At the Ranch - The Idaho Rancher's Wife

Calving on the Ranch

February 27, 2014 by Allison

*Just a little note- I have picture of a few cows giving birth. Its not too pretty. These are definitely not my photo contest photos… You’ve been warned!

Watching a baby being born is such an incredible experience. That includes watching a baby calf being born. Its not too often that you get to see it. With my luck I make it just as momma is done and licking baby off. But the other day I managed it just right to see this little baldy calf being born!

After having my own babies, I am so impressed with the instincts that these first time heifers have. There are no doctors or nurses or even husbands to help them through it all and (for the most part) they rock it!

We take a lot time to check the cows to make sure that things go right when they deliver their calves. First time mommas have more problems than the seasoned cows, which is why we keep them close to home.

Generally, we know that when a cow has left the herd and is acting a little antsy, it is probably in labor (that’s how I feel too…). We know for sure that she is calving when we can see a water bubble and the feet sticking out. At this point the calf should be born within the next hour or two and if its not, its time to jump in and help.

Seeing those feet coming out is a good indicator of how things are going. If the toes are pointing up its good news. If they’re not, it means that calf is coming backwards and you’ve got some work to do. The cow might be at this stage for a while because she is working to push the shoulders and head through. But once they do come, gravity helps out and the rest calf quickly comes.

A momma’s instincts kick in fast once that baby has hit the ground. The cow is quick to get up to start licking and cleaning her new little baby. The mom side of me thinks that those licks are part momma loves! The calf’s instincts kick in fast too because as soon as it can, it will stand up and look to start nursing. That first bit of milk (colostrum) is SUPER important because it contains nutrients and antibodies that will help give energy and a strong immunity.

If all of this has gone down without a hitch you can pat yourself on the back and leave them for a while.

But…

… things don’t always go the right way. When we talk about calving there is always a lot of “if-s” and “should-s” and “generally-s” and “usually-s” because we plan on there being problems once in a while. Murphy has a permanent residence here at the ranch…

The first thing to do (after we manage to get the mamma to the maternity pen) once we realize a cow needs help is to figure out exactly what is going on. We face a whole variety of issues like one leg being stuck back, the head being turned the wrong way, the back feet or bum coming first, or the baby being too big for a first time heifer to have alone. The figuring is the easy part. Getting the calf in right position is the tricky part. I mean, you have The Rancher pushing the calf in, grabbing that one leg to get it in just the right place all while momma is having contractions and pushing on the already stuck calf. And there is only room for one hand to do the work. Yep… kinda tricky!

When the calf is finally in the right position the cowboys put some chains around the legs and connect it to a sort of jack. Its brilliantly name “The Calf Puller”… With some steady pulling the baby is able to come much easier. And Ta Da! A calf is born!

Congratulations, its a bull!

To see all of the many exciting pictures, click the “read more” link below!

Spring in January

February 6, 2014 by Allison

You must have been praying for some snow with us because the weatherman is calling for a sever winter storm with 12″ of snow in the valleys and 2-3 feet in the mountains! Yahoo!

Of course it is coming just as we are about to start calving… so I guess now we pray that the calves will keep warm. Oh, the life of a rancher!

With all of the storms heading our way, its hard to believe that less than a month ago our lawns were bare. Our Christmas snow had melted with a few of warm and sunny days. It felt like spring!

The Rancher has really had some spring fever and has been sprucing up the ranch. He has been doing some intense cleaning in the shop and sheds- he even found the back wall of one! They have done some corral repairs and he has even trimmed up the trees.

I don’t know how professional pruners take care of the trees, but I would feel safe guessing that they don’t use a tractor and a chainsaw like these ranch boys! But I guess when that’s what life gives ya, you go with what you got!

Pavlov’s Cow at Feeding Time

January 25, 2014 by Allison

Once upon a time there was a great psychologist named Pavlov and he had a dog. He trained his dear pooch to drool whenever he would ring a bell. At the beginning of his experiment, Pavlov would ring the bell each time he set out the dog’s food. Soon enough the dog learned that when the bell rang he would get food and of course would drool profusely when the food arrived. Eventually the dog would start drooling just when he heard the bell, even before he would see the food.

We have cows much like this dog. Ok… no… not really. They don’t drool and there is no experiment happening on the ranch. But over time they have learned that when the feed truck drives through the gate it means feeding time. Its cool to see our cows come running when ever the feed truck goes through the gate!

Lets go sledding!

January 24, 2014 by Allison

Have I mentioned that I LOVE living on a ranch? I love all of the things that the ranch brings and today I am loving having a 4 wheeler and fields of snow to pull my kids on their sleds. I know that are so many great places to raise kids, but this is the best place for me to raise MY kids!

Christmas Lights on the Ranch

January 23, 2014 by Allison

Before the Christmas season is too far gone, I have one last photo to share with you.

Cowboys Pete and E were busy putting up lights on the fences, around trees, and along the house. Their decorating even made it into the corral along the barn. If only I could get a good picture of the cows standing under the lights like they do at night. Until then (which is most likely to be next year) we will have to enjoy this view of them!

More Than Just a Bale of Hay

January 16, 2014 by Allison

Feeding cattle can seem to be a simple thing. Just spread some hay out there and the cows will be good, right?

Nope. You have to realize what hay is- it is energy and nutrition. This is how our cows get all of those essential vitamins and minerals and the calories for energy. There are things that will affect the quality of nutrients in our hay, things like the soil it is grown in, the amount of water it gets while it grows, and lots of other stuff.

After we grow our hay we (or our friend, The Cenex Man) usually take forage samples and have the hay analyzed to determine its quality, especially the quality of the vitamins and minerals. This is like our baseline for what our cows are getting and then we can know where we need to supplement.

About a year ago we really kicked in the supplementing game and oh boy it has made a difference. Our cows are in great condition and bred up better than they have in a while.

The nutrition of our cows is HUGE because it directly influences our calf crop- a healthy momma is more likely to get bred on her first cycle, which means she will calve earlier in the season, giving our calves a longer time to nurse. Her milk will most likely have more nutrients to pass to her calf to help him be stronger and healthier.

Ya, nutrition is SUPER important! ‘Feeding’ is a lot more than what it used to be when you consider that it includes putting out mineral, salt, and liquid protein.

And lets not forget that it is a great chance for this momma (that gets cabin fever WAY too often) to get out of the house. I guess I have my own reasons that I support the extra nutrition we give the cows!

Sharing our Ranch

January 14, 2014 by Allison

I love to share the ranch with others (as is evident by this being my 90+ blog post) and I especially love to share it with the people I love.

Over the Christmas break our dear friends, the Davis Family, stopped by to see us and to see the ranch. We were neighbors in small town Parker, Idaho while we went to school. But with both of our families moving on after college graduations we get to be long distance friends.

While they were visiting we took a quick trip up Quaken Asp to deliver salt, mineral, and protein. It is fun to experience the ranch with others- their reactions to the cows, the poop, the scenery… the poop.

The Rancher’s Sidekick shared a little more than the rest of us. He shared a taste of the salt we were putting out to the cows! Every time The Rancher and his tagalong take salt to the cows, The Rancher’s Sidekick dips his little finger in the salt for a taste. And every time it tastes salty- surprise! He invited our friends to taste along with him. Oh how we love to share the ranch, every bit of it!

Ranch Winter Scenes

December 24, 2013 by Allison

I love winter. Pretty much everything about. The colder temperatures are so nice after a hot summer.

Winter time is calving time and there is something special about new babies.

I even love myself a little blizzard once in a while. I’m a hopeless romantic- the idea of being snugged up by the warm fire during a blizzard sounds so lovely. (Don’t let The Rancher read this… I might get in trouble by saying this out loud…)

But I especially love looking out over the ranch and seeing it covered in blanket of snow. Or the trees that are frosted and twinkling in the sunlight. Mmm… I love me some winter scenes.

Helpers of all Sizes, Especially Little Helpers

December 19, 2013 by Allison

Working on the ranch is a family affair. Partly because we all love to be out there but also because we need all the man (and woman)-power we can get. That usually means we get kid-power too because wherever I go, the kids go. So when we vaccinated the calves, The Rancher’s Sidekick came too.

This little boy loves to be on the ranch and already can be a great helper. He even has his own paddle to poke the calves through the chute. And he can “hup” with the best of them. His size is never a factor- he just finds a way to climb up or reach whatever he needs.

But sometime he needs a break. So we pull out his tractors and cars and plays on his own ranch. Life is never dull for a little boy living on a ranch…

… even though it can be very cold for little cowboys!

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

December 7, 2013 by Allison

My holiday spirit has taken over my rancher’s wife spirit because I am praying for snow. You might wonder what- wanting snow has go do with being a good ranch wife… so I’ll tell you.

Actually its rather simple- when it snows it covers the feed. If the animals can’t find feed they get hungry. Therefore, we have to start feeding hay, something The Rancher really doesn’t like to do.

So I’m being a little naughty and hoping for more snow. Let the winter fun begin!