Ding Dong the Bull is Gone, the bull is gone - YAY
Aug 31, 2015 7:22:33 GMT -5
jaymealaska, treatlisa, and 7 more like this
Post by dmbenson on Aug 31, 2015 7:22:33 GMT -5
One of our neighbors bought a young, miniature belted galway bull last year, and since I have Bisco, who's also belted - had asked if I would use him on her this year, "Just to see what they'd produce." , Myself, since I'm always finilaging to get her bred, and I sell off whatever she produces anyway said sure..........
Accordingly, the first of August we toddle down the road to pick up the bull. Nice looking young thing - about the size of a stout Dexter, but of course, black at both ends and white in the middle and way way way way too friendly. Backed up to the pasture gate, opened the trailer and let him out - no biggie.
Of course that immediately put that pasture/paddock COMPLETELY out of bounds to myself, my weekend 'minion' (the neighbor's son), and, in spite of a basic "I've been around bulls before and I know what I'm doing" attitude, my husband. I flat put my foot down - even (which I don't like to do) playing the "You may very well know exactly what you're doing, but you're 65 fricking years old and can't move as fast as you used to," card.....
Anyway, no sooner had we gotten the bull INTO the pasture with Bisco, than I started worrying about how I was going to get him back OUT of it and more importantly into the trailer to get him home again - I mean worrying to the point of waking up in the middle of the night thinking about it. We aren't set up for a bull, or even unhandleable cows (which is why I won't even consider buying one that isn't halter broken) we have no loading chute, no loading ramp, we only own a horse trailer, yada yada yada. I figure I can open a series of gates and get him into a very small paddock that we can get the trailer to simply by calling Bisco but how to get him actually into the trailer without someone having to be on the same side of a fence with him?
Long(ish) story short, I finally figured out that if we angled the trailer in just so, used the solid door of the trailer for one 'wall', a gate for a second 'wall' and the gate of the paddock as a pusher, with any luck at all, he should just pop right into the (fortunately at this point) familiar trailer. All I had to do was convince my DH that yes, I did know what I was doing, and how to get it done - all HE had to do was put the trailer exactly where I told him to and stay the h@ll OUT of the paddock!
With the aid of a fair amount of cursing and yelling to get the trailer just so, a small red bucket of grain, a shepherd's crook to 'walk' said bucket in front of the bull's nose up to the trailer and then pull the gate closed behind him, And me popping him in the butt with the trailer door to actually get him up into the trailer, the deed was accomplished! and no one had to get in with him.
I have to admit - I am extremelyproud of myself!
And after all that, if Bisco isn't settled, she can just darn well jump the fence to the other neighbor's bull.......
Accordingly, the first of August we toddle down the road to pick up the bull. Nice looking young thing - about the size of a stout Dexter, but of course, black at both ends and white in the middle and way way way way too friendly. Backed up to the pasture gate, opened the trailer and let him out - no biggie.
Of course that immediately put that pasture/paddock COMPLETELY out of bounds to myself, my weekend 'minion' (the neighbor's son), and, in spite of a basic "I've been around bulls before and I know what I'm doing" attitude, my husband. I flat put my foot down - even (which I don't like to do) playing the "You may very well know exactly what you're doing, but you're 65 fricking years old and can't move as fast as you used to," card.....
Anyway, no sooner had we gotten the bull INTO the pasture with Bisco, than I started worrying about how I was going to get him back OUT of it and more importantly into the trailer to get him home again - I mean worrying to the point of waking up in the middle of the night thinking about it. We aren't set up for a bull, or even unhandleable cows (which is why I won't even consider buying one that isn't halter broken) we have no loading chute, no loading ramp, we only own a horse trailer, yada yada yada. I figure I can open a series of gates and get him into a very small paddock that we can get the trailer to simply by calling Bisco but how to get him actually into the trailer without someone having to be on the same side of a fence with him?
Long(ish) story short, I finally figured out that if we angled the trailer in just so, used the solid door of the trailer for one 'wall', a gate for a second 'wall' and the gate of the paddock as a pusher, with any luck at all, he should just pop right into the (fortunately at this point) familiar trailer. All I had to do was convince my DH that yes, I did know what I was doing, and how to get it done - all HE had to do was put the trailer exactly where I told him to and stay the h@ll OUT of the paddock!
With the aid of a fair amount of cursing and yelling to get the trailer just so, a small red bucket of grain, a shepherd's crook to 'walk' said bucket in front of the bull's nose up to the trailer and then pull the gate closed behind him, And me popping him in the butt with the trailer door to actually get him up into the trailer, the deed was accomplished! and no one had to get in with him.
I have to admit - I am extremelyproud of myself!
And after all that, if Bisco isn't settled, she can just darn well jump the fence to the other neighbor's bull.......