Boys are in MO, RR wreck, and more fencing is happening.

[Kathie in Thorp]

Hubby and son landed in MO today, to visit 100 yr. dad with term. cancer. Hope they have a wonderful visit!

Had already planned to fence in the last piece we needed to fence in -- about football field size right out in front of the house -- and not deal with willow patches and brush in the other pastures when we start calving mid-May. Have help to do that next weekend, even though the boys won't be here. We'll have an easy area to check cows day or night.

Saw something really bad yesterday. On the way to work, I have to go over a RR crossing on a county road, and as I went across, saw 2 beef down and one standing just off the road from the X'ing along the grade. The two down had lower bodies below on the grade and feet above -- not good. Got ahold of one of the nearby neighbors, that was not missing cattle, but he said another was. Cattle had been showing up all night on/along the road near him/us -- some on the road, some in his yard, and the neighbor I called had brought those he saw in. We think a cougar may have gone through, run some through the fence (fence was all torn up) and they scattered. Others were all huddled together in the morning, in a protective stance in the pasture. 2 dead yearlings and one totally traumatized -- survivor was so shocked they had trouble moving her w/ horses and ropes. One of our fence lines runs along RR track. We've double-checked it.

Happy Wednesday!

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Oh, great . . . just found out wolves have been w/in a couple miles lately.

 

[Nesikep]

we have both of them in the area as well... the native horses (that run wild) routinely get taken by cougars, and a native guy that has cattle about 15 miles from us lost 18 out of 25 calves on his range to wolves... conservation officers come and look, but there's really not much action... I've heard that they're pretty close to us actually, but haven't seen any in the area. I did see a coyote in the corral the night after my last cow calved.. cow didn't seem concerned (she had already eaten the placenta) and was standing over her calf... Other than stealing chickens, we've had absolutely no problems with the 10 or so resident coyotes on our place... I have found 2 abandoned dens of theirs that I monitor a bit

We've only lost one calf to a predator... and that one walked upright

Hopefully you can keep your herd safe!

You getting a bit of better weather now? we've had some nice days and today was actually pretty warm

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Our weather has been warmer, here Nesi, but windy and on/off precip. So, not beautiful spring weather, but spring weather. There are lots of them around, but we have not had issues w/ coyotes either. Saw one walk across the pasture a few days ago. Haven't seen any big cats, but one crossed the neighbor's property mid-day a couple months ago, and one was hit by a car on the highway just above us a few weeks ago. Currently have a skunk SOMEWHERE out here around the buildings, and his presence is strong!