Dusty Britches
Well-known member
Last night while checking cows, I heard a calf bawling and saw a newbie in the pasture next to our north pasture, about 50 yards from our fenceline. I had just moved the herd from that area, so I went to get the new calf to put it with the herd. I thought since he was new and little I could probably catch him without a rope.
After chasing it for several hundred yards I was able to reach up and grab the tail. He was really small, so I picked him up and carried him to the barn. I mean, why not tag him since I had him, right? And the barn was on the way to the herd. Tagged him, castrated him, notched the ears, cleaned the umbilical cord. I put the pigging string around his neck and he followed me like a puppy to the front pasture. I yelled over to my husband - Hey! I found a new doggie! Can I keep him?
I put him in with the herd, next to a cow I thought might be his momma. I quickly realized the error I made and re-caught him. After the entire herd checked him out and no one wanted this calf, I started to think, maybe this one doesn't belong to me.
Hmm. I called a friend. What should I do? To my surprise, he says, keep him in your yard and bottle feed him. "Uh, I don't have time for that. He needs his momma." When he said that's what he would do, I called his bluff. There aint no way he would do that. Well, he says, he'd feed the little guy for 2, maybe 3 weeks and then sell him. About that time I lost my cell phone signal.
I called the vet to see if I could leave the calf with him until we found his momma. While waiting on his return call, I called my other neighbor - the one who shares the fence where I found the calf. He is a skank, and I'll leave it at that. Naturally, Skank says, "I'll bet it is mine - I mean... if it ain't yours." Considering the circumstances, I had to agree. Then I told him the calf had been castrated, tagged, and notched. Sorry. Skank says, that's ok.
I carried the little calf over to Skank's pasture and through the gate. Since the herd was fixin' to walk by a location about 150 yards from us, I carried him down there. Soon the herd ran to him as I left the area. As I walked back to the house, my friend calls me. So, he askes what I decided to do. I told him and he says, "Oh! Don't do that! Finders keepers! You found it - he's yours!" I had to laugh.
Then the vet returned my call. I relayed the story to him. The vet says, "Oh, you know Skank is going to say that calf was his!" I said, "Well, I figured he was about 35-40 pounds and very skinny, so he wasn't mine." His reply - "Oh, yeah, definitely belongs to Skank, then."
After chasing it for several hundred yards I was able to reach up and grab the tail. He was really small, so I picked him up and carried him to the barn. I mean, why not tag him since I had him, right? And the barn was on the way to the herd. Tagged him, castrated him, notched the ears, cleaned the umbilical cord. I put the pigging string around his neck and he followed me like a puppy to the front pasture. I yelled over to my husband - Hey! I found a new doggie! Can I keep him?
I put him in with the herd, next to a cow I thought might be his momma. I quickly realized the error I made and re-caught him. After the entire herd checked him out and no one wanted this calf, I started to think, maybe this one doesn't belong to me.
Hmm. I called a friend. What should I do? To my surprise, he says, keep him in your yard and bottle feed him. "Uh, I don't have time for that. He needs his momma." When he said that's what he would do, I called his bluff. There aint no way he would do that. Well, he says, he'd feed the little guy for 2, maybe 3 weeks and then sell him. About that time I lost my cell phone signal.
I called the vet to see if I could leave the calf with him until we found his momma. While waiting on his return call, I called my other neighbor - the one who shares the fence where I found the calf. He is a skank, and I'll leave it at that. Naturally, Skank says, "I'll bet it is mine - I mean... if it ain't yours." Considering the circumstances, I had to agree. Then I told him the calf had been castrated, tagged, and notched. Sorry. Skank says, that's ok.
I carried the little calf over to Skank's pasture and through the gate. Since the herd was fixin' to walk by a location about 150 yards from us, I carried him down there. Soon the herd ran to him as I left the area. As I walked back to the house, my friend calls me. So, he askes what I decided to do. I told him and he says, "Oh! Don't do that! Finders keepers! You found it - he's yours!" I had to laugh.
Then the vet returned my call. I relayed the story to him. The vet says, "Oh, you know Skank is going to say that calf was his!" I said, "Well, I figured he was about 35-40 pounds and very skinny, so he wasn't mine." His reply - "Oh, yeah, definitely belongs to Skank, then."
