Branding Our Calves

Our cows were temporarily in pens at a friend's feed yard and last Monday we headed out well before dawn to brand the calves before hauling mamas and babies to grass across the state line in Texas where they would join our heifers. 

We just had 66 calves to brand

So we called up some friends for the crew

It'd been 16 years since our son had been on the crew

But he fell right back into his flanking position...66 times so he was probably a little sore the next day.

Good horses

Good help

They are handy when it comes to swinging a rope

It takes just 30 seconds for the calf to be cut (if he's a bull calf), vaccinated, and branded

The crew has been doing this for a long time

Cows and calves were loaded on the truck and headed for green pasture

With a little ingenuity, I managed to set up a spot to keep the queso warm in the crockpot. 

I hauled a table and chairs and we had a good, shady dinner spot

It was a good way to spend the day