So much for quiet

I promised yesterday I’d be back today with farm pictures. I guess the cows must read this blog, because they sure staged a good scene for me this morning. (And you’ll see how much practice I need with this new camera. Sorry these are not the best pictures.)

Right after the girls got on the school bus the phone rang. It was Madeline, using the bus driver’s cell phone. “Mom, Mr. Bull is out in the pasture and he has a section of bale feeder stuck around his head.”

Sure enough.

He had broke the bale feeder and got not only his head stuck through it, but one of his front legs as well. It was pretty comical to watch this 2000-pound animal dancing and leaping about, trying to get himself free.

Rafe was sitting on the kitchen counter watching him out the window, repeating sympathetically, “Poor little thing.”

I felt a little bad about standing out there taking pictures of him in such distress. But there wasn’t anything I could do to help. And you know the old saying. When life gives you lemons, take a picture. It’ll last longer.

Even the feeder calves were concerned.

So I called Matt at work, and he called the vet, and right when they both showed up it started pouring rain. There are 3 vets in practice together – I wonder if they drew straws to see who had to come out and help us. Matt thought they’d shoot the bull with a tranquilizer dart, but Steve (the vet who apparently drew the shortest straw) thought he’d be better off getting him with a regular syringe.

Notice how Matt is keeping his distance. Every time Steve would come near the bull, the bull would swing his head (and the section of bale feeder) at him. Talk about dangerous. Steve did get a shot in him, and at that point I guess the bull finally got mad enough that he broke the section of bale feeder apart and freed himself.

Free at last!