The Feedlot

It's fall, which means it's time to move the cows off the summer range. Some go to winter range, while others are brought into the feedlots. In addition to feeding our own cows, we also feed cows for other people.

As you might imagine, one of the main activities in a feedlot is feeding. The feed wagon usually distributes feed to the cows anywhere from two to five times a day. Can you imagine having food delivered to you that many times a day and never having to prepare it? On the surface, it sounds really good! Of course, when you realize how repetitive the feed is (a mixture of hay, barley, corn), it might not sound quite as tempting.

Usually you see the cows bent over the feed, eagerly chewing it up so that it can go into their first stomachs and then be regurtitated later so they can chew the cud and send it back down through their digestive system. This photo shows what the cows look like from behind, just in case you were wondering.

These calves, a black angus and a red angus, take a break from eating to glare at me. Don't they look mean? Usually cows have such sweet dispositions, but I don't think these two like having their brunch interrupted.

This particular calf escaped from the pen. Instead of being happy about it and eating somewhere along the trough, she just stares at me. Maybe she likes having her picture taken.

Desert Destination: Wildlife in the Fields

Mule deer in alfalfa field

Sometimes I travel long distances to go look for wildlife, but today I didn't have to go far. Wildlife love coming to the ranch. They have lots of food, good cover, and of course, good company. So to celebrate some of our animal neighbors, here's a series of photos of these creatures saying hi. (Or saying get the heck out of here and let me get back to my business, but if they're saying that I'm just pretending not to understand.)

Canada geese flying overhead

Canada geese taking off from field

Ravens on fence next to corn field

Mule deer near pivot

Mule deer eating alfalfa

Group of pronghorn antelope in recently cut hay field--

sorry these are little specks, but the shadow of the airplane is cool, isn't it?

Mule Deer Buck

I had some fun testing out my new camera on this cooperative mule deer buck. Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) are found throughout western North America and are larger than their eastern cousins, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virgianus). Mule deer have large mule-like ears and a black-tipped tail. 

They also have antlers that fork as they grow. The antlers begin growing in the spring each year and are shed after mating, from mid-January to mid-April. Many people scour the hillsides to pick up these shed antlers to make art out of them, particularly antler chandeliers, lamps, and fireplace tools. In locations where chronic wasting disease has broken out, like Colorado, many artisans choose to make their creations out of fake antlers.

This buck appeared to be enjoying some of the fall colors. He was not far from the road, despite it being hunting season. And he didn't even get up when we walked by. Question: Why would this apparently healthy deer be so tame?

Answer: We were in a national park, so this smart buck knew that he wouldn't be shot. If you're a hunter and reading this, don't despair, many nice bucks leave the national park and are shot outside of it. And the ones that don't leave produce offspring that go out and find new territory.

This buck probably weighs between 200-300 pounds. Females are smaller, and both eat a variety of vegetation. If a mule deer can escape predation by mountain lions or hunters, disease, and hunger from drought years, it is likely to live up to 10 years.

Desert Boy Plays with a Ball

Desert Boy saw some balls the other day and just had to go down and play.

The basketball seems kind of big for him, and he doesn't look too sure about it.

That's not an expression of fun, and he doesn't quite get the dribbling concept. Maybe he isn't going to turn out to be a star basketball player. 

Maybe he will be a bowler, letting the ball roll away from him.

Or perhaps he will be a star soccer player. It's good to see him explore all his options.

Desert Boy Walks in the Woods

I decided that it was time for Desert Boy to hike an entire trail, so we went to a half-mile long nature trail with an easy surface for him to walk on. He was excited to walk, and started out jauntily. He didn't want to hold my hand or be too close to me, he just wanted to walk.

Except that didn't last long. After a couple dozen steps, Desert Boy was ready to explore what was off the trail, especially if it involved water. He doesn't have much fear, or much common sense, so he will go off in a flash. 

Fortunately I was able to entice him to come back to the trail. And then he made a great find--a boulder next to the trail with a pool of water still on top of it. He immediately put his hand in it, even though his hand was already cold and the water was colder.

He splashed more vigorously, even getting his face wet. Mama made sure to be far enough away to escape the flying water. 

Apparently just splashing wasn't good enough, because in about a nanosecond Desert Boy was up on top of the boulder. I was telling him not to crawl in it and not to slurp it up. Yes, I have to tell him these things because they are favorite activities when water is around.

This time Desert Boy just wanted to do a little dance in the puddle. I figured it might help clean off the mud from yesterday when he did a little dance in a mud puddle.

And then it was time to go to the edge of the boulder and contemplate jumping. Except Desert Boy doesn't know how to jump, he just kind of leans forward and hopes you will catch him. Sometimes his timing is a little off and he goes splat. Still, the next time he will do the same thing, so I don't think he's gotten any sense knocked into him yet. Or perhaps he is just an eternal optimist. After getting off the boulder, it was time to move down the trail.

This twisted aspen made for a great game of peek-a-boo. It wasn't far then until we reached the stroller, completing Desert Boy's first hike that he did by himself.