Head to Head

The good news is that nothing else died here this weekend. I’m not sure why we’re having such bad luck with the cattle this year. Last year we got 8 healthy calves out of 7 cows with no problems whatsoever. I guess we just got some lemons when we bought this set of 4 heifers last fall. Our 4 older cows have yet to calve, hopefully things will go more smoothly with them.

I’m getting a bit paranoid, though. Sunday before church I saw Winston sleeping next to the cows’ bale feeder. When I got home 3 hours later he was in the same spot. So I had to walk out and get him up to be sure he was all right.

Poor Winston is a little homeless at the moment. He had to be separated from Sarah once she farrowed, but the ground is too frozen to build him his own pen. So at first he was bunking with the stocker calves. But he liked to have a little too much fun with them, constantly chasing them around and bothering them. When it got to the point where they couldn’t eat in peace Matt moved him in with the older cows and bull.

When Winston started trying to push them around the bull pushed back. I got a little concerned for his safety at one point so Matt relented and let him back in with the stockers.

That didn’t last long, though, so back with the cows and bull he went. But they seem to have come to a bit of a truce, and the bull and Winston actually look to be playing together. Today when I looked out Winston was using the bull as a scratching post, rubbing his shoulder up and down against the bull’s front leg. The bull tolerated this for a bit and then swung his head around, telling Winston to move on.

Then I got this shot of them going head-to-head, each looking like he thinks he’s one bad barnyard animal. Obviously that bull could have Winston for lunch if he wanted. But they just kind of push each other back and forth and then step off. Right now I can see them from my office window, both napping a short distance from each other.

Peace in the kingdom, for the moment.