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Category Archives: Dogs

Heifers on the go

17 Sep

Sorting heifers

 

We sold one truckload of heifers so it was time to sort and load them. After weeks of dry weather, fire in the forest and smoke in the valley, we’ve had rain. It has settled the dust and greened up our brittle grasses. The Big Red Fire did a lot of good, this week’s rain is doing a lot of good, and the first frost which came last night is just a few days ahead of the Equinox. Fall is here, and the cooler weather is welcome.

Belle and Gramps bringing up the heifers

Meghan on Clyde

Eamon with McCoy on post, supervising

Rhen and Sarah checking out the truck

 
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Posted by on September 17, 2017 in Cattle, Dogs, Family, Folks

 

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New Flume on the Salisbury Ditch

16 Sep

Meghan, Pat and Cora checking out the new flume

Tiarnan and Battle Creek

Rock structure with headgate

 
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Posted by on September 16, 2017 in Dogs, Family, Farming

 

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Ides of August

15 Aug

Cows and calves in the Smylie Meadow

Alfalfa windrows

All is green and warm. It’s hard to believe that we are not far away, in time, in temperature, from fall. Soon we will see frosty mornings, golden leaves, and critters headed for lower climes. For now, we hang onto these long sunny days. Each sunrise the sun sneaks south, while we breathe warm breezes, a little longer.


Cora and Sadie, looking ahead

 
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Posted by on August 15, 2017 in Animals, Cattle, Dogs, Events, Farming

 

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Summer Trail

02 Jul


Eamon, Rhen and McCoy trailing cows and calves onto the Forest

 

July 1st is the on-date for our cows and calves, and ewes and lambs to enter their grazing permits on the Routt National Forest. Since there are several herds, they trail on in stages over several days. We do a lot of planning amongst our crew, with our Forest Service range conservationists, and with the neighbors.

We also work with the Range Cons regarding trailing dates to give them to opportunity to count on, if they wish, and to coordinate the trailing of other permittees who have the same on date. Since it’s mid-summer, we have to start at sunrise so that we can be on the Forest before the heat of the day sets in.

Sunrise, with sheep in the rear-view mirror.

Forest bound

Almost there

and through the Forest gate

Let the summer grazing begin!

 
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Posted by on July 2, 2017 in Animals, Cattle, Dogs, Family, Folks, Peruvian sheepherders, Sheep

 

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Docking 2017

25 Jun

Belle helping the humans

Go that-a-way!

When most of the lambs are on the ground, we are faced with the next big task–docking. This is a major job which involves handling each and every lamb which has recently been born–giving it an earmark, castrating it if it is a male, judging if it is replacement quality if it is a female, vaccinating for enterotoxemia and tetanus, cutting the tail, and last, but not least, stamping on a paint brand. This operation involves a lot of moving parts with a lot of coordination of critters and people. It calls for all hands and the cook!

Heading into the corral

Bringing up the ewes

Docking crew ready to go

McCoy, with the docking crew and the Dinkum Docker

Siobhan taking a break

Rhen and Tiarnan–the happy dockers!

 

Tyler, German, Juan and Rafael at the docking board

German holds lamb while Kimmy castrates

Jaime putting a lamb into the Dinkum Docker

Tyler and Jaime

the multi-talented Kimmy vaccinating

Rhen branding for Pepe

Brittany counting tails

After the docking

Luka supervising lunch

Time for rest and contemplation of tails

 

 

 
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Posted by on June 25, 2017 in Animals, Dogs, Family, Folks, Folks who help us out, Peruvian sheepherders, The Bellwether: Dunkin

 

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Guard dogs coming in

23 Jun

Here’s the guard dogs checking things out as we bring the lambs in to dock in the Cottonwood Pasture.

 
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Posted by on June 23, 2017 in Animals, Dogs, Sheep

 

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Branding calves at the Elephant Corrals

04 Jun

branding a baldie calf

We branded some of the big calves and will soon be ready to turn out on the National Forest. We have a great crew. Our friend Rod, who was running the gate, commented that he thought someone was putting calves into the back of the corral as fast as the ropers could pull them out!

Megan and Taylor sharing

Eamon and Tyler looking for the next calf

Rhen on the gate, McCoy roping

three ropes

 

 

 
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Posted by on June 4, 2017 in Animals, Cattle, Dogs, Events, Family, Folks, Folks who help us out, Friends, Horses

 
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