Did we say Ranch Adventures? Or Misadventures??
If you had a chance to see Francesca in our Meet the Herd post, you’ll know she’s our youngest cow at about three years old. She’s also the product of what we like to call the “immaculate cowception” around here. In other words, we neither witnessed nor know who her father was, since we only have steers. Typically it’s a rogue bull from a neighboring ranch who will burst through barriers like the Kool-Aid Man when he detects our heifers in heat.
We were excited when Cesca’s horns first started to come in, but recently we noticed that one was starting to grow downward, which is not a trait of purebred Longhorns, nor something that we’re used to. Even worse, it was headed straight toward her temple, which we knew wasn’t good.
The Best-Laid Plans of Cows and Men
After consulting with a large-animal vet, we decided to “set ourselves up for success” and procure a squeeze chute, which we placed just outside our makeshift corral. From there, Cesca could be stabilized enough to have her horn filed down. We were assured it was a painless method, safer than using a tranquilizer gun and more humane than complete horn removal.
The Art of Bovine Negotiation
Enter Venti
That’s not to say we didn’t have major fails leading up to the procedure. On the day the squeeze chute was delivered, the cows were supposed to considerately show up for us at 4 or 5pm for the appointment. Unfortunately that morning our bratty Boxer (Venti) decided she wanted to play cattle hound and herd the big guys up to the highest hill. They were in no rush to head back down like normal. Also, since we were down at street level, there was no way to even tell where they were amongst the shallow peaks and trees without a drone, and the vet wasn’t particularly interested in waiting around after-hours on our word that they would certainly come… eventually.
Fortunately we were allowed to keep the chute for the night with a commitment from the vet to come back first thing in the morning. After that, it was just up to Moe to sneakily lie in wait for the herd at whatever time they chose to appear. Within that same hour, when they thought the coast was clear, the gang came barreling down the hill at a run with Francesca in the lead. You just can’t keep a good bovine down when quality hay is on the line!
The Alfalfa Always Wins
From there, things went relatively smoothly. We trapped three (Francesca, Noelle and Scorpie) successfully in the pen, where they spent the night with food and water. We humans waited for the vet to arrive in the a.m. Cesca didn’t need any coaxing into the chute and seemed perfectly comfortable in there. Noelle in the meantime broke through a panel somehow and past an open cattle gate, running wild until Moe could point her on her way back to freedom, which was fitting. You can see the rest of things documented in the video shorts below. Who knew that’s how a horn gets filed?? Well obviously many do, but for us it was fascinating to witness.
A Little Off the Top
Learning as We Go
As I like to say, we now know so much more than we did before. Our city slick is just a teeny bit drier. And hopefully, we’ll be a little better prepared for whatever comes barreling down the hill the next time.
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