Branding busy time on the farm

Last week, we started branding. Assuming we’re done, finally, we can move past the fun part of hollering and handling the calves. Time to tear it down and take it home.

First things first. Turn the cattle in on some feed and water, shutdown any thing that has to be turned on, unplug anything that has to be plugged in, and grab one of those liquid refreshments that somebody better’ve brought. The irons need to cool, and we all can do with a five-minute break.

Now that the spot’s been hit, let’s get back to work. On the bright side, tearing down means that being done is within spitting distance and that is always an encouraging thought. If you figured right, the syringes should be about empty, so take the needles off and dispose of them in accordance with the rule that they shouldn’t be encountered for at least a few hundred years. Drain the hose of the Ivomec gun back into the jug and take it down from where it was hanging. Put away the knives and the ear tagger and any eartags that you have left. Put the medicine that needs it back in the cooler, and the medicine that doesn’t back in the box. Wash the emasculators and the sharpen the knife that assists them so that it will be ready to cut the next time. When all that’s accomplished, and the chemicals are stored, you can take off any nitrile gloves that you might have been keeping the chemicals and the blood off your hands by wearing.

Now the brands are probably cold enough to mess with, so gather ‘em up and put them in their bucket or wherever they need to go. Then round up the hotshots, the whips, the flags, and the cattle pokers that have been leaned against fences and fallen on the ground. Don’t want to lose anyone’s favorite cattle maneuvering tool.

There’s bound to be some random branding paraphernalia that you had to get out during all that cowboy work. So, get all those odds and ends and accessories and put them back where they belong.

If you didn’t do it already, put out the feed and hay and makes sure all the gates are correctly opened or closed. Make sure the pickup starts and that the blood- and manure-covered cowboys are relatively dry or they can ride in the back or sit on their coats.

Then back to the barn (or wherever you store all your branding supplies) and unload all the stuff that you just loaded and put it away until you have to cowboy up next time.

Audra Brown probably forgot something … She writes about life on the farm. Contact her at: [email protected]