Another Great Day

I haven't gotten to post for a few days.  Calving has been keeping us busy along with other chores.  I have some pictures that I am going to get uploaded soon.  They are various photos from working cattle to the birth of calves. 
Last night was another long one.  Two heifers calved, one unassisted and the other needed help, so it was 3 A.M. when we got back to bed.  It is still muddy here so everything still goes in the barn to calve.   Mud sucks the life out of the poor little creatures.  I would hate to come out of a 101 degree water bed into a 28 degree world, land in slimy mud and have a 30 mph wind hit my wet body. They are survivors if they are dry, but mud is nasty.  
Two years ago, we calved out 125 heifers and it rained for 10 days in a row.  We lost 16 calves that spring. There is not much scarier than a mad, new, mother staring and bellowing at you while you're  standing in mud up to your knees.  You are just trying to get her calf on the sled and into the barn for it's turn in the hot box and keep it alive.  She only see's you as a threat to her baby and want's to go into kill mode.
 I haven't had my boots sucked off in deep, thick, cold, gumbo clay and felt so helpless since I was a little girl.  They stuck and tried to stay behind with every step, even if I walked with an "oar" to push off with.  I still remember how much my toes hurt from crunching up trying to hold my boots on.  Awesome weight loss program!!
So glad we haven't had to relive that again.  The heifers this year are also much tamer, except for about 40 head we purchased in December.
Today, we hauled the 80 steers home from the other place.  They were poured for lice,, implanted, and weighed.  The weather was beautiful and all went well.  We got everything home, worked, and returned in 4 hours. Victory! They had an average weight that was a bit more than we expected, so that was an added bonus.  Another perk from the awesome winter weather we had!
My dog, worked well again today. I love to train working stock dogs and have been letting him do more this winter. Max is a Catahoula Leopard and is a quick learner.  While working cattle he is usually by the chute and then helps me bring cattle to the tub.  When a calf leaves the chute, he really wants to follow it out of the working area and to the holding pen.  Sometimes he puts a too much pressure on, so he had been banned from doing that.  Today I caught him looking over his shoulder to see if I was watching as he was slowly following a steer out.  I was and he saw me watching him.  He knew he got caught.  Too smart for his own good.  Just like a kid.
Well, it's close to midnight, time to check the girls.
Until next time, thanks for stoppin by.