Everyone is Pregnant!

Very pregnant "Frenchy" couldn't fit into the cattle chute.
 

My large animal vet, Dr. Gano from Orchard Veterinary Practice in Wilmington, spent a couple of hours yesterday afternoon worming, vaccinating and pregnancy checking the herd.  I am happy to report that all the girls are pregnant.  Valentine and Vera B. seem to be carrying their AI'd calves and should calve March 23 to Burbank.  The others will calve  between March and June with calves from either BTAP Thor or CEH In Focus (Bobby).

Running my animals through the cattle chute is always a difficult process. They all know from past experience that time in the chute means pain and some indignities (pregnancy checking). And too, the chute is a tight fit for my big Limousin cattle.  Yesterday, the chute was too small for several of the more pregnant cows.  French Silk Pie, better known as Frenchy was a case in point. She doesn't have a deep body like Violet and Valentine. Frenchy is round like a barrel and the closer she get to calving the rounder she gets.  She refused to squeeze into the chute and instead tried to do her imitation of a deer and jump the corral. 

Unfortunately for the corral she was too pregnant to make it over. Big tall Frenchy reared up on her hind legs and tried to jump over the corral gate but only managed to get her self hung up on the gate with her pregnant belly holding her back. For about five minutes she teetered on the gate  - which she bent beyond repair, first her hind feet on the ground, then her front feet on the ground, unable to get her belly over the gate. She was cutting off her air and getting panicked. It took three of us to get the corral panels detached from the gate so the gate would collapse and release her.  An 1800 pound pregnant cow hung up on a gate puts a lot of pressure on the gate fasteners, but we finally got her free and she happily returned to munching hay like nothing had happened. The vet assured me she had not damaged her unborn calf.

BTAP Thor, coming two year old bull

BTAP Thor, the coming two year old bull, hadn't been in the chute since he was a calf.  When it was his turn he ran down the runway and into the chute thinking he could run right through it. Imagine his surprise and fury when he was caught in the head gate. He fought the chute like a demon, trying like crazy to get out, but all he managed to do was make a lot of noise and rock the chute from side to side. He got his vaccinations and worming pour on despite all the ruckus. Next year he will be too big for that chute, but next year hopefully he will be living on some other farm!

At the end of the day I headed for the house exhausted and achy from man handling all those 1500 to 1800 pound frightened babies.  The former show girls who had been halter broke were much easier to handle then the general range cattle - like Frenchy - and I renewed my determination to halter break this years calves.  Already ZZ Tom has a major "bull" attitude and little BTAP Zooey, who had her first time in the chute and didn't like shots and ear piercings at all, is as wild as a deer.  As I reached for the Advil bottle I silently vowed to get those two locked up in the barn this winter for some serious manners training.