Heifers Get Their Clips

The next round of weaning clips have been inserted into five heifers. It was an easy move to get the main herd into the barn since we enticed them with hay before sorting the intended heifers into their own pen.

Once we had a group of the calves separated from the rest of the munching bunch, we filed them in one at a time into our version of a squeeze point. It is basically two strong steel gates that are attached along the reinforced cement wall that then can be closed into a triangle that with the help of a rope and me holding said rope firm, gently holds the bucking creature while Mike loops and arm around their neck and slips the green weaning clip into their nose.

It is usually not very traumatic exercise. Most times all three of us; Mike, Me and the calf, are all free to move about the pen in less than a minute with the calf now sporting a green clip in its nostrils. Rare occasions a feisty exchange of snorting, snuffling, grunting and pooping occur in a flurry of arms flailing and hoofs stomping but all went well with todays procedures.

The whole herd was turned out of the barn where breakfast continued with hay fluffed in the outside mangers.

The green weanies will remain in the noses of the heifers while the mothers milk dries up with the calves unable to nurse. In about five days the heifers will be sorted out of the main herd and moved to the show barn for my pampering to begin.