It may be no surprise that I--being a rancher's daughter--like cows. They are amazing creatures. So many of ours are super gentle and a bunch, ranging in size and age, eat "cake" out of our hands. We have many that have been around long enough or are unique enough or are special enough to be named.
We have had bottle calves, we've had old girls that just aged to the point where we had to sell them, we've had a handful of breeds and cross breeds. We have days when ranch work goes smoothly and all of the cattle act and do as they are suppose to. And we have days that are the total opposite-- ones where the calves only have one goal and that is to slip under the gate, escaping the pen, or cattle don't do what they are suppose to.
But all in all, cattle are just cool. And they are a huge, huge part of our life as ranchers.
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The other morning, I woke up to the sound of moisture droplets falling onto our metal roof, a lovely sound we haven't heard in months. I crawled out of bed and began the day. Downstairs, I could see outside the windows that this was a day that I needed to photograph.
The fog/drizzle that had been falling throughout the night had frozen into a thin layer of ice on all of the grasses and tree branches. Unlike last year in January, this ice was harmless. But like last year, the overcast skies, damp air, and vibrant colors of brown and orange and gray screamed, "Picture time." And I caved.
It was cold and my fingers felt like they were frozen, but I snapped picture after picture while walking around near our house.
Since it was Saturday, I knew Daddy would be feeding our cattle cake. (He is "caking" them about three times a week; Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.) Me, being in the photographing mood and knowing I couldn't pass up this wonderful lighting, tagged along for the ride.
We drove to the pasture just East of the house, where our horses and Longhorns are at the present time. And that is where my cattle pictures began.
After feeding the Longhorns and horses, Dad and I checked some young heifers that were being weaned away from their moms. Then we fed what we call the "sale barn cows" or "horned cows." It's probably my favorite herd of cattle that we own. Don't get me wrong--I do like all of our cattle, but there's just something neat about the sale barn cows.
It is actually a herd of odds and ends, so to speak. For the last few years, we have bought Corrientes and Corriente crosses. They are cheaper than Angus and don't require as much pasture and food costs. We have kept adding to the herd. We bought a handful of big cows (most of them have since been sold because they were too big). Then some Watusi/Corriente cows. Then some others. And now it has become a herd of all sorts of cows. Because of that, it is the most colorful, most horned cows, and all sizes kind of herd.
Also, some of the cows have been out of sync with the rest of our cows, meaning they would/do have their calves in a different time of year. (As I've said, I believe in other posts, we calve in the late spring, early summer. That way the weather is prettier and we usually have green grass for the mama cows.) But since our calving season isn't the case with the sale barn cows, we leave a bull(s) with them year around. So far, their calving seasons have worked well and we have to do very little for the expecting cows and their calves.
After the sale barn/horned cows, we fed the "main" cow herd.
"It was extremely quiet. Not a sound was made other than the songs of birds in the tamaracks and the gentle breeze whispering through the branches.
Slowly, yet on cue, the cattle emerged from the brush and surrounded the pickup. Their heavy breathes and loud bellows filled the once quiet air.
The birds still sang."
