Hi I’m Mike, have you ever had one of those days where you just shouldn’t have bothered
to get out of bed.
Well today we try to make a bad day better and wrap up with the bulls, and get them put
away for winter on our Wyoming life.
This week on the ranch has been a long one.
I’ll get into it but first let me just say welcome back and if this is your first time
here, please watch, then consider subscribing and join us as we continue to explore the
ranch and life and escape the ordinary.
This whole week has been a bit of a downer, lots of not so great things have been happening
but I promise you that we will end this video on a high note so stick around.
Lets rewind this episode and start at the beginning...
We have been in the process of moving the bulls back home for winter.
Not a hard task but one that require patience and sometimes a ridiculous amount of perseverance.
Or maybe a ridiculous amount of patience, I don’t know, either way, that has been
a process, in itself.
Along the way we have found that both of our two oldest bulls were injured during breeding
this year.
I often call bulls the walking wounded because at the end of summer, after doing their thing
and hanging out with each other and the cows they always have scrapes, scars and sometimes
even broken legs.
Two brothers, Bubbles and Bubba.
Bubbles pulled a disappearing trick this year but showed up right here with what may or
may not be his actual brother.
All I know is they look alike and came from the same bull breeder, so they are as close
to brothers as they can get.
This was for sure Bubbles last year on the ranch, he was looking pretty wore out after
last breeding season, and although he is the alpha bull around here it was time for him
to be done.
5 seasons is a long time for a bull to be at work on the ranch and with Bubbles gone,
I expected his brother to step up into the Alpha bull slot.
But now that’s not going to happen.
Bubba was found this morning with what was later confirmed by our vet to be a broken
leg.
No one knows how it happened but we do know it hurts.
He cant put any weight on the leg, and being his front leg it causes a bunch more issues.
Normally the bulls would be allowed to walk their way home, at their own pace, when they
get there we load them up and take them across the road.
Unfortunately for Bubba, he’s not going to be able to walk the distance.
Loading him in a trailer is a sticky option because we don’t have a corral or chute
here to help guide him into the trailer, then again he might not even be able to get into
it, and if he does hes not going to want to stand and if he lays down, he may not be able
to get up on the steel floor.
The vet also pointed out what could possibly be infection in the leg and that’s a big
problem.
With an active infection, he cant be sold or slaughtered for meat, without being able
to get him home we cant treat him and with those complications, Bubba fate is sealed.
He is humanely put down and buried right here on the ranch where he put in his long days.
With that done, we move on to the next animal related crisis, this kitten, a barn kitten
with gunked up eyes.
We posted on the facebook group All things agriculture and asked for advice on how to
help the little guy out, but in the end we ended up taking him to the vet, where it was
determined he had distemper.
Not good, and really hard on the kids who had formed a bond with the little guy.
Also, on the lose list this week was 80, our oldest cow on the ranch and my mother in laws
pet cow.
She had been living in the lap of luxury in the corrals but age caught up to her and she
too has shuffled off this mortal coil.
Just one of those weeks, the kind that happen around here and the kind that can get you
down, or get you up and moving, striving to make things better.
After snow this week, and Lincolns first chance to play in it, we move on to what still needs
done and that is getting the rest of the bulls in and moved into the bull pasture for winter.
Our first attempt starts with the 4 wheeler and getting gates set up to lead bulls into
the corrals in order to load them on a truck.
And once out in pasture, its Bubbles again that gives us grief and almost immediately
starts heading in the wrong direction.
Of course the other bulls follow him and soon all 6 of the remaining bulls are headed off
with him, in that direction, when we need them going this direction.
A change of tactics is required and sometimes all it takes is a change in wardrobe.
Well, vehicle actually.
For some reason, the gator gets them moving and after getting Bubbles going in the right
direction, the rest follow along, just like good members of the herd.
Often if you can figure out who the alpha bull is and get him where you want him the
rest will follow and soon we get Bubbles moved all the way into what we call the lot and
one step closer to home.
The rest soon follow and now we have moved them from 400 acres, to 3.
A much more manageable size.
Up and through another gate and now the bulls are in a corral, gates are closed and they
can rest for a minute while we get set up to move them to their new bachelor pad.
While they relax we head over to get a trailer, the bull pasture isn’t far away, but its
across the highway.
Better to trailer them than try to walk them across, although it has been done, this is
just safer.
We choose our larger trailer in the hopes we can get them all in one trip and hook it
up.
Then its back to the corrals, where we back up to the loading chute.
The chute is essential for loading bulls, without it getting them on a trailer would
be next to impossible but first we have to get them to the chute in the first place.
Doing so requires that they navigate a series of alleys, gates and corrals to find their
way to the trailer.
It sounds and looks easy but sometimes that first step is the hardest, or the first gate.
But once they are through it, there is now where else to go and they head straight toward
the trailer.
One thing we need to do is get Bubbles sorted off these guys, like I said earlier this is
his last year on the ranch.
And we need him to stay behind here in the corrals, so that we can load him up in a few
days to take to auction.
The other 5, can head back up and toward the trailer once again, now they are separated
from their alpha bull and confusion quickly sets in.
Without Bubbles and Bubba, next in line is more than likely this big black angus bull.
He doesn’t have a name, maybe you will pick one for him.
Comment on this video if you have a name idea for him, I’ll let the kids pick their favorite
and we will announce it at our next life stream.
Eventually, we move in the right direction, and like butter the bulls all head into the
trailer.
Hard to say how much weight is on this trailer right now but my guess would be about 7000
lbs. 5 bulls, meat, hide and testosterone.
All locked in a small space, what bad can happen?
Luckily, nothing bad happens, these guys are pretty well behaved now and as we make the
quick trip across the highway to the bull pasture they wait pretty contently for their
release back home.
For us, its back to their corrals across the road, where we get the gator out of the corrals,
check on Bubbles, who is not to happy about his new accommodations.
One thing I like to do anytime I move new animals into a new pasture is check fence,
better to find an repair something now than end up with a bull on the highway, so we grab
our fence repair box and off we go.
Driving the fence line and the reinforced fence that keeps the bulls in their place.
The horses come over to say hi and get a little love, their usual Sunday ride is coming up
and they know it.
Around the pasture we go and eventually find one popped staple an easy fix.
The bulls seem happy in their new home, and are enjoying some fresh green grass for dinner,
and also deserving dinner is Bubbles, a meal of fresh cut hay, delivered to his room.
Its sad to see bubbles go, he has done so much work for the ranch.
Playing baby daddy to hundreds of calves over the years.
He has lead new bulls to the herd and held his alpha status for the last 3 years.
He has never gotten overly cranky with me, and that means a lot but most of all he was
a part of the ranch for a long time.
We got to know him, his moods, his little ticks and his attitude, he will be missed
and the least I can do is make sure that his last few days here on this ranch are happy
ones, full of food, water, praise and thanks.
This week is over, next week starts a new game and all is even.
Lets swing for the stars as I get a chance to announce something pretty exciting to you.
For the first time ever we are inviting you to the ranch, officially.
August 24, 2019 will be our inaugural Our Wyoming Life Ranch Round Up.
A subscriber meet up, where you can come to the ranch, and hang out for the day.
The schedule of events during the day are still being put together, but I can tell you
its going to be family friendly, with things to do for the kids, along with dinner and
snacks made with meat and veggies raised right here on the ranch, we are going to have games
and activities for the adults too, including roping lessons from professional team ropers,
horseshoes with hints and tips from pros, antique tractors, a walking tour, a live stream
in front of a live studio audience and much much more.
Plus you get the chance to hang out with myself and Erin if you’d like.
Tickets will go on sale soon and we will have more details coming.
Why I am I telling you so early?
cause I want to meet you, no one is more excited about this than I am and if you are planning
a vacation anyway next year, why not swing by on your way to Yellowstone or Mount Rushmore
and hang out with us for a bit.
Its gonna be blast and I hope you mark your calendars.
That’s it for me today, please subscribe for more from the ranch as there is always
something to do and its much more fun with you along.
Live stream this week and we will have a name for who may be a new Alpha bull, so join us
on Thursday for that.
Until I see you again, have a great week and thanks for joining us in our Wyoming life.