Last week was a big one for mustering. We walked the cows and calfs from our Western block last saturday – an 8.5 hour epic due to some problems (read last weeks blog) closer to the main yards. We got the mob to a staging paddock and left them there to rest for a day. The cows have begun calving and the little ones were starting to dawdle by days end. On monday we mustered Upper Boxvale and got the mob to the yards about three hours later. It was drafting time then. Last years drop of calves were weaned and put in a separate yard with feed and water while the main mob was checked for any stragglers such as steers or heifers that shouldn’t have been with the cows.

Usually we have already weaned by this stage. Unfortunately the continuing dry outlook has meant a decrease in feed and paddocks so we kept the weaners with their mothers for as long as possible. Tuesday was taken up with feeding the weaners and tidying up the cattle still in the yard ie dehorning a couple of old cows who were missed in the dehorning process in previous years and trucking any strays away to different locations. The main mob was then let out to feed.

On wednesday we remustered the main mob and began walking them to a fresh paddock. This is where these pics come from as we walked the cows from near the homestead to a paddock some miles away. That little five hour job with a break for smoko had me thinking remedial massage and a hot toddy. The weather last week however was beautiful with 22 degree days and overnights of 7 so it was great weather to be out.

On thursday, yep we remustered the main mob and walked them out onto the stock route (5 hr job) and down to the property Mona where the cows and baby calves were soon happily ensconced on a failed wheat crop of ours. That afternoon the weaners were trucked back to the western block and placed on another failed crop.  

So that has one mob done. Only five to go… This week a new fence has been going up adjoining a neighbour. WE’ve been trying to get it done for a while however it’s a fairly wet block when it floods and last year the back of it where the fence is going was out of reach for five months. Now it’s as bare as a bats _—- , you get the idea, Next week we’re shearing.