The heifers at home at Thermopolis

Last Friday evening, en route back to Casper from Powell, I met up with Scott and Bob at Jerry Lake's place on Owl Creek, near Thermopolis, to spend the night, visit, look at our replacement heifers and pick up a load of hay.

Saturday morning Scott and I headed out to the feedlot, where the girls are staying, and while we were there we fed the few pens of cattle that Jerry's keeping over the winter. The red heifer second from left is the one that Scott gave me last spring, and she looks small next to the girls from Iowa! She didn't look that small when we weaned last fall, but Scott says that's because her mother is also little. A little cow is just fine, as long as she produces.

Some bulls are staying in a pen across the alley, so Scott gave them their hay, too.

They're weren't really sure why I was getting so camera-happy with them.

Here Scott is giving the hay to our heifers. They will stay here until late spring, when they'll be moved back to the green grass on the Association before being bred this summer. It's best to keep replacement heifers - the females that will join the cowherd as producers - in a situation like this overwinter so they can keep growing and be in good shape come springtime. Being out on pasture would be enough to maintain their weight, but not necessarily gain and grow.

 

They weren't really sure why I was taking their picture, either.

After the calves were fed we went across the road to start Jerry's truck, which was already loaded, and put some straps on the hay before Bob and Scott headed back to the Association with it, and I headed back to Casper.