Thing One & Thing Two ~ Bulls

After some halter training with calves, Brittney and Emma I walked over to the bull corral to check on the two 18 month old prospects.  As I walked carefully up to the fence, so as not to startle the two of them who were enjoying a sun bath, 'Thing One' , the ornery one, immediately began to stand.....of course. 

But I didn't let him scare me!  There was a steel pipe fence between he and I, after all! 

' Thing Two', who will most likely remain here on the ranch as one of the resident bulls, didn't bother to get up.

He actually looks rather docile.  And while snapping a photo of him, what comes into my view finder?!........
















This..............

And then this...............

Thank goodness for steel pipe fences.  Phew!

Related posts:
Big Bad Holstein Bulls
Left Stranded
Bulls Feeling Frisky

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Big Bad Holstein Bulls

Yes.......another bull post.  I know what you're thinking but I just can't help myself.  Maybe it's because I'm absolutely fascinated by them.  And terrified of them.  Two Holstein bull prospects for the bovine ladies here on the dairy farm that we've raised from birth.  They're about 18 months old and the one on the left is a bit ornery.  Not sure if he'll remain here or be sold to another farmer that can use him?  An ornery bull is a dangerous bull.  And no bull should ever be trusted completely.

All I know, you couldn't pay me a million dollars to get into this bull pen. 

Just how dangereous can a bull be you may wonder. 

Eleven years ago, here on the ranch, Dominic's Grandpa, 79 at the time, who has been a dairyman his entire life, was standing in the dairy cow corral watching Dominic and my father-in-law work on something.  He didn't realize the bull was in the same corral as he, otherwise he wouldn't have had his back turned towards him and before anyone knew it the bull came over and began to head butt Grandpa.  He was shoved against pipe fencing and ended up with a broken pelvis and a long recovery time.

These furry faces are not to be trusted.......no matter how cute.

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Left Stranded

Being stranded.  It's a helpless feeling.   I was just minding my own business over at the calf barn, waiting for Paige and Dominic to come back so we could feed the calves when "Charlie" the larger of the two bulls we have here on the ranch found me......once again. 

Okay, I know what you're thinking.....not again with the bull stories!  But, this is my life.  The life of a bull magnet.  Because as you know, every time I'm down on the ranch one of the two bulls find me.

Fortunately there's a fence between he and I. 

He just stares at me much of the time.  He probably senses my fear.  Or he just wants to play.

Then he decides to walk over to the area where Dominic just fed to grab some grain.

Now, if I were a brave soul, I would walk out right past him, through the open gate over to the milking parlor.  But I'm not brave.

He's still keeping his {stink} eye on me.

As cows walk out of the milking parlor after their milking session, they walk over to say 'hi' to Charlie before walking back to their corral to eat.

I think the cows are even mocking me.

They all stop and stare as they walk by.  Now if only Charlie would pull his head out of the grain and follow them I would be free and clear to go.

But he doesn't.

So what's a girl to do when she's trapped in a calf barn by a big, bad bull?  Well if you're me, you think about shoes of course!  Or boots in this case and how much I love them.  Do I need another pair?  These are two years old, but still in pretty good shape.

Then I start photographing my boots.   Well, I was becoming bored after all.

Justin Ropers are SO comfortable and durable.  I just love my work boots!

Okay, back to Charlie.  He's still there...... Sigh.

Oh finally!  Dominic and Paige are coming back.

But before I could get a word out......

they were off again!  You're kidding me right now!  I guess they didn't realize that I was stranded.....hmmm.....or maybe they did.  Anyhow, they rode right by Charlie.  Maybe now he'll follow the cows into the next corral.

Nope.  He just moved closer to me and began playing or showing off......great.

Finally!  My rescuers!  As soon as Charlie saw Dominic coming, he moved on.  Now why can't I get him to do that?

Happy Friday!  Cheers!

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Bulls Feeling Frisky ~ Annual Testicle Festival

Here on our dairy, we use Artificial Insemination as well as the 'natural' process to impregnate our heifers and cows. We have two registered Holstein bulls that live on the ranch. Both are around 3 - 3 1/3 years old. One is kept in the heifer pasture and the other is kept with the milking cows. Most of you know how I feel about bulls......how terrified of them I am. Here is one reason..... Two of them meeting across the fence line. They were feeling a little frisky. Trying to establish dominance through the fence. Butting heads as the cows and heifers stood, watched & cheered on their bull. Whew! I'm glad they were in separate pastures. Since we're talking bull, I wanted to share what I've been hearing lately about Testicle Festivals. They seem to be popping up all over. A supposed delicious delicacy made from, you guessed it.....bull testicles. AKA 'Rocky Mountain Oysters', or in Montana ~ 'Montana Tendergroin'. I've heard I wouldn't think twice about the taste if I didn't know what it was...Hmmmm, I think I would require a whole lot of beer to taste this delicacy. But I probably would take a bite of one just to see what they taste like. Apparently, the testicles are normally skinned when they're just thawing because the membrane supposedly peels like an orange, then marinated in beer, breaded four times, and deep fried. The end result looks like a big, flat cookie or breaded tenderloin. How does that sound to you? Would you eat one? This video is of the annual Rock Creek Lodge Testicle Festival, where last year's crowd of 10,000 devoured two tons of the protein-rich bull meat. Enjoy! Pin It

Why Do Bulls Terrify Me? - Just Look At Him! & Apple Bacon Pancakes

Holstein bulls and cows are the most popular breed of cattle in the world. They were first bred in The Netherlands and then brought to America in 1857. Holsteins are known for their amazing milk-producing ability. We normally have one or two Holstein bulls on the ranch. This one is taking care of his 'harem', the heifers. A bull's primary job is to breed heifers and cows. He's a busy boy! On the ranch we also artificially inseminate cows, when I say we, I mean Dominic and my father in law, George and that process, I'll save for another blog post. I will not go into the pasture if the bull is anywhere near. He terrifies me, just look at him........They can become very protective of their girls. All cows and bulls have 4 digestive compartments. The first compartment (stomach) is called the rumen. The rumen holds up to 50 gallons of partially digested food. While grazing good bacteria in the rumen helps digest the cows food by breaking it down which then provides protein for the cow. After the food is processed and softened in the rumen, it is regurgitated. This regurgitated substance is called the cud and is chewed again. Most cows chew at least 50 times per minute. The chewed cud is then swallowed and goes directly to the second chamber called the reticulum. This compartment is often called the hardware stomach because if the cow accidentally eats hardware (like a piece of fencing scrap), it will often lodge here causing no further damage. In the reticulum additional digesting occurs with the help of the good bacteria before the food is passed to the third compartment or omasum. Digestion continues in this compartment were more nutrients are removed. Finally in the last compartment, the abomasums, the digestion process continues much in the same way our stomachs digest food. The four stomachs and the intestine of the cow are covered with thousands of blood vessels. During the digestion process the liquid nutrients, which are chemically produced by the digestion process are transferred to the blood stream. Any waste material is filtered out of the blood by the kidneys and the nutrient-rich blood moves to the veins of the udder. As the blood passes through the veins of the udder, mammary glands remove the nutrients, fat, and other valuable life-sustaining elements and store them as milk in the udder itself. An estimated 500 gallons of blood must pass through the udder to make one gallon of milk. The milk is then removed from the udder either by a calf or the dairy farmer. It take approximately 340-350 squirts from a cow's teats to make a gallon of milk. Apple-Bacon Pancakes with Cider Syrup If you like apple pancakes and you like bacon, you’ll love the taste of these sweet, smoky pancakes. All these wonderful flavors rolled into one. Any kind of apple works well. A quick cider syrup drizzled on top enhances the apple flavor. Ingredients 1/2 cup apple cider 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, divided 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 large egg 1 large egg white 1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk 1 medium apple, peeled and finely diced, (about 1 cup) 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled 1 teaspoon canola oil, divided Preparation 1.Combine cider, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking, and cook until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside. 2.Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and the remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar in a small bowl. Whisk egg, egg white and buttermilk in a large bowl. Stir in the dry ingredients, apples and bacon until just combined. (The batter will be thick.) 3.Brush a large nonstick skillet with 1/2 teaspoon oil and place over medium heat until hot. Cooking 4 at a time, use about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake and gently spread it to make them about 3 inches in diameter. Cook until the edges are dry and bubbles begin to form, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining oil and batter, reducing the heat as necessary to prevent burning. Reheat the cider syrup, if desired, and serve with the pancakes. Tips & Notes Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate the syrup (Step 1) for up to 1 week. Reheat on low before serving. Nutrition Per serving: 256 calories; 6 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 63 mg cholesterol; 40 g carbohydrates; 9 g protein; 2 g fiber; 465 mg sodium; 165 mg potassium. 3 Carbohydrate Serving

What's your favorite Saturday morning breakfast?

Happy Friday! Cheers! Pin It