7 brandings in the last 11 days.

[Dave]

About 1500 calves total. Mostly just your normal run of the mill brandings. Rope them, drag them to the fire, we will brand, vaccinate, castrate, and dehorn any that need that. Most of the community shows up. Everyone works but that spreads the work out. Good times with friends and good food afterwards.
The one yesterday stands out 250 calves and only 5 ropers. Ground crew was short handed too. We were branding away and abuot three quarters done. A big black cloud was headed our way. Rope them faster boys it is about to get wet. Well the wet beat the ropers. The ground crew (me included) is slipping around with 2 inches of mud on the bottom of our shoes. Don't slide them in by the heels guys. Head them and bring slow and standing. Better to have to wrestle them than have them covered with mud. The cloud passed just in time for us to get finished. We are all soaked and covered with mud. But heck I have been a whole lot wetter and this should make the grass grow. Dale did hit me in the arm with a vaccination gun. I am glad that it was only a 3/4 inch needle because I think it went in to the hilt. The good news is I won't get blackleg. But I really wasn't worried about catching that.

 

[wbvs58]

About 1500 calves total. Mostly just your normal run of the mill brandings. Rope them, drag them to the fire, we will brand, vaccinate, castrate, and dehorn any that need that. Most of the community shows up. Everyone works but that spreads the work out. Good times with friends and good food afterwards.
The one yesterday stands out 250 calves and only 5 ropers. Ground crew was short handed too. We were branding away and abuot three quarters done. A big black cloud was headed our way. Rope them faster boys it is about to get wet. Well the wet beat the ropers. The ground crew (me included) is slipping around with 2 inches of mud on the bottom of our shoes. Don't slide them in by the heels guys. Head them and bring slow and standing. Better to have to wrestle them than have them covered with mud. The cloud passed just in time for us to get finished. We are all soaked and covered with mud. But heck I have been a whole lot wetter and this should make the grass grow. Dale did hit me in the arm with a vaccination gun. I am glad that it was only a 3/4 inch needle because I think it went in to the hilt. The good news is I won't get blackleg. But I really wasn't worried about catching that.

I hope your arm is OK Dave. Did he pull the trigger?

Ken

 

[Dave]

I hope your arm is OK Dave. Did he pull the trigger?

Ken

I don't know. Pulling back on that design vaccination gun you are pulling on the trigger. I doubt that he squeezed the trigger. Did he pull back or me move forward? Which happened first? It is a little sore and has a hard knot but just localized to that spot. But I have been vaccinated for polio, small pox, measles, mumps, and other things. Why not black leg?

 

[Dave]

That was nearly 2 weeks ago. I have been to 5 more branding since then. I think we are down to just the clean up brandings for a few late cows. The only injury is a cowboy who broke his leg while wrestling with another cowboy well after the branding was over. There is a fine line between tough and stupid. We know which side of the line those two are on.

 

[coachg]

Wow ! Need photos of that .

 

[Dave]

Wow ! Need photos of that .

Photos? Of Luke and Levi wrestling? I have been pretty busy. I never thought to take the camera to any of the brandings. The wife took one picture of the branding here and the battery went dead. Attached is the one and only picture from this year. She went to the house a put in a fresh battery but never came back to the corral as she got busy fixing lunch for the crew. Western tradition is who ever is having a branding fixes a meal for all the help. Part of the fun of having community brandings.

 

[coachg]

Thanks !