Brandin' in Twenty Twelve

As promised, here are some photos from our brandin' this year.

Heading out to round up the cattle.

Bringing the cattle in.

The cattle are caught in the catch pen and it is time to sort off the mama cows.

Let the sortin' begin.

As the cows are sorted off they get poured with Ivomec.  Ivomec helps control a broad spectrum of lice, worms, and flies.

Calves are ready to be worked.  First we rope them.

Then a crew goes to work.  The calves will get branded, vaccinated, and if they are a bull calf they will be castrated.  Rocky Mountain Oysters anyone?????

Careful....that's HOT!!!!!

Here is my daughter and her bestie.  Watch out boys, because these country girls know how to throw a calf down and castrate them too!!  Here the calf has been worked and my daughter is pulling the calf around so he will head out to the pasture and not back into the pen with the calves that haven't been worked.  The little guy on the horse is our friends son and he out roped all the adults that day!!!!  He is only 7 years old!!!

My hubs is giving our daughter's boyfriend a lesson in castrating.  I am sure every father would like to show the boyfriend this!!!!! Ha!!

Funny thing is, my daughter has been castrating for years!!!  It could come in handy someday....lol!!!

Every year I seem to get one picture that takes the cake.  This is the winner this year.  The calf has been worked already and I think it got a little rambunctious.  Our hired man is on the ground and his brother is hugging the calf.  LOVE IT!!!

The future crew!

And our new puppy Roscoe was thrilled to chew on a cornstalk and chaps, boots, jeans, and cow poop!  He's flexible like that!!!

When the work is done there always seems to be some more fun.  My daughter and her friend had a plan to take my hubs down.  Here was plan....my daughter was going to get on all fours behind my hubs without him knowing it and then her friend would go up and talk to my hubs and then push him so he would trip over our daughter.  Oh yeah, and I was instructed to take pictures of the whole event.

It didn't go as planned because my hubs felt my daughter behind him with his spurs....which she informed me "kinda hurt"!  Good try girls....maybe next year.

After this, we went to our shop and fed everyone for their hard work.  I love BRANDIN'!!!

{{{HUGS}}}