Holidays at the Ranch
We have been very fortunate that we have a lot of family involved in the animals and the day to day operations. Everyday is a new day with new events and new ways of looking at the "same ol' thing". There is a lot of talk about how interesting our daily activities are to others, things that we all may take for granted.
What do you do for the holidays? We have another day! The animals still need to be checked on and cared for. Eggs still need to be gathered and cleaned. This year we all went to my Sister and Brother in Laws for Thanksgiving. Always nice to have someone else host the get together! My Mother had to leave early to feed her horses and we had to leave early to feed and gather the last batch of eggs. Suzi and Rick always host a wonderful event and are always very understanding on sitting us all down and getting us all out the door early. Nothing is more special than a family get together.
Christmas dinner always includes our lamb - a leg that Keith has taken the duties of. He pokes it with garlic and rosemary, marinates in apple juice over night, then slow cooks it on the Weber with some apple or almond branch. For those that don't like lamb - this is the transition to the good stuff! We have sampled our lamb at quite a few events and people simply can't believe how mild our lamb is!
January is right around the corner and all of the animals are due for their annual vaccinations. The cattle get gathered up in to the corrals and we have someone sort the cows through the alley way. One person is in charge of the head catch - a very important part of the activity! There are three levers that need to be pulled - the head catch, the squeeze and the stop gate. One person vaccinates on one side, one cleans and checks the ear tag, one pours wormer down the back and one person has another cow lined up. A hearty breakfast is necessary for all of us to keep going, and lunch is prepared for all those involved.
The sheep are a little more work. We trim the feet when we bring them in as they seem to grow much quicker than the cattle. We also vaccinate and worm the ewes, and we try to operate two tilt tables. A tilt table makes it much less stressful on the ewe and a lot easier on us ol' folks.
January is a month of maintenance with our animals. The health of each and every one of them is checked throughout the year, but this is the real time to get them all together.
Happy Holidays!
Posted on Tue, December 14, 2010
by Karin Sinclair
filed under