was picking up his MFB. I needed to put the Brangus and 2 Corr heifers in the pasture where the MFB and Plummers were. 1st thing Saturday morning, Scott, Joe and Lisa, herded the Plummers and that bull into the portable corral Pedro had set up in our dove field pasture, while Clay and I rounded up the Corrs and the Brangus bull into our arena. We cut the Brangus and the 2 heifers out and put them in the return pen, the we started cutting out and turning back into the pasture, all the Corr cows except those with March babies. They were all still hanging out around the pond when Scott's brother got there with the 2 bulls we are gonna use, so he just opened the trailer and they jumped right out and went over to the cows. About that time, Joe and Lisa rode up...the Plummers and the MFB were gone. We had 43 calves to tag, and 25 of them to band, and the five of us got it done in less than an hour. Then we turned them out and they went to the back with the other cows. We decided with 5 of us there, we'd just drive the Brangus and the 2 heifers down the road to the dove field, rather than loading them on a trailer. When Joe and Lisa first got there, they had opened the gate between the corn field where their calves were, to the other 200 acres we wanted to put them in. When we rode down there with the Brangus and heifers, all their claves were already in the new pastures we wanted them in, so we just closed the gate back. After lunch, Scott went ahead and started discing that 100 acres, that he will plant in corn in a couple of weeks. Me and Clay loaded up to come back after lunch, and we met Joe, Lisa, and Zeke (on Scott's horse) bringing Gail and her calves to the Kudzu place. We decided to do that, since Gail was bred, in stead of putting them in the dove field. When it is time to wean her calves in June, we will just take Gail back out and leave the calves on that 26% protein Kudzu. And we will put the others there too, at weaning.I was just thinking.....
My gawd, what a lot of mess to do for some Corrientes that were easy keepers!!
Sounds like you got a plan tho.
You should buy some more nurse cows
No, I don't want no part of anymore nurse cows. We just want the 1/2 Brahma heifers each year. We won't have any need of a nurse cow with just the Corriente cows. The 4 people we have the other 4 farmed out to may fool with grafting, but we won't fool with Gail doing it again, except might have to graft one when she calves Oct-Nov.
It wasn't a mess at all. It was the most fun I have had in a while...working with 3 great horsemen (and horsewoman) with superb cow horses. I took 2 of my horses down there for me and Clay to ride. I also took Smoke, in case we did wind up with a mess (I was worried we might have a problem catching and loading that MFB, and I knew Smoke could catch him and drag him on the trailer) but they said he just went right on the trailer with the Plummer cows and calves as easy as you could ask for. I only used him when we initially got there and me and Clay gathered the cows in the Kudzu place and drove them to the arena.
Heeling 43 calves, my fingers gave out on me pretty quick (they start cramping and turn into claw sometimes) and the arthritis in my wrists was bad Saturday. And since Sunday I can not lift my right arm higher than my shirt pocket, without my shoulder killing me. I need to go to the doctor and see about it, I guess. I have just had my fill of doctors and hospitals these past 2 years. I am so glad this Corr herd we have now has about a 5 or 6 month calving period, instead of February like we used to do it. No way could I have roped 120 calves Saturday.