Gus and Gabe Saga Continues - A new day, an old way! The day started earlier than usual because I was anxious to vet everyone thoroughly for any injuries. I particularly wanted check that everyone had full range of motion of their neck and limbs, and do a good auscultation of their lung wary of chest trauma from yesterday’s carnage. Exams revealed just minor cuts, scrapes, and bruised egos - nothing the good doctors couldnt fix. The plan for the day was to start by having Gus and Gabe individually introduced to our two cows at the top of the pecking order, then both together with the rest of cows, then added each ox individually, then together, and finally the Bull. This was all done in the paddock (except the meeting the bull) because all the cattle are used to coming into the barn daily. Each one gets a little grain and groomed, so flopping them around to achieve the right mix was not unusual for them. It sounds more complicated than it really is. Weve never had trouble introducing new cattle to the herd using this method (but never added intact or recently castrated males this old,) and thankfully, it proved the same today. Maybe the little fellas got some sense knocked into their heads yesterday, or were too tired to start trouble, but whatever the case, today’s paddock time turned out to be a non-event! In fact, we did our usual training routine amongst the crowd, everyone got some extra grooming time, and I got some barn maintenance done. With everything going well, and running short of daylight (yes, it was a long day, but there was a lot at stake,) it was time to open the gate and let the cows, including Gus and Gabe into the pasture with the Bull. I filled my pockets with alfalfa cubes, grabbed my goad stick, and opened the gate. Our bull, Lion, was on the opposite side of the pasture with his head stuck in a round bale, but came to attention when he heard the gate chain bang and the gate swing open (I like it squeaky because it acts like a gate alarm - weve had horses that can open latches.) I kept Gus and Gabe towards the back of the pack (got to love those cubes!) so as to let the rest of the herd cloak them from Lion. Then it got interesting. Lion approached the oncoming herd and walked right through the middle to reach Gus and Gabe. Looked like a salmon swimming upstream. They started circling each other and after about 3 laps of each one smelling the other (about that trick of grooming everyone with the same brush!), Lion just turned away and walked to the water tank! Instead of Gus and Gabe challenging him, they followed Lion like a couple of calves following mom, all without any defensive posturing. Once at the tank and despite their being room for all to drink, the boys waited for Lion to drink only approaching the tank after he left! As for the oxen, after leaving the water tank, Gus and Gabe headed to the same bale the oxen were eating at. A quick head swing and stare down, and the little fellas decided to head to another bale. We double checked the fences since the boys performance would put us at ease that they could stay with the herd tonight, and I headed back to the barn to squeeze in a little training session with the calves when I caught a picture of Gus and Gabe hanging by the gate with Lion, as if to say - hey Lion, sorry about yesterday, but if we play our cards right, this human passes out alfalfa cookies and all we have to do is just follow him around! A good day for all! Added note - Evening barn check included a walk around the pasture. Guess whos sleeping on a previously devoured round bale - Lion, Gus, and Gabe....the new best friends! If only people could get along that well!
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 03:44:28 +0000