Working Cattle with the Cowboys

One of my most absolutely favorite things to do here at the ranch is…….(drum roll please) working cattle!!! Of course, as a city girl, I didn’t know exactly what was involved with working cattle or when you are supposed to work cattle. So here is a quick tutorial on what it means to “work cattle.” First off, you work “spring” calves – calves that are born January to March – in late April to early May, and you work “fall” calves – calves that are born September to November –  in late December to January.

This week, we have been able to join in on the fun of working cattle. The fun usually begins at 6:00 am when we roll out of bed. Soon after, we meet up with the cowboys, who have very kindly saddled our horses for us. As you can see in the photo, this morning was a very cold and windy morning with the sky taunting us with rain.

Today, when we herded the cow/calf pairs and bulls into the pens there was quite a bit of excitement which included the calves running off and one getting through a fence. Soon enough, the herd was coaxed to the pens and caught. Once the cattle were in the pens, we began “sorting” or separating the calves from their momma cows. Then began more fun: roping, dragging, and working the calves. This process begins by having a cowboy rope a calf and drag it to the ground team. The goal of the ground team (aka. “working the ground”) is to pull the calf on his side, keep his legs tight and to sit on the calf so the calf doesn’t move. After the calf is moderately controlled, the crew members begin working them. Working consists of:

• Branding the calves with the ranch brand, which is kind of like a company logo.
• Giving the calves each one shot of Bovishield (to prevent respiratory disease) and Ultraback (to prevent blackleg).
• Castrating the bulls (making the bull calves into steers).
• Giving the new steers a hormone implant, to replace what was lost and help them grow.
• Ear-notching the calves with a square notch so the calves can be identified as belonging to the ranch. 

All four of the Linsenmeyer crew members have been given the job of giving shots. A few times, Cate and I have been allowed to castrate, under careful instruction. I have also learned how to give calves the ear notch.  Out of all of these jobs, my favorite is the job of “working the ground”, as pictured.

Of course, after three days of this fun, all of us get a little worn out. A “happy nap” at 5:00 pm can come in handy sometimes. 🙂

In all of this activity, there have been a few mess-ups (mostly by me), but we have also shared a lot of jokes, laughter, and fun. Thanks to all the cowboys, we have learned a lot and have had an absolute blast in the process.