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Tagging calves & a bit of cow behavior 24 October 2008 |
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| ABOVE: A close-up view of the reverse side of the surgical steel ear tags used to mark the cattle showing "Treasure Hammock Ranch" stamped into the metal. To see a more detailed image of the tags, visit 26 September 2008. | |
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| ABOVE: The pastures are filled with energetic and playful calves that are fun to watch run around. Over 150 calves have been born on the ranch so far as of today. | |
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| Sean Sexton goes out almost everyday now that calving season is in full swing to find and tag the newborn calves, which are fairly docile and easy to catch at such a young age. | The calves are far more wily and harder to catch the older they get---and a lot stronger. Hauling in a calf that does not want to cooperate can be a task in itself. |
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| ABOVE: The older calves are usually fairly docile when being roped but once the rope tightens they fly into a panic, which sets off the protective maternal instincts of the calf's mother and the surrounding cows. Usually there is a small audience of concerned looking cows watching as the calf is tagged. | |
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Three more images showing a calf's surprise at being roped and the maternal gathering of the cows in reaction to all the fuss. |
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| A pasture tragedy just hours old; a calf that died at birth rests in the grass while its mother looks on. | The cow will spend a few days with her dead calf before rejoining the herd. |
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| Happier pictures from the pastures; above and right, a calf seeks the comfort of its mother. Below, a cow bonds with her newborn calf. |  |
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