inyati13
Well-known member
Darkest had descended and what warmth the day had brought had dissipated. In a last gulp, I finished my second glass of merlot and the warm calmness of the night and the alcohol had me dreaming of bed. I got a call on my cell phone. My neighbor nervously ask, “Where is your bull?” I said, “Johnny, he is suppose to be in the ridge pasture.” Johnny said, “I thought so, then my bull is in with you open heifers.” I said, “Johnny, that is not good.” Johnny said, “I guess you got them there because you don’t want them bred.”
Johnny was suffering some stress. I told him not to worry, “the thing to do now is to get the bull out”. He said, “I am charging my light, I will go out right now and try to get him back on my side but you have a heifer in heat and I don’t think there is much we can do before morning.” I said “Johnny, don’t worry, this is not life or death, I am coming over right now. Just take it easy.”
It took me 20 minutes in the dark to drive to the farm. When I got to the shop, I parked the car and got out into the cold clear December night. I looked over to the fence line between me and Johnny and I could see a weak beam of light where there was a gate between our properties. As I was looking, I saw a spectacular shooting star blaze across the clear December sky. I thought for a millisecond “what a wonderful night this is.”
I opened the shop and got my high intensity LED light. I opened the gate into the handling facility and walked out into the pasture. I stood for a moment in the wonderful darkness of the night. Every star was bright and shining. I could hear Johnny trying to coach his bull through the gate between our properties. Every now and then, I would hear, “You SOB, you GD SOB.” I could tell Johnny was very upset. I walked half the distance to the fence. My girls already knew daddy was back at the farm. Tatum was already running toward me. Johnny, yelled. “HeII, get back. I almost got him through the gate. All shyt.” I could see in the darkness that my heifers and the two open cows were coming to daddy. I could see the bull following close behind Melaina who had been in her estrus pattern since Sunday. I think she was well beyond breeding but the odor was still alluring to the bull.
I started back to the facility. I had my plan in head to bring the girls into the feeders and block out the bull. Then, I would run him into the bull pen where I keep Spartacus. Spartacus was out with the fall breds so that left the bull pen free for Johnny’s bull. Just as I do every morning, I put the girls in the lot around the shop. When the bull tried to follow Melaina through, I cut him off. I diverted him into the high security section of the prison.
Johnny came up the hill to the handling facility as I was locking his bull up for bad behavior. Johnny’s first words were, “I could have got him through the gate if your cows had not started running toward you.” I said, “Johnny, the bull is safely away from my open heifers. He has water and I will throw him a few flakes of hay. He has hotwire around him tonight. We can move him back over to your side when we can do it in the light.”
Johnny is a wonderful friend. He knows how much I love my cows. He was stressed because he was worrying about what his bull may have done to my heifers. He knows I AI and that I don’t want my heifers with a bull until I say so. Johnny works very hard. He does auto body work in Maysville. His wife works at a chicken fast food restaurant. He is about 4 years my junior, but running his bull in the dark and then walking up the hill had finished him. I said, “Come on, Johnny, let’s get inside the shop.” I got a lawn chair and he sat down. He looked up at me. He had on a brown pull-over head cover with an opening for his face. He looked at me and said, “Ron, I am too old to run after cattle. I think 30 years of breathing paint fumes has about got me.” I said, “Johnny, don’t worry about your bull. He did no harm that I cannot take care of. You sit there and rest and when you are done, let me drive you home.”
In a few minutes, Johnny picked up his tobacco stick, a bucket of feed that he had carried and said, “I will walk home. Will you put some water out for my bull.” I said, “I’ll put it out before I go home tonight.” He stood up from the lawn chair and said, “When you bought this place, I thought I was in for trouble. David said you were hard to get along with. Thanks for putting up with me.”
After Johnny left, I went out into the night and stood under the beautiful canopy of stars. The night was crisp and dry. I was just glad to be alive. No reason to be upset over things that happen.
Johnny's Bull In my pen this morning;
As best as we can tell, he jumped this gate:
This is looking back toward myside:
Johnny was suffering some stress. I told him not to worry, “the thing to do now is to get the bull out”. He said, “I am charging my light, I will go out right now and try to get him back on my side but you have a heifer in heat and I don’t think there is much we can do before morning.” I said “Johnny, don’t worry, this is not life or death, I am coming over right now. Just take it easy.”
It took me 20 minutes in the dark to drive to the farm. When I got to the shop, I parked the car and got out into the cold clear December night. I looked over to the fence line between me and Johnny and I could see a weak beam of light where there was a gate between our properties. As I was looking, I saw a spectacular shooting star blaze across the clear December sky. I thought for a millisecond “what a wonderful night this is.”
I opened the shop and got my high intensity LED light. I opened the gate into the handling facility and walked out into the pasture. I stood for a moment in the wonderful darkness of the night. Every star was bright and shining. I could hear Johnny trying to coach his bull through the gate between our properties. Every now and then, I would hear, “You SOB, you GD SOB.” I could tell Johnny was very upset. I walked half the distance to the fence. My girls already knew daddy was back at the farm. Tatum was already running toward me. Johnny, yelled. “HeII, get back. I almost got him through the gate. All shyt.” I could see in the darkness that my heifers and the two open cows were coming to daddy. I could see the bull following close behind Melaina who had been in her estrus pattern since Sunday. I think she was well beyond breeding but the odor was still alluring to the bull.
I started back to the facility. I had my plan in head to bring the girls into the feeders and block out the bull. Then, I would run him into the bull pen where I keep Spartacus. Spartacus was out with the fall breds so that left the bull pen free for Johnny’s bull. Just as I do every morning, I put the girls in the lot around the shop. When the bull tried to follow Melaina through, I cut him off. I diverted him into the high security section of the prison.
Johnny came up the hill to the handling facility as I was locking his bull up for bad behavior. Johnny’s first words were, “I could have got him through the gate if your cows had not started running toward you.” I said, “Johnny, the bull is safely away from my open heifers. He has water and I will throw him a few flakes of hay. He has hotwire around him tonight. We can move him back over to your side when we can do it in the light.”
Johnny is a wonderful friend. He knows how much I love my cows. He was stressed because he was worrying about what his bull may have done to my heifers. He knows I AI and that I don’t want my heifers with a bull until I say so. Johnny works very hard. He does auto body work in Maysville. His wife works at a chicken fast food restaurant. He is about 4 years my junior, but running his bull in the dark and then walking up the hill had finished him. I said, “Come on, Johnny, let’s get inside the shop.” I got a lawn chair and he sat down. He looked up at me. He had on a brown pull-over head cover with an opening for his face. He looked at me and said, “Ron, I am too old to run after cattle. I think 30 years of breathing paint fumes has about got me.” I said, “Johnny, don’t worry about your bull. He did no harm that I cannot take care of. You sit there and rest and when you are done, let me drive you home.”
In a few minutes, Johnny picked up his tobacco stick, a bucket of feed that he had carried and said, “I will walk home. Will you put some water out for my bull.” I said, “I’ll put it out before I go home tonight.” He stood up from the lawn chair and said, “When you bought this place, I thought I was in for trouble. David said you were hard to get along with. Thanks for putting up with me.”
After Johnny left, I went out into the night and stood under the beautiful canopy of stars. The night was crisp and dry. I was just glad to be alive. No reason to be upset over things that happen.
Johnny's Bull In my pen this morning;
As best as we can tell, he jumped this gate:
This is looking back toward myside:
