Feeding the Hungry...Cows

Two blogs in two days?!  I know, I'm as shocked as you are!  But really, I shouldn't be, because the one thing that goes hand-in-hand with calving around here is...(drumroll, please!!)...FEEDING!  Yes, feeding.  It sounds so mundane, so boring, and yet it isn't.

We feed the calving cows hay so they don't get too thin while nursing their calf before the green grass starts to grow.  If our cows are too thin, they may not be able to get bred to have a calf again next year, and in the interest of keeping all of you entertained with pictures and videos of cuter-than-cute calves, we feed.  And also, it's what we do--raise calves.  As you can see, it's pretty important.

I learned how to drive a stick shift while feeding. I learned how to balance myself on the back of a huge flatbed that went bumping over hard cow pies while feeding.  I learned that you have to be sure to pick up every strand of twine after it has been cut so the cows don't eat it.  I learned that falling off the feed truck really hurts...and so does whacking your knee or shin on hard steel while trying to get back on the feed truck.  Even earlier than that, I learned how to steer a truck without power steering or any sort of shocks to speak of, and bouncing up and down on that seat while trying to see over the giant wheel and out the windshield will forever be one of my fond memories.

Our main feed truck is a huge 1967 GMC Stock Truck, painted a chalky pale yellow with some charmingly rusty spots here and there.  We refer to it as "the Yellow Stock Truck" or just "the YST".  Like Johnny Cash's song, it really has been everywhere.  My dad has told me stories of taking it down a steep grade, fully loaded, and having the brakes go out.  He also remembers hauling bulls from Smith Valley to Bridgeport in it, and looking in a sideview mirror just in time to see one of the bulls leap out over the side (when it still had sides on it).  When you start it up, it rumbles at a low frequency just loud enough to make your ears sort of hurt and your chest vibrate with the sound.  The cows can hear it a mile away and we can always hear them bawling once it's up and running.

  Here she is.  The Yellow Stock Truck.  The great and powerful.  The dinner wagon.

It doesn't take a 40 acre field to turn around...maybe only 38 acres.  I am so glad they invented power steering!   But this truck...this truck is about as cool as they come.  They sure don't make them like they used to.

My view from the driver's seat.  It was a windy day (always a good day to be feed truck driver), and in an attempt to clear the dust off the windshield, I only succeeded in smearing it around a little.  Also, the seat drops off sharply on the driver's side, so if you're short like me, you sort of have to use to steering wheel to pull yourself up to see out.  That, or open the door, stand on the sideboard, and hope you can steer sufficiently enough that way.  

I love feeding.  Cattle, horses, whatever, I just love it.  It's so gratifying to see the animals take a giant mouthful of hay and look up at you, defiantly chewing as if they have triumphed in getting the best mouthful.  I like driving the feed truck, too...particularly if it is windy.  There is nothing worse than getting hay down your shirt and pants and knowing you can't get it out for at least another hour.  Actually, there is something worse: getting hay IN YOUR EYES.  Worse than dust by far.  I think I might prefer to get poked in the eye than have hay in there.  Sometimes it feels like it takes days to get that stuff out and you look like you're overly emotional because your poor eyes are always weepy.  

One of the cool things about driving the truck is that you put it in 4-wheel drive low and let it cruise along like a tortoise, so if you need another hand feeding, no one really has to drive.  Sometimes someone has to jump off and steer to avoid a ditch, and tree, a fence, a patch of thick willows, then hop back on and continue feeding.  Since it's moving so slow, it's pretty easy.  Oh, and kids, don't try this at home!  

Blair and Haley feeding.  Gotta love the big bales--so much nicer than trying to feed a million tiny bales!  This cow is wondering who is driving since I'm out taking pictures.  

Getting down to the last few bales.  These cows are perplexed at me as well...

 The chow line.  Come and get it!

You can see a long, long ways from up here on this mobile haystack.  

We have a backup feed truck in case the YST is out of commission for some reason, and while not as loud as the YST, it's still pretty swanky.  It's a 1973 Ford flatbed, painted a flat orangey-red.  To me, it looks like it should be in a vintage photo shoot.  Definitely classy...in a ranch-y sort of way.  

Loaded up and ready to roll.

 That...that is a thing of beauty, even if you're not a car person.  Or an old truck person.  I wish my dashboard looked like this.

 I feel as if I'm sitting on a throne!  See the new calf waaaaayyyy out there at the top of the picture?

The hay is always greener on the other side of the fence....

This cow is convinced we didn't just feed a huge bale out in her field.  She is pretty sure we kept the best hay on the truck. 

And finally, when we need to feed a group of old horses, or smaller groups of cattle, or to feed in a field where we can't get the YST because it's so wide, we use a truck or a truck pulling a flatbed trailer.  And of course, when you're driving a regular pickup truck, you need your feeding crew, right?

The Crew.  Yes, it is totally necessary to have that many dogs.

The Boss Man and his crew.  

 A common sight in my sideview mirror

Oh, hey there, Mr. Casual!

Keeping the horses from pulling the bales of hay off the truck

 The "Geriatric Ward" is happy with their breakfast

We also feed the cows mineral so they don't get deficient in something important, leading to problems down the road.  Our area here is deficient in copper and selenium, so the mineral we get has that added in.  Even though they have access to it all the time, the cows go through a period of not really eating a lot to absolutely scarfing it down.  When they see you over by the mineral feeders--it's a stampede!

How many mineral feeders can you see?  There are three, in case you're wondering.  And the cows in the background KNOW there is fresh mineral in them.  

The cows get overly excited about mineral.  Sometimes I can even scratch them.  I like that you can see cows shoving their way to the group to get to the mineral...must be like candy!

I promise, that's it.  Until next time, dream of green meadows, fat cattle, shiny horses, and blue skies!