Happy Valentines Day everyone... anyone out there.  My husband took me out for supper last night after I got home from hauling cattle.  He also gave me a beautiful necklace.  Today was another eventful day!  We re-vaccinated the 39 wild steer calves that I talked about a few posts ago.  If you didn't  happened to see that post, these were miss,  scratch miss,  these were totally unhandeld cattle.  When I loaded out at the same sale barn yesterday,  workers said the owner had not done anything with his herd since 2002.  I handle cattle very quietly and slowly. No pressure when ever possible.  Never look them in the eye, unless you have a death wish, with highly excitable cattle or new mothers.  Today, I was slowly letting these steers easily flow out of the holding pen and over to the working tub (the tub is a 1/2 moon shaped, solid wall pen that has a sweep gate, to guide cattle into the 20 foot alley, that connects to the chute that restrains the animal).   I had just gotten a draft out of the pen and was starting to move them to the tub when, quick as a wink, one of the steers was next to my face and above my head nearly clearing the pen gate.  It happened so fast there was nothing I could do. He came down and I gently convinced him (ok, I got lucky that he went the other direction and not over the top of me) to go with the rest of the them into the tub.  I only had 4 close calls today.  I consider that a victory!  I am getting to old to be racing up or thrown over fences any more :)
I have always loved bulls.  A couple years ago I was loading out 5 bulls to go to the sale barn.  These big old boys (1800 to 2000 pounds) had walked all the way from their pen  up to the load out alley so quietly.  First rule of working with any animal is RESPECT.  I was walking behind them, near a fence, when I heard snot blow and  saw the biggest of the bulls had turned like he was a baby calf bucking in the sunshine. One move and he was 180 degrees end for end. He was also helping me over the fence.  I really didn't need it as fast as I was moving, but he beat me to the top rail and tossed me over just for fun @@.  I got my self gathered,  the bulls gathered again and on the second try they just sauntered into the trailer as easy as my dog jumps into my pickup.
Tomorrow brings more cattle sorting, and it's midnight so I better go check the girls (bred heifers).  Until next time...  thanks for stopping by.