Working Cows

It's a full moon as I walked over to the barn. I have to switch animals around so that we can work cows and calves in the pens. In about an hour, my cowboys will come with their cow dogs and horses. Don is in his 70's. He's a retired electrician and horses are his passion. He has been around cattle most of his life and has established a client list of ranchers. He usually has about 3 other cowboys with him to go out into the thick brush to herd the cows up to the barn. Without dogs that can run through the trees and bushes and make the cattle come out, it would be difficult to get all of them.

At this time of the year, the cows are covered with small black biting flies. Sometime we have white scrawny egrets that light next to the cows and pick flies off them. There are never enough egrets for a natural fly protection. So, we have to apply a pour on insecticide to the cows backs to control them. Sometimes, molasses tubs with insecticide included will control the fly populations.

Cows have to be wormed to ensure optimal health. Calves have to be castrated and vaccinated. I am blessed to have pipe chutes for working my animals. In the past, we have had wooden chutes that broke under the stress of large cows or cows tried to jump out of the chute and had to be manually pushed back to prevent injury.

Professional cowboys are a way of life in Texas. They have their favorite working dogs and horses. Horses and dogs are a part of their families. They wear leather chaps to prevent thorns and briars from tearing at their legs. They always have well worn boots and spurs. The spurs are for signaling the horse what to do, where to turn, etc. Since the Western saddle is made of thick leather, communication between horse and rider is limited and spurs make it easier to "talk" to the horses. It can also be for correction if the horse is young and in training.

A cowboy wouldn't be complete without a Western hat, rope and a gun of some sort. In wild country, they could run up on coyotes, snakes or wild hogs. The gun is used for protection as well as a deterrent.

The cowboys I know don't smoke. It's not your Marlboro man. They may have an assortment of mustaches and beards. Don chomps down on a short cigar but he never smokes it.

It's always a nostalgic occasion for me. I have to sell the larger calves. You have to pull them off the cows because they will pull her down in weight and take the milk away from any calves born later. Unless you plan to replace the heifers or bulls of your herd with some top young animals, they must go to the sale barn.

I reserve the right to keep my favorite cows that I've bottle fed over the years. Cows, like people, wear out with age. Their teeth get slick and they can't chew grass anymore. They either have to be kept up and fed commercial feed or you have to make unpleasant decisions about their long term care. Over the years, I've seen that it's cruel to keep them in poor condition and kinder to send them to sale.

Cattle are our most efficient "machines" to keep pastures controlled for grass and weed growth. As humans, we can't eat grass and convert it to usable muscle. Without cattle, we would have rampant grass and vegetation growth which would result in massive wild fires. Cows have stomachs that can break down grass and weeds into muscle tissue. The design of our universe is in perfect balance. I do not like to see lions or tigers in the process of a kill. But, they keep a balance of eating sick, old and weak animals. Young healthy animals can live for another day.

I appreciate someone wanting to be a vegetarian but don't try to convert the world to your thinking. Each person has their own biological needs and for some a vegetarian diet can't keep them going. The world government is pushing for the world to become vegetarian. Some groups become radical, almost militant in their beliefs. I believe you should do what you think is right for yourself and leave the other people alone. It's time for all radical groups to just mind their own business and let people alone as long as they aren't breaking the law.

Well, I could go on and on about all the government regulations on ranchers recently that will virtually destroy the little rancher and promote the big commercial companies thus making us ultimately dependent on foreign countries for our food supply. But, that's another day.

Gotta go and work cows. It will be a long day.