Aon (red) and Seamus (black) burning off the excitement of running through the paddock together!
We’d administered the last dose of Spectramast into Cora’s front right udder quarter on Monday evening. I just couldn’t take another moment of guilt. She’d been stuck in the confines of that little yard and the barn for way too long, as far as I was concerned.
She needed a real dish of grass… and more room! And these two boys were not getting any younger! They needed to have those days of little boys getting into mischief together. So… Granny set the doors wide open!
Cora will do one or the other… dry up or ramrod Seamus into eating off all 4 quarters! Today runs the course of the final hours for the 72-hour restriction after administering the med. I’m sure Mother Nature has held on to oversight… from the look of things. Girl looks totally lopsided. And all I can do is laugh! For now, anyway.
If ugly comes back to badly… we’ll just put her back in the little yard and try again!
Seamus – 18 days old – Photo taken June 17, 2014.
But Seamus will begin punching through the growth spurts… now that he has open spaces. And with that opportunity comes a veracious appetite!
Aon – 33 days old – Photo taken June 17, 2014
Aon is in his glory! He just loves having somebody his own age and size to hang out and play with! But he’s also gained access to his Daddy. More about THAT below!
April (1st-Time Heifer) on left. Cora (post 3rd calf birth). Photo taken June 17, 2014
Cora and I had, already, had a little chit-chat. I put all I could into reassuring her that she had my full blessing to go into that paddock and square April up about who would be Boss!
PF No Foolin’ April – 32 days after birthing her first calf. Photo taken June 17, 2014.
April may be pretty, but…
April and Cora sparring for the Throne! Photo taken June 17, 2014.
You can’t tell her anything. This bull-headed wench has to learn everything the hard way! It took Cora less than 5 minutes to help April get her head back up on her shoulders… correctly!
The normal expectations for re-introductions into the paddock were better than they could have been. Yay! Since we’re not able to work on construction for creep-feeding, yet (outside work schedule)… I couldn’t see any reason not to provide them with all the shade possible, while we have the opportunity during these 90*-plus temperatures that are driving us all nuts. I opened up both doors of the barn and let them all have access to both, the paddock and the little yard. But I had a special little hope that came with this decision. 😉
I had promised Artist that he would get to see Aon as soon as he was born. April became a hormonal nightmare after birthing Aon. I found myself with a Heifer I had never met before. And I will not lie. I did not like this nasty female that appeared as soon as that calf hit the ground. And she had other plans – refusing to go into the little yard.
Artist was ticked. It took some serious time calming him down. Sweet-talk… treats… he just was not having any of it. He’d take the alfalfa cubes into his mouth, look at me and, deliberately, spit ’em out on the ground.
I managed to get him to understand that it wasn’t me keeping him from his baby. It was April being mean. I saw the light come on. That dead stare went right for April. But I didn’t expect all the yelling to get worse and feel like it had no end!
And then he heard… ” I promise! ”
All our cattle know that I follow through on those 2 words. He shut up long enough to give me a chance to say it, again. ” I will make sure you get to see that baby when he’s a little bigger. She won’t always have him. I promise. ” The ‘stink-eye‘ switched to that sweet little “coo” that he does while holding his head down and looking up at me.
Daddy meeting his 2nd son! Photo taken June 6, 2014.
The compromise came when Cora ended up in the little yard. Artist was able to be right there (divided by the gate and fence) when Cora birthed Seamus!
They say this breed possesses the highest rate of retention. I don’t know about the highest rate. But I do know that they have the intelligence to learn your words and tone of voice. I’ve even tried this with Aon, already. And it worked!
It’s fun to teach them with words. Tone of voice and a little bit of repetition… sticks forever! With Aon, I chose to teach him everybody’s names. I’d say his name, first. I’d point to who I wanted him to look at and say their name until he watched me point… looked at that cow/person… and looked back at me as I said their name again.
Once I had his attention… I’d point at him and say his name, then point at one other and say their name. I’d go back to him in between all the others. He knows his name. I waited for the light to come on. We’d go back and forth until he’d look back at me. That’s when I’d know he had it.
After going through Auntie Cora, Seamus, Paw-Paw, Granny…. enough that I felt he’d clicked… I called his name. When he looked at me, I asked… “Aon, where’s Paw-Paw?”
He looked right at Dwayne!
They’re smarter than we give ’em credit for being. They’re wonderful Beings… when we give them that respect! And it just makes raising ’em that much more fun!
Three Cedars Irish Dexters 