Branding Time...

It is Spring, and calves are being born all over the place. All the calves need to be branded, and it's easier to do it when they're young (and relatively small). Yesterday, it was a three person operation. I'm not sure how many calves were branded, but there were quite a few. Number One, riding my horse Calamity, roped the calves, then RanchHand and CowGirl branded them, earmarked them, castrated them (if they were steers, of course), gave them a shot of vitamins and a shot of "7-Way," then sent them on their way. (Number One is going to bring me the "7-Way" so I can better explain it later)


Number One is an excellent roper, but he likes working the calves on the ground too. These days, he's the only person on the ranch who knows how to rope, so that's what he ends up doing all day long.



After Number One ropes the calf and drags it over, RH and CG tie up the other legs and do their work. The earmarking is actually cutting the ears in a particular pattern that is assigned to our ranch. In addition to the branding, it makes it harder for cattle rustlers to steal them. I'm not kidding. Sometimes brands can be doctored to look different, but it's harder to do that when the cow's ears have been cut. And there have been cattle rustlers in these parts, more recent than you might think.


The branding irons are kept hot in this firepit thingie (it's too dry and windy to have an open fire in this particular corral out in the desert).


Yesterday was pretty windy. And dusty. But Number One kept at it. If you look closely, you can see that perfect loop in his rope, despite the wind. He is a good, fast roper. RH and CG couldn't stand around if they wanted to!

H-Bomb and Sawed Off were there also, sitting calmly on a cooler the whole time. Then of course after their snacks, they played in the dirt and avoided protective mother cows. Our dogs Coffee, Jack and Donut were there as well, cleaning up the spoils from the castrations. Hey, at least WE didn't eat them.

I took some other pictures with my 35mm camera; I will post them after I get them developed this weekend. Now I have to thoroughly clean both of my cameras!