Some "doings" on the farm

On Tuesday morning, Jimmy asked if we were available to "help" (we're not much help!) with the yearling beeves. These are the ones that have been weaned and were in a pasture on "this" side of the road, but would now be moved over to be with the other beeves who are being fed out on grass and grain on "the other" side of the road.

Our jobs were to get the calves closed in the handling system -- it was not as simple as it might sound... this may have been their first experience with the handling system, and they were very cautious about getting into it. As a result, we had to have both front and back gates open. In the past with the group on the other side of the road, we would have the back gate open and front gate closed, and I just have to close the back gate once the calf is in the system -- but these young ones were too nervous to go in if they couldn't see a way out. With both open, Carl had to wait until the calf was in the stall, and close the front gate (but not too soon because they would freak and not come all the way in if he tweaked it before they were all the way in!), and then I had to quickly close the back gate before they started to accelerate backwards! Needless to say, we didn't succeed all the time -- one calf hit the afterburners as soon as it was in the system and flew through before Carl got the gate closed. The photo above shows a success... 

Meanwhile, Regina was washing the dairy cows...

... so she could clip them in preparation for the Virginia State Dairy show coming up Thursday-Sunday.

More of the beeves in the handling system.

Once a baseline measurement was completed on all the beeves, Jimmy put them onto the trailer and he and Carl carried them over to the pasture across the road to be with the other feeder calves.