How to Move Large Animals

Yesterday it was Sunday (well we all know that already ) and it was Hugo’s day off (and he was lying on the couch with a “cold in his face” – later he got up off the couch and made more of Pats banana pudding as medicine)  and John was chain-sawing dried tree trunks from a hedge the farmer took down so Hugo could split them next week. Well you get my drift. I did not want to call for help  thereby  interrupting any of these other important activities so I swanned off to move Queenie’s Bobby by myself.  I wanted to bring him home to create another mini herd.

Queenie’s Bobby is a big beast. Nothing like the slight Daisy’s Bobby who I can move about with my hip. Queenies Bobby is huge.

But a lonely cow is such a sad cow so I wanted him home.

But to get him to the stock trailer I had to move him through the big empty West Barn, around a corner and down into a race that would take him to the trailer that was backed up to the door. Then he had to jump up onto the trailer. And as you know – you only get one chance. Once the animal knows what you are about and balks, you may as well give up and come back tomorrow – especially when working alone. And also moving a lone animal is so much harder than a herd.

Think like a cow (my favourite talk). 

It is all in the preparation. I put three buckets with a little grain at pertinent points. I placed my sweatshirt where he would see it from the corner of his eye and think it might be a person, I sat dogs along the route and hung my sunglasses up so they did not fall off my head at a bad moment. Then, once I was sure I was prepared, I opened the gate. Seeing the bucket and without missing a beat this big boy roared in the gate, slammed on the brakes, paused, gobbled a little food, then trotted anxiously across the open space, past the dogs guarding the stacks of hay,  avoided the scarecrow sweatshirt which dodged him to his left then he saw the next bucket of feed and rushed through the gate, into the race –  

I ran behind shutting the race door, he kept on going and just as he reached the point where he had to jump into the trailer  I called “Bring him up” and Boo shot through and nipped his heel then ducked for cover and up the Bobby went into the trailer for his last reward with me slamming the big metal trailer gates behind him.

It was all done in about 30 seconds and I sat down on a bale of straw and felt quite pleased with myself – all by myself.

I drove him back home and released him into the field and after The Milking – Aunty and Lady wandered out to meet up with him again and after a bit of head butting they all dispersed to munch on the pasture. My little herd.

Mission accomplished.  You cannot be over prepared when moving a big animal. Think like a cow.

Can you see the little calves sleeping in the shade ? Yesterday Pania’s three chicks went to their new home and we candled Hugo’s eggs and it looks like most of them are viable. I was worried that my new rooster may be too young.  My other question is about Mrs Flower’s eggs. She has not been near Mr Flowers in over a month – would her latest batch of eggs be fertile?  I am thinking maybe not – but once the hens eggs are hatched we will incubate them and find out.

I hope you have a lovely day,

Love celi

PS. Just to clarify. A Bobby is an animal of the bovine persuasion that I am raising for beef. A Plonker is a pig that I am raising for pork and when I do another couple of sheep for mutton they will be Murphys.  The farmy has a language all of its own.