snake67
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Reading wades comments about losing a cow in the pens by being "cast" I thought I would relate a story I wrote some years ago on Ranchers about a similar instance one very late night and a very early wet spring - about 7-8 years ago if I remember correctly.
Back in the old days we used to bring them up and park them on the house lawn when it got wet. I am not allowed to do that any more - which is too bad because it sure makes it easy to check them at night
Anyways - this is how it goes.
Bez
_________________________________________________________________________________
Last night it poured. Real hard and the wind was cold. So much for calving on grass this year. We should have calved on snow in March. The weather was perfect.
Well it is wet. Real wet. We have had almost 14 inches of rain over the past 9 days. The front lawn is under a foot of grass and the cows are standing in water and deep mud in the pasture. Their bellies are so dirty it is disgusting. And the latest calves honestly think this is normal weather, having never seen a sunny day in their short lives. Time to do some re-arranging
So this morning we decided to let them out - yet again onto the lawn for a bit of a break. I ran the bulls out of that slop we call a pen and put them back into the summer pasture. They can stay there by themselves for a week or two while this mess gets sorted out.
The yearlings are finally out in a decent pasture with some good slopes for water run off - so they will be OK for now as well. When it finally starts to dry we will put everyone back where they belong.
But I digress .....
We have about 20 left to finish off. And being as the youngest daughter was out - good old Dad stayed up to make sure everyone got home safe. At around half past midnight I noticed an animal seemed to be making some noise, and being as how I had just looked out the window a few minutes before that and seen everyone bedded under the apple trees I gave it little thought. But the noise seemed somewhat strange. Like a loud grunting.
So, being the curious type I grabbed the spotlight and walked out onto the back deck to see what the noise was. I could still hear it but I could not see it - so barefoot I stepped onto the lawn - carefully avoiding the rather runny flat piles of "stuff".
Lo and behold - just around the corner and a bit out of sight from the deck - one of the girls was on her back and kicking up a storm.
Cast!!
She is heavy bred and so round that the little hump she laid down on threw her over and she could not get up. Much longer from the sounds of her and she would have been dead. I fed her all winter - I was NOT going to lose that calf!
First time I have seen this - heard of it though. And we lost one a while back to this - but I had never actually SEEN it.
So, I run back in the house and grab the first pair of footwear I can find. Yeah - wouldn't you know it - right by the door. My good black dress shoes. Bare foot in my only good shoes - out I go. Now at the risk of giving someone a bad visual I was also in my house coat and rather commando beneath.
Of course it was still raining - but now I have a mission - so rain be *damned*. Run to the cow and give a quick attempt at wrestling her over. Horned Herf's have some nice handles to grab onto - no luck. She throws me off and I bury myself in - yeah - in my now open housecoat - right into one of those rather runny flat piles of "stuff". Face first.
Not to be discouraged - up I get. Off to the shop at a trot to grab a rope. Quick half hitch around the horns with a release knot and I step off to the side for a good pull. "Come on old girl help me out here." Rope comes off her horns and now I go backwards into a low spot with about 6 inches of water in it.
Clean on the back and filthy on the front I did not give up!
I considered calling for help but all were tucked in so nice and comfy - so I discarded that option for the moment.
Another loop around the horns and a good pull. This time she grabs a piece of dirt and staggers to her feet. Darn - I forgot the release this time!
So I jump the old girl while she is still a bit wobbly and grab the loop. She shakes her head.
At 6 feet and a bit and 230 with not a lot of jiggle I am a big boy. Now I have done a bit of bulldogging in my day - and I am not good enough to make money at it - but I have always been known as a person who could "hang on." And I did.
But those animals were a bit smaller than this one - she's a big old girl at 1500 pounds plus and somewhat stronger than me.
Off across the yard we go. Her p!ssed at this guy on her head and me scrambling to get the rope off. Next time it can stay there until we run her in the squeeze. Rope comes loose and off I come - right into the drainage ditch on the side of the driveway. Almost two feet of water - and cold! Thank heavens she stopped when she did or I would still be laying there.
So I walk to the house - picking up the light on the way. Throw my housecoat on the deck - let the rain take care of it until tomorrow morning. I left the shoes too. I even found the one that came off in the ditch.
I'll wash them under the hydrant tomorrow and then dry them out. Walk through the house straight into the shower - hot water does wonders but I know I will be stiff tomorrow.
As I write this wife hollers - "Do you know what time it is? Get off that computer and come to bed!!"
Yeah she thinks I have been sitting here on my *arse* all night. I'll let her know in the morning because she will want to know how my housecoat got so dirty and "Why is it out there in the deck?"
Night all,
Back in the old days we used to bring them up and park them on the house lawn when it got wet. I am not allowed to do that any more - which is too bad because it sure makes it easy to check them at night
Anyways - this is how it goes.
Bez
_________________________________________________________________________________
Last night it poured. Real hard and the wind was cold. So much for calving on grass this year. We should have calved on snow in March. The weather was perfect.
Well it is wet. Real wet. We have had almost 14 inches of rain over the past 9 days. The front lawn is under a foot of grass and the cows are standing in water and deep mud in the pasture. Their bellies are so dirty it is disgusting. And the latest calves honestly think this is normal weather, having never seen a sunny day in their short lives. Time to do some re-arranging
So this morning we decided to let them out - yet again onto the lawn for a bit of a break. I ran the bulls out of that slop we call a pen and put them back into the summer pasture. They can stay there by themselves for a week or two while this mess gets sorted out.
The yearlings are finally out in a decent pasture with some good slopes for water run off - so they will be OK for now as well. When it finally starts to dry we will put everyone back where they belong.
But I digress .....
We have about 20 left to finish off. And being as the youngest daughter was out - good old Dad stayed up to make sure everyone got home safe. At around half past midnight I noticed an animal seemed to be making some noise, and being as how I had just looked out the window a few minutes before that and seen everyone bedded under the apple trees I gave it little thought. But the noise seemed somewhat strange. Like a loud grunting.
So, being the curious type I grabbed the spotlight and walked out onto the back deck to see what the noise was. I could still hear it but I could not see it - so barefoot I stepped onto the lawn - carefully avoiding the rather runny flat piles of "stuff".
Lo and behold - just around the corner and a bit out of sight from the deck - one of the girls was on her back and kicking up a storm.
Cast!!
She is heavy bred and so round that the little hump she laid down on threw her over and she could not get up. Much longer from the sounds of her and she would have been dead. I fed her all winter - I was NOT going to lose that calf!
First time I have seen this - heard of it though. And we lost one a while back to this - but I had never actually SEEN it.
So, I run back in the house and grab the first pair of footwear I can find. Yeah - wouldn't you know it - right by the door. My good black dress shoes. Bare foot in my only good shoes - out I go. Now at the risk of giving someone a bad visual I was also in my house coat and rather commando beneath.
Of course it was still raining - but now I have a mission - so rain be *damned*. Run to the cow and give a quick attempt at wrestling her over. Horned Herf's have some nice handles to grab onto - no luck. She throws me off and I bury myself in - yeah - in my now open housecoat - right into one of those rather runny flat piles of "stuff". Face first.
Not to be discouraged - up I get. Off to the shop at a trot to grab a rope. Quick half hitch around the horns with a release knot and I step off to the side for a good pull. "Come on old girl help me out here." Rope comes off her horns and now I go backwards into a low spot with about 6 inches of water in it.
Clean on the back and filthy on the front I did not give up!
I considered calling for help but all were tucked in so nice and comfy - so I discarded that option for the moment.
Another loop around the horns and a good pull. This time she grabs a piece of dirt and staggers to her feet. Darn - I forgot the release this time!
So I jump the old girl while she is still a bit wobbly and grab the loop. She shakes her head.
At 6 feet and a bit and 230 with not a lot of jiggle I am a big boy. Now I have done a bit of bulldogging in my day - and I am not good enough to make money at it - but I have always been known as a person who could "hang on." And I did.
But those animals were a bit smaller than this one - she's a big old girl at 1500 pounds plus and somewhat stronger than me.
Off across the yard we go. Her p!ssed at this guy on her head and me scrambling to get the rope off. Next time it can stay there until we run her in the squeeze. Rope comes loose and off I come - right into the drainage ditch on the side of the driveway. Almost two feet of water - and cold! Thank heavens she stopped when she did or I would still be laying there.
So I walk to the house - picking up the light on the way. Throw my housecoat on the deck - let the rain take care of it until tomorrow morning. I left the shoes too. I even found the one that came off in the ditch.
I'll wash them under the hydrant tomorrow and then dry them out. Walk through the house straight into the shower - hot water does wonders but I know I will be stiff tomorrow.
As I write this wife hollers - "Do you know what time it is? Get off that computer and come to bed!!"
Yeah she thinks I have been sitting here on my *arse* all night. I'll let her know in the morning because she will want to know how my housecoat got so dirty and "Why is it out there in the deck?"
Night all,
