This past weekend our neighbor that winters our mares called and said that we had a mare that stole a colt.  We rushed down the 10 miles to where the mares are at and he luckily had the mares and colt in the corral.  One of our 3 year old mares had her first colt, a fancy palamino stud colt.  An older mare had stolen him and we had no idea how long it had been since he had been born.  We got the young mother and her baby loaded in the trailer and brought them to the home place.  The mare was not liking her new offspring and would kick and bite at him.  We put her in our calving chute to milk her out and fed the colt from a pop bottle.  He drank really well and even sucked some off of the mare.  The mare would let the colt suck as long as we stood there but would kick at him if we left them alone.  We fed him two times that night and again the next morning and then at about 11:00.  He was doing great on the bottle but momma was not interested.  It was looking like we were going to have an orphan on our hands, not the most ideal situation.  Trent went out again at 2:00 and the baby was laying flat and was unresponsive.  We tried to feed him again but he left us for greener pastures.  It was a sad day and there were some tears shed by all especially our three year old son.  That is the hard part of ranching, the daily toll and stress of caring for these little lives.  We try our best but it doesn't always work out for the positive. 

I know I haven't posted on here for a long time but things have been extremely hectic around our place and lack of sleep is starting to get to all of us.  We have been averaging about 15 to 20 calves  a day but the last two days we have had closer to 30.  There is new life springing up everywhere.  :)   The good thing is the temperatures seems to be taking a turn for the better even though we get a few spurts of snow here and there.  

Trent and I have been busy tagging all of the new babies and getting them to new pastures.  My dad (Jim) and Trent's dad (Darrell) have been in charge of feeding all of the hungry critters and my mom (Darlene) is the mobile veterinary unit.  Once those babies are out on pasture she makes sure that everyone stays healthy and happy.  She is often seen with a couple of kids and a dog or two loaded up assisting her with her duties.  Around our place everyone gets in on the fun.   

As of April 1st, 2013,  we are about 1/2 done calving.  Once we get to the halfway mark, everyone seems to breathe a sigh of relief. We are at the top of the hill and things are usually easier going down, Right??  Either way those babies are going to be born and we have to be there to help them into this world.  There are going to be some long days ahead but ranching is our passion and we wouldn't trade it. 

Our weekend was quite busy and calving has offically started.  Friday night, our 7 year old (Colter) decided that he wanted in on the fun of checking the heifers.  So off we went, me with the flashlight and Colter with a headlamp.  At first glance we noticed one heifer with a calf in the straw and it looked to be doing fine.  I heard another heifer bellering so we went to check it out.  This calf wasn't looking so good and mama was being protective.  Trent came out with Angus (4 year old Black Gelding) to help us out.  He gave me the calf to carry up to the barn and to start warming it up.  We got it into the heated room and my little boy was set to blowing it dry with the hairdryer.  She was a tiny little thing and we weren't sure if she was going to make it but with a lot of tender care and some clostrium from mom she is doing fine. 

On Saturday, we gave pre-breeding shots to the yearling heifers and moved them to a feedlot a couple of miles away.  This allowed us the room to bring our other bred heifers home so they are where they need to be when calving starts for them in a few weeks.  We trailed those heifers the few miles home on Sunday and thank goodness we didn't wait because the weather has gotten cold and nasty again.  We are sure wishing spring would come soon around here!

This weekend Trent and I had to bring home a few cows that had gotten a little thin to put them on a little better feed.  We want to make sure that they are taken care of so that they can raise a healthy calf in the upcoming months.  Leave it to my husband to pick a cold and miserable day to go get them especially when the day before was 35 and sunny, but off we went with Darrell (my father in law) as the pickup/trailer driver and cameraman.  Trent was riding one of our younger geldings (Buckeye) and I was riding Tug who has done this a time or two. We got the first cow roped fairly quickly and I stuck a loop on her for good measure and we got her "coaxed" into the trailer. 

The second cow wasnt nearly as thin as the first and had plenty of spunk,  getting her into the trailer was not going to be as easy.  We pulled the rope through the trailer and I latched on with Tug, who gets his name for a reason.  He is big, strong and could pull down a house if you needed him too.  Trent got on the other side of the trailer with Buckeye, Darrell at the rear with an incentive tool and with us both pulling got her front feet into the trailer, but then she put on the brakes.  We fought her for the next 20 minutes but that cow was just not going to get into the trailer.  Finally after she fell down outside of the trailer we decided rather than injurying her or the calf would would try to get her a different day.  Trent can be a bit stubborn but it looks like that cow was just a little more stubborn than him.   

Things sure have been busy for Trent and I in the last few weeks.  We are beginning to feel like world travelers, which is very odd for us since usually we stick pretty close to home.  We attended the Best of the Remuda Horse Sale at the  Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.  We got to look at some really nice horses and were honored to be the high bid on two stud colts from the Haythorn Land & Cattle Co.  We can't wait to see how they turn out. 

As soon as we got back from Fort Worth, Trent and Charley (Trent's cousin) got started breaking the 2 and 3 year old geldings.  They all behaved themselves and we didn't have any major mishaps.  The only major problem was the weather.  Most days were below zero which makes riding in cowboy boots a bit hard.  I don't know many horse trainers that start horses in muck boots or pack boots but around here this time of the year it is a necessity.  These geldings get a week of riding in the winter and then will get their full time jobs this summer. 

These are some pictures from a snowstorm a few years ago and thank goodness this last weekend the storm didn't turn into that for us.  However,  the temperatures have been very chilly with below zero for most of the weekend.  This next weekend sounds like it may not be much better.  The good thing is that Trent and I will be flying out to attend the Fort Worth Stock Show for a few days.   We have never been to Fort Worth so are looking forward to a little mini vacation. 

One thing about ranching is that the livestock don't take holidays and around our place holidays tends to be the time to get the most accomplished since everyone is home and able to help.  The afternoon of new years eve, Trent and I brought home the cull cows (ones we are going to sell)  to sort out the drys (not bred cows).  The afternoon was a bit chilly but we had no problems getting those cows to come home since it is only about a 1/4 mile.  After the cows were sorted to their respective areas, we were able to ring in the new year with some wonderful friends.  

Getting up on New Years Day was a little tough but we had work to do.  The main cowherd were three miles away at their fall/winter pasture.  The cows are put in this pasture that includes about 70 acres of corn cropland after the calves are weaned and they are PG'd (Pregnancy Tested).  They are fed their until we are ready to bring them home and this year it ended up on New Years Day.  My dad went ahead of them with the tractor and a bale, and Trent and I rode behind them to make sure no one was left behind.

Once the cows were brought home, we wormed them to make sure that they stay healthy and can put more energy into their growing calf instead of some parasite that they may have inside or outside of them. Worming the cows took most of the day and when it started to get dark it got cold and the snow started to fall.  Trent and I trailed the cows to some fields close by for the rest of the winter until calving starts.