Branding Week

Last week we dedicated an entire seven days to branding our calves. Branding week requires so much help that my husband flew out two of his best friends to give us a hand. My mothers spring break fell on the same week, so she came out to help too. We spent the weekend celebrating my sweet husbands birthday, cooking,

 eating lots of sweets, cooking, playing golf (inside the house, why not?),

 cooking, watching the history channel (which I realized has turned into the mens version of WE tv), laying around,

cooking, and catching up on all the things we had missed in one another's lives, and then there was more cooking. 

(It was a Godsend my mom was able to help me last week!) Thank you mom!!

Come Monday morning, 4:00am, I heard my husband open the guys' room saying, "This ain't no holiday vacation, we got cattle to drive" and I knew it was time to work. After dragging ourselves out of bed, and packing up all the lunch food and drinks we headed out to the east side of the ranch to meet up with the cowboys.

It was really a beautiful morning. They had called for high winds, but they got it wrong...again. I think the meteorologists out here take all of spring off labeling everyday windy, it's really the safest bet so I can't blame them.

"Top of the mornin' to ya."

Having a game plan is important before a cattle drive. Anything can happen. The cows might try and run in different directions, some may leave their calves, some may run right into the fence blazing a path into the next pasture for the rest of the cattle to follow. Cows may be tasty, but that's about all they have going for them. 

It's a 9 mile drive to our pens in seven-eleven pasture so we haul the horses to a certain point so they don't tire.

When we brand we have to gather as many of the cows with their calves that are able to fit in our pens. The pastures out here are bigger than average due to the animal head unit per acre being greater so we also use a cake truck to bait the cattle in. They can't get enough of the supplement, and you can almost guarantee the cows will always come running. 

"Cake pleaseeee"

"C'mon lady drop the cake!!" 

After we get a good size group following the cake truck the riders push them all the way to the pens where they begin to separate the cows from the calves.

After they're separated, we push all the calves into a smaller pen that runs into the calf table. 

This is Tony, our ranch hand. He knows how to do anything, and helps us with everything!! Here he is pushing the calves down the lane towards the calf table where they are ear tagged, vaccinated, castrated(if need be), and branded.

I almost vaccinated my husband more times than I would like to admit.

After a few hundred head it was time for lunch, so I set out a beautiful spread for the guys...

right on the back of the cake truck. 

What would normally take us a full week of work only took two long days, leaving us plenty of time for fun with the guys and my mom. We were able to go for a buggy ride our last day together, which I'll post about another day! For now I have laundry to wash, dishes to do, and floors to clean...a very small price to pay for a great week with friends and family!