The day isn’t over yet, but this Friday the 13th went awfully well. Trying to beat the forecast 103°, Robbin, Zach and Clarence were in the saddle by 5:30 a.m. to gather our heifers for processing with a second round of vaccinations, plus get their Bangs vaccination that has to be administered by a veterinarian. Stuart Hall, our regular vet, was out of the country, so rather than wait for him to get home, we tried another vet from Lone Oak, Dr. Taylor Davies, at his suggestion. She arrived at 7:00 a.m.
The gather to the corrals was a slam dunk. We had the heifers weighed and waiting by 6:30 a.m., very pleased with their 725 lbs. average. Because the heifers have to be tagged and tattooed as well as vaccinated, each one has to be caught in the chute—manual, not hydraulic. 106 head later, we were done by 8:30 a.m. Clarence and Zach had them back home in their pasture by 9:00 a.m., just as the sun was peeking through the monsoonal clouds leaking over the Sierras. Great day and glad to have that job done!
drycrikjournal 