I’m sure our neighbors sometimes must think there are crazy people living at our place with the hootin’ and hollerin’ that goes on at times. Tonight, I was just howling with laughter at our calves!
Our routine the last couple of weeks has been that after milking, we walk (sometimes run…sometimes lead…and sometimes push Mocha and Jersey to the east pasture. To accomplish this, one at a time, we hold the calves while we let the moms out of the barn stalls and they head in that general direction until we free ourselves from the calves to guide them. The moms must go through the corral in order to reach the east pasture where they will spend their day. Then we go get the calves and run them to the corral.
So, the opposite is true in the evenings when it’s time to milk. We must bring the calves out of the corral first before taking the moms to the barn for milking and since the days are so short now, unless we get this done before dark, it can be quite challenging for a number of reasons. First, even though the calves started off very different shades of chocolate brown, now both of the calves are black and the corral is very dark except for a pole light positioned on the north side of the shelter so that it casts a perfect shadow for black calves to hide in.
Secondly, they know their mamas are still in the pasture right next to them. There is no incentive for hungry calves to cooperate getting to the barn when they are fully aware that their meal is NOT in the barn. Now, just a side note: when the moms are in a different pasture and get taken to the barn first, we have absolutely NO trouble getting the calves to go to the barn willingly. In fact, the only trouble we might have in that endeavor is to make sure we aren’t dragged to the barn behind a running calf!
Thirdly, they are literally bovine children. Playing in the dark is fun! Making up games and head-butting and chasing the humans around and around the shelter is SUCH FUN! Do you remember your mama telling you when your sibling was chasing you that they can’t chase you if you don’t run?? Well, tonight I remembered that little tidbit of advice from my childhood and I stopped running and guess what? They stopped chasing me! In fact, I sat down in the corral on some hay and tried to entice them to settle down and come in where I was (and where the light was)! Then, as they realized I was sitting down, I realized I was sitting lower than they were standing and they definitely outweigh me and could easily run right over me…so, I STOOD UP! My mama didn’t raise a dummy!
They chased each other, they ran in circles kicking up their back legs and “high tailing” it around and around. They were having such a high ole time, and I was laughing! No, I was howling! It was so funny! They were acting so cute and obviously having a lot of fun and it was so enjoyable to watch them and be part of the fun. Eventually, they wore themselves out and settled down enough so that we could get the lead ropes on them and lead them to the barn to begin chores. And, even though their antics cost me time on chores, the loud belly laughs were so worth the time spent with them!
