Yard Time

Heading to the cattle yards.

On Thursday last week the kids and I took a day off school and instead headed down to the cattle yards for an exciting day helping with the weaners (young cattle that have been put in a separate paddock to their mums to be fattened up).

The weaners waiting for us.

The weaners, stars of the show.

The kids were under threat of having to go back to school if they didn't help out and they did a great job.

The weaners knew what to do and started heading through the yards
by themselves as soon as we went behind them.

The girls did a great job hunting up cattle and the boys helped out pushing them through the race, well until they got distracted by the hay feeder that the cattle had broken deciding that it would make a great Titanic "ahhh we've hit and ice burg, we're going down!" Gotta love their imagination. They were also highly entertained by the diving antics of the cattle as they plunged into the plunge dip after being weighed.

After the gates were shut they decided to keep on heading through
instead of waiting around while Boss R and Boss H prepared the dip.

The weaners circling into a mob, just like they were trained.

"AHHH ICE BURG AHEAD!"

Boss Lady R and I were in charge of getting the cattle onto the scales, trapping them there and recording the weights (thank goodness for technology) as well as tallying how many steers and heifers their were. Boss Lady H kept the cattle moving up the race to the scales, turning them around when they decided to go back. Boss H was on the platform above the 8way drafting circle opening a shutting gates from above. Boss R was down on the ground drafting on foot making sure that the steers went to the scales and the heifers went into another yard until it was their turn.

Mr T telling those weaners what to do. He was excited to help out.

The galahs on the fence watching the weaners and waiting.

The first of the steers heading up the race, onto the scales and through the dip.

The scales all rigged up. The cattle are contained one at a time,
between two sliding gates on the scales and weighed.

Our interesting tally sheet.
Very important job to be done but not easy to do when you have three other jobs to do.

It was a pretty small day with about 400 head going through the yards although some of them were very silly and got their heads stuck in gates and fences as well as deciding to go the opposite direction to what they should. Luckily there was only one bluffing steer that decided to pretend to take anything in with it on. It was good training for the dogs in particular the puppy that was having a go at everything. The cattle were otherwise really good remembering from their last time in the yards what they had to do, well most of the time.

Letting the steers out into the holding square.

The last of the steers heading out to the holding square where they
got straight into the business of eating, well right after they checked the gates.

At about 2pm, after all the steers and heifers had been dipped we headed back for a late lunch. Next on the list was to fill the molasses truck (the red toyota which happened to be the horse truck the day before). Then troughs were taken out the the weaner's perspective new homes and filled so they are able to enjoy a sticky treat and get nice and fat. On Friday morning the weaners were taken to their new homes, heifers in one paddock and steers in another where I am sure they enjoy themselves gorging on fresh grass until it is time for the steers and culled heifers to be sold.

Some more photos taken down at the yards ...

Galahs on a fence again.

The boys enjoying the sun and copious amounts of grass while having smoko in the yards.

The grass in the yards. The whole area looked like that before the weaners were put in there.

A clear sunset after a busy day.