WEANING

Today we weaned the last bunch of calves.  Well, except the few that are still hiding on the mountain.

We gathered them from the pasture they were in and took them to a nearby corral.

I rode ahead of them to guard a hole they could escape through.  As I was watching them walk by I noticed just how big the calves were.  That mountain life treated them pretty well. 

Here we separated the cows from the calves.  Two people horseback and one on foot letting the cows out, and not back in.  The cowboys try to work the cows as quietly as they can.  

Once the calves are separated from the cows, they are put in a smaller pen and loaded onto a truck to go back to the main ranch.

The cowboys appeared to have a pretty good handle on things, so I decided to take a few pictures.
  This is the Strawberry Creek Ranch. Like all of the old ranches, it has a lot of character.

When the calves arrive back at the main ranch, they are counted, weighed, de-bugged and vaccinated.  This will keep them healthy for the winter.  This bunch of calves averaged 590 pounds.

The calves are then put into a large  pen with plenty of food and water.  They will walk back and forth for a few days and cry a lot.  But they will calm down and be fine soon.
Weaning is always a little sad.  But it is a necessary part of the process.  The cow is already pregnant with her next calf and needs to start sending her nutrition on to it.