Roadrunner

HIDEAWAY RANCH ROADRUNNER

Back in the spring I bought a package of purebred Angus cows, heifers and bulls. I moved the three heifer calves to a pasture at our new home and the rest to our ranch in the mountains. Within 5 minutes the gelding chased the heifers, causing one to break out of the pen. We spent hours that evening in the dark trying to track down a wild, scared heifer who had no clue where she belonged! We gave up our search and went to bed for the night, hoping she wouldnt end up as roadkill on the highway.

Daybreak the next morning, we get a call from our uncle who lives about a mile from us. He has a cow outside his house. I saddle up and ride down. The next two hours were spent racing back and forth across an almond orchard trying to get the heifer back to her sisters. Being alone and scared is the worst combo for a cow. Hours later with farm workers, family and friends helping in the efforts, we scared her out where she heard her sisters mooooo and broke back in with them.

The following day, I came up with the name for this heifer. Roadrunner. My kid may looks weird at the fair with her heifer with the odd name. Who names their cow Roadrunner? I do. If I have to chase you for three hours over 2 square miles horseback, I get to name you something fitting.

This would be my introduction of cattle to the ranch. I am sure everyone around this ranch, which does not raise livestock, but rather almonds, corn, wheat & cotton, wondered what the hell was going on. I set out to gentle the heifers down. Obviously they had not been handled much by people. I brought them grain and hay, made them eat grain out of a bucket with me standing right there and even pet them while they eat.

Now I still need to halter break them. I like a challenge and while the sensible thing to do would have been halter break them when they weighed 500 pounds, that would be waaayyy too easy for me. I have now waited until they are close to a thousand pounds, so this should be fun. (just kidding, i was just irresponsible and didnt get the job done and now my punishment for my own mistake will be being drug around a pen by a big heifer).

The heifers now know who their sugar momma is. They got out a few weeks ago when a post rotted and they hit the corn field. I called them twice and they came running. They love me and follow me around the pen mooing at me. A far cry from their first day here.